Class of 2024 is two months away from graduating. Seniors are excited yet nervous about graduating, as they are getting close to their next steps in life.

As students buy their yearbooks and reminisce on their high school years, many students recollect on their freshman year; an introduction to their new school, that got cut by COVID-19 lockdowns.

Instead of school tours and meeting new friends, starting over and talking about how immature they were in middle school, students were stuck behind a screen with Zoom names they couldn’t put a face to.

Teachers also had to adapt to new students who they couldn’t connect with in ways they did before. Math teacher Tim Liang said that during online schooling, he could never really tell how much students were learning.

“Because a lot of students did not turn on their camera on Zoom, it was really hard to check for students’ understanding for assignments and seeing feedback from their facial expressions,” Liang said. “Now coming back to school, I get to interact with students and I get instant feedback from students when they need help with assignments.”

According to senior Gabriel Arauza, school online was less challenging, but there were many unexpected social difficulties.

“Teachers did give easier work, and it was easier to get things done–but you couldn’t socialize a lot.”

Besides breakout rooms, there weren’t many opportunities to socialize with peers during distance learning. And since many people didn’t have the opportunity to meet others or share phone numbers, many students felt there was such a lack of connection.

English teacher Ruth Greene actually enjoyed online schooling. She said it was easier because there were less classroom distractions.

“I enjoyed it, because I didn’t have to deal with students asking to use the restroom or to have them put their phones away,” she said. “However I did miss the interactions with students and it was also difficult to make sure they were doing their work.”

Senior Victoria Eisenstein said that school has gotten better after classes on Zoom ended. She appreciates communication in a new way, and believes that, though COVID-19 had many tough aspects, online education helped students grow.

“I believe one important lesson I’ve learned was the importance of how communication between students is one of the most important aspects of learning that helps you grow and learn new things.”