Unprecedented times. “We are living in unprecedented times.” Last year, these words flooded news articles, television broadcasts, and online advertisements. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, schools across the globe shut down and transitioned to online school. On March 14, 2020, all schools in the Nazareth district closed their doors--not to open again until August of the same year, then offering hybrid learning to its students. Now, over a year later, Nazareth students have returned to traditional in-school instruction five days a week. Needless to say, it has been an adjustment for everyone.
As a Nazareth student myself, I have experienced the impacts of COVID on our education, as well as our physical and mental wellbeing. Because of this struggle, five days of in-person instruction per week seemed to be what the student body needed to be academically successful. However, upon returning to school, I found that our education itself had been impacted as well. I was curious how those around me were adapting to the changes in the schedule and in the classroom. I spoke with both students and Mr. Davis to get their perspectives on this topic.
Sophomore Ryan Ortutay experienced a majority of his Freshman year attending Zoom classes. When speaking with him, I asked how the hybrid model impacted his first year of high school in comparison to students such as myself, who were able to experience high school prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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| Sophomore Ryan Ortutay |
When asked if he found it intimidating to enter high school on a hybrid model, Ortutay responded, “Not really. For me personally, it was easier to transition to the big school on a hybrid schedule.” He explained that though he did not feel entirely prepared for the school year, his “teachers are very understanding and will go over stuff again if you ask.”
Junior Cassandra Zellner, a student athlete, expressed similar sentiments as she spoke about her experiences coping with the transition while participating in softball for a majority of the year. She said, “I do feel the teachers are understanding of the last two school years' circumstances and are a bit more lenient. They know students may not have as broad an understanding of the content because we generally lacked in-person instruction last year.”
With softball as an added commitment, Zellner found this year's return to normal “has definitely been difficult balancing my classes along with my athletics.” She actually found the hybrid model to be more accommodating to her busy schedule “because I could do my work on more of my own time and base that off of my schedule.”
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| Junior Cassie Zellner completes homework in Study Hall |
Of course, the hybrid model is not universally preferred, especially with it having negatively impacted upperclassmen’s high school experiences. Senior Grace Cuevas spoke openly about her thoughts pertaining to the hybrid model, how her Junior year was affected, and the return to school.
Cuevas noted, “COVID-19 most impacted my Junior year, which is arguably the most difficult and important year of high school. Junior year is the time to really 'show off' to colleges, so I was taking my most difficult classes yet and participating in multiple extra-curricular activities all within a hybrid model of schooling that I had never before experienced.” She found it to be challenging for her and is now “really happy to be back in person.”
For an administrative perspective, I spoke with principal Davis who feels “students and staff seem to be adjusting well to being back in school five days a week.” With many students addressing teachers’ understanding, I asked Mr. Davis what the administration has been doing to aid students in the transition from the hybrid model to fully in-person learning.
Davis said, “From our end the administration continues to work with teachers to remind them to be patient and flexible with students (and parents) as everyone readjusts to in person learning for 5 days a week. We are also trying to resume as many 'normal' activities as possible such as club meetings and activities, Music Department concerts, Homecoming, athletics, and more. It is our hope that we can do everything that we used to do prior to COVID.”
In speaking to Mr. Davis, it became more apparent that teachers are working to make the transition as straightforward as possible, bearing in mind the needs of each student.
However, upon returning to school, Cuevas noticed something else. She believes “hybrid model made assigning and grading a lot easier for teachers" which has now resulted in teachers “continuing to assign more online work than I had noticed in past years.”
An increase in online work has seemed to be the growing trend, with multiple students remarking that there is an increase in technology-use in classrooms. Mr. Davis commented on this, saying “the use of technology by students and teachers has always been on the rise even prior to COVID.” However, he does credit COVID-19 for vastly contributing to the rise of technology-use in the school.
“There is no doubt that COVID has helped to move that along quicker for some teachers and students who may have been lagging behind,” and that “technology can always be a useful managerial and instructional tool for teachers and students if used the correct way,” Davis said.
It is no secret that COVID-19 has heavily impacted the lives of people across the globe. Lives were taken, families were destroyed, and our students missed some memorable teenage experiences. In speaking to both students and a member of administration, it is comforting to see the smiling eyes of my peers behind their masks, content and motivated to take on the school year. This time--in person.
All photos provided by Adrianna Wagner