Everyone is always talking about the “high school experience” — going to sports games, meeting new friends, homecoming, and expanded opportunities for extracurriculars. Although this means different things to different people, it is safe to say that this year of high school amidst the pandemic does not fit into the typical description at all. 

The transition into high school during this time is especially hard on freshmen. They spend nine years preparing for this time, and yet when they finally reach it, it is unlike anything they have ever experienced —and definitely not the high school experience they were looking forward to. 

“There are not as many activities, like going to football games,” said freshman Sydney Zimmerman, referring to the decrease in events due to COVID-19. 

Even though the rules surrounding these activities have been slightly relaxed recently, it is still nothing like what students expected; and the disappointment about this news seems to be the same throughout the student body. 

Another big part of high school is the social aspect; “Lunch is usually where you socialize with friends, and now I can only do that with one,” says Olivia Young, a freshman at MTHS. 

Students that were looking forward to getting closer with their friends or making new ones this year are finding that there are very limited outlets to socialize with friends. Many people feel that the restrictions we face in school, like having to stay six feet apart and wear a mask, make it hard to connect with other people. 

For virtual students, seeing friends and meeting new people at school isn’t even possible. This freshman year just doesn’t seem like the high school freshmen all thought they were going to experience.

Some students find it has also been a lot harder to develop connections with teachers. For many reasons, like the difficulty of scheduling in-person meetings, it is more of a challenge to get help if a student doesn’t understand something. Even asking a question in the classroom is also quite difficult, because the mask muffles everything the person says. 

Sometimes they have to repeat their question multiple times just so everyone can hear them, which makes asking questions even more intimidating for kids who are already naturally shy, shared English teacher Michelle Luther. Even students who are normally very active in the classroom may be held back from participating. 

Students who are virtual have an even harder time connecting with teachers. Some feel that it is difficult to develop necessary connections with teachers when they can’t share their personality with them. 

Understandably, a teacher’s focus is constantly divided by the kids in class and those on Zoom, so it can be challenging to get their full attention. If the teacher steps in front of the in-person students, they feel as if they are leaving the students online out but if they look at the Zoom kids only, it seems like they are ignoring the kids in class.

 “I feel like I’m constantly juggling between students on Zoom and students in class,” says Luther. 

That division can have an effect on students’ ability to develop connections with their teachers, which is part of what makes class so interesting.  

Although this start to freshman year is unlike anything students have ever experienced, they seem to understand the necessity of the restrictions.

 “If it’s keeping people safe, I’m okay with it,” says Young.

And even while surrounded by challenges, students are still finding things to appreciate. Students recognize the work the entire staff is putting into making this year as normal as possible for students. Teachers’ hard work has not gone unnoticed, and it is definitely heartening to the students during this time.