The pandemic has altered the idea of education, especially for those in high school. Students entered this different environment ready to adapt to a new system of learning, they were faced to battle social isolation from friends which impacted them negatively in academic and extracurricular factors. 

“Personally, virtual school stripped me of almost all socialization and gave me no motivation to complete assignments,” sophomore Nikita Sirigiri said. “This made school more difficult than what it would’ve been in person.”

Underclassmen saw this year as a way to either bolster their GPA or sink it due to stress. Additionally, studying for AP classes and SOL’s proved difficult for many due to lack of motivation.

“Honestly, I think I would have done better [academically] in person,” sophomore Lucy Sherrier said. “[Before the pandemic] teachers would always be available to help me, and I would have been given structured tests to actually assess my knowledge of the material.”

Students were also not given the chance to attend popular school events like pep rallies and homecoming. Some students participated in extracurricular activities to interact with their peers and experience high school organizations in response to missing the more lively events. 

Numerous school activities provided an outlet for students to explore their interests even through online platforms such as Zoom, keeping students engaged with the school community. 

With the school year coming to an end, students have had the opportunity to learn how to adapt to difficult situations. Although they were distanced from peers, many took advantage of this new opportunity.

“When we first went into quarantine none of us imagined we would be doing a full year online. Especially for seniors as their last year, freshman as their first year, and everyone else too, this year was unthinkable in that we never would have imagined this year would turn out like it did.” freshman Kaitlyn Tarry said.