by Jolene Anderson
Students have endured nearly a full semester of distance learning are looking to finish the school year strong. But while students are finally back on campus, a hybrid model is now in place that offers new challenges previously unanticipated. A few students and staff sat down to share their personal experiences on adjusting to this new form of learning.
Principal Dr. Daniel Ching explains he is excited to have students coming back to school, even if they returned for only a few days before spring break. Ching explained that the goal of such a move was to get a trial run to find any holes in the plan and adapt to them before going back into full swing. With the kinks now mostly worked out of the day-to-day schedule, Ching looks ahead to feature challenges. “One challenge that's ahead of us is we’re getting through the school year this year, but for all the students who aren’t graduating, we have to figure out a plan to get them caught up, make sure kids aren’t behind, and restart regular school in the fall.” Overall, Ching is thrilled to have students back and is looking forward to this year's senior graduation because, to him, it represents the success of all the students.
For freshman Rhyanne Ashworth, coming back to school was exciting because she now gets to eat lunch with her friends. Comparing her experiences between distance and in-person learning, she said that talking to teachers in-person is more effective than emailing or typing in a WebEx chat.
In regards to conflicts she has experienced with in-person classes, Ashworth says, “A few conflicts I’ve noticed are that some classrooms don’t have the teacher's names clearly on the doors and that friend groups aren’t always in the same spot since the tables can’t fit more than two or four people, despite the fact that we’re allowed to sit on the grass.” Overall, Ashworth enjoys being back at school but is not excited about the upcoming finals.
Like Ashworth, junior Paige Aston is relieved to be back in school. Aston explains it is easier for her to be in school because she can get help from her teachers without having to email them. However, she dislikes wearing a mask because of her tachycardia, which makes it hard for her to catch her breath. In regards to conflicts she has experienced, Aston says, “So far, the only thing that irritates me is needed to go around the whole campus while the class I needed to get to is behind my original class that I was in.” Aston goes on to explain that while she understands why we go around the campus, she would prefer to circle the building instead.
Senior Cara Coombs has also enjoyed being back at school. Coombs says, “Overall I have enjoyed being back very much on campus with friends and being in in-person classes.” Coombs explains that her favorite part of being back is having in-person classes again. Coombs dislikes the counter-clockwise walking pattern but is looking forward to going to senior prom as it was canceled last year.