This school year has been off to a unique start, and for freshmen especially who arrived at their first day of high school by pressing join on their computer. Everyone has arrived on the first day of high school, nervous as to what to expect. Will it be like High School Musical? Will there be cliques and someone like the infamous Sharpay Evans? We enter school apprehensive but ready to find out. This has been true for many transitioning from eighth grade into high school with the exception of this year’s freshmen class. 

     While everyone has struggled adjusting to the online curriculum, freshman have had to transition into an entirely new school. Without stepping foot into Dulaney the freshmen have begun their 2020-2021 school year. There seems to be a consensus among freshmen this year that being online is less than desirable. However, they also seemed to be taking it in stride. 

     It’s been a struggle connecting online with fellow classmates and teachers for everyone this year, but particularly for the freshman who’ve never met any of their teachers in person. When asked on her connections with the teachers and peers Katherine Schutzman said, “I think that it’s definitely a lot harder to form a connection with the teacher when you’re doing it online and you can’t really talk to them individually unless you’re in a separate meeting, but I think that I’ve definitely gotten to know what most of my teachers are like, and I’d say that I got to know them all pretty well.” 

     Another issue freshmen have faced is how well the students have been retaining the information being taught to them. Especially considering the fact that the workload in high school is significantly larger than that of middle school.

      “I know that I’ve learned a lot this year already and I’m doing my best to try and take notes and remember what we’ve discussed in classes, but I think it’s definitely a lot harder to remember things when we’re doing it online and, in this format,” Schutzman said. 

     Workload impacts the new students every year, whether online or in the physical classroom. However, high school events form part of that “high school experience” that makes you feel different from when you were in middle school. What was surprising was hearing how the freshmen seemed to have more of a nonchalant response to being online and not being able to attend events such as pep rally or homecoming. Both Schutzman and Jimmy Jecelin had opinions on not experiencing homecoming and pep rally as freshman, expressing that while it was disappointing it was not the end of the world and there was always next year.

    “Yeah I feel like we’re missing out on some stuff, it’s definitely not the same,” says Jecelin. Although Jecelin is disappointed, he seemed to be handling it well when we posed the question. On the matter Schutzman says, “The first day of school is always exciting so I’m a little upset we didn’t have that, especially the first day of high school, but things like homecoming I think that’s for all the grades every year right. So that’s something that we’ll be able to have again.”

      Jecelin and Schutzman have made the best of the start of high school by joining sports and attending the online sports meetings for them. Both Schutzman and Jecelin look forward to actually being able to practice with their teammates soon. 

     Though online school is not an ideal way to start attending a new school, it seems the freshmen are managing as well as possible and looking forward to the possibility of actually going to high school in January.

Facebook

Twitter

Email

Print