Briley Simpson

2020 in itself has been a pretty insane year, but what has been even more insane is the fact that I started high school in the middle of it. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be a freshman in a global pandemic. When I left middle school I thought everything would get better eventually and that my high school experience would live up to the expectations set by TV shows and movies. Unfortunately it resembles a freaky, apocalyptic, dystopian movie more than anything. I mean, I’m not saying that this first semester hasn’t had its own share of fun and excitement, but it’s definitely not how I would’ve imagined it going. 

First off, since our school was doing hybrid, I wouldn’t actually go to school until the end of the week. I spent my “First Day” of high school watching all the “Pitch Perfect” movies while everyone with last names A-K were trying to figure out where all their classes were. When that first Thursday finally did roll around, I wasn’t ready–physically or emotionally, for that matter. I was basically walking into the unknown, and it was scary. Half of my friends weren’t there, I barely remembered where all my classes were, and most of the day I was by myself. When you’re there it’s like everyone expects you to know what you’re doing, and that’s when the saying, “fake it ’till you make it” really comes in handy. I lived by those words for the first two weeks. Luckily after a while I got into the groove. I knew this whole COVID situation wasn’t ideal for anyone so I decided to try and make the best out of it. I made new friends, learned new things, and tried to have as much fun as I could. People are always saying that your high school years are the best years of your life, and as much as it sucks that these years are being lived during a pandemic, we can still try to make the most out of them. As we near the end of this, for lack of a better word, horrible year, I have realized that there were parts that I actually enjoyed. Memories that were made and that we will never forget. The makeshift pep rallies, the hour long lunches, the laughs that we had will hopefully be remembered for a long time. Although I will strangely miss some of this year I am not sad to say goodbye to it and welcome whatever comes next. 

Cade Stone

2020 has been nothing short of a downward spiral since it started. I wish, as many others do, for it to be over, even though maybe that won’t fix anything but the date. This school year has been extremely different though, from the masks to the plexiglass in front of the teacher’s desk. Maybe it’s even weirder that only half the school comes to school, but other than that, for me, it’s been a normal(ish) school year. I still came, just not every day. I sat with my friends, and we talked. I still of course miss how things used to be, but this is the safest thing to do for now. The teachers and staff have done a perfect job making everything safer and keeping it relatively normal. I enjoy going to class and learning, even if it is only for two days. The other three days when you do online classes is really not that bad. My teachers understand the workload from other teachers and don’t overload me, and I really appreciate it from them. There isn’t really anything I would change about our precautions and daily schedule. I enjoy walking the halls with my friends, as well as eating lunch with them. I think with smaller classes, everyone gets a little bit closer with their teachers and forms bonds that make learning easier. I genuinely think that with smaller classes, students will be less unruly and more ready to learn. I have learned a lot this year, even just going to school two days a week.