by Bella Velazquez
Freshman year is difficult enough as it is; students are scrambling to get a feel for the campus, remember where they put that class schedule of theirs, and figure out where they’re supposed to eat lunch every day. Now, throw a global pandemic on top of that, and everything gets twice as complicated.
Even before the school year started, incoming freshmen were forced to choose a high school in a time when everyone was, and still is, indefinitely shut down. Freshman Clairetza Mendoza said they settled on Minarets because “I heard it was a great school.” Others like freshman Jayla Johnson said, “I came to Minarets because they had a charter program and because my aunts thought that it was a really good school, and they were right!” Freshman Grace Noonkester explained, “I went to Spring Valley my whole life, so it just made sense.” Some students from the freshmen class chose Minarets for alternate reasons, one being that their older siblings are current or former Mustangs themselves!
Of the freshmen interviewed, most agreed that high school is not what they expected, but they are trying to make the best out of it. Still, there is a sense of unease about the upcoming years. When asked what advice they would like from upperclassmen, freshman Kobe King asked, “What is the best thing about on-campus learning?” On-campus learning is more interactive and fun; sometimes the teachers will give us lunchtime challenges, movie days, or class activities!
Freshman Bella Tarazi asked, “So, is the schedule ACTUALLY like this or when we go to Minarets in real life it'll be different?” The schedule for on-campus school is the same, but also different. We start our day at 8:45 a.m. and end our day at 3:36 p.m. unless you have after school activities! It can be confusing on campus for the first time but make sure to ask upperclassmen if you're lost or have questions! But, having not been exposed to a normal high school setting, it can be hard for students to get a feel for what normal campus culture feels like.
Minarets is working hard to adapt as well as help students feel like they’re still part of a school community. If students were still on campus, there would be events and clubs so the year would go by in the blink of an eye. The general hope now is that time will still continue to go by fast, and freshmen, along with the rest of the student body, will be able to return and fully experience high school as it should be.