Starting a new school with all new people was a scary thought for me. I barely knew anyone, except for my friends from my old school who also decided to attend Nordonia High School (NHS.) Since I did not go through the Nordonia school system before, I had no idea what to expect. The fact that there is a worldwide pandemic at the very same time that I was to be introduced to a completely new environment, didn’t make things much easier. I chose to do Option 1 this year. I knew I had to wear a mask the whole day, which I was pretty much okay with, but it was so strange to see everyone else wearing one too. The mask hid everyone’s emotions and facial expressions, so it was hard to tell if people were feeling happy or not.
I remember that for some reason, on my first day, I was shaking. During my first few classes, I was shaking. I had no idea what was going to happen, or what people would think of me. So I sat there shaking; worried that I would say something stupid or fall over when I got up. In most of my classes, I just sat quietly and stared at the wall that first day, avoiding eye contact with pretty much everyone because I was so nervous. Luckily at lunch, I was able to find a group of friends to sit with, even though I barely talked to them. For many of my classes, I got lost and had to frantically ask for directions and nearly sprint to the rooms. And then, it was finally the end of the first day. I survived, somehow. Luckily I was home the next day because of the hybrid model. I had no idea, though, what would come in the next few weeks.
The next few weeks were easier for me as I started to adjust to my schedule, and become more familiar with my classes and surroundings. I remember the first group project I had to work on, I was so nervous to share my ideas and or thoughts because of my already pre-existing shyness. But I eventually warmed up to some people in my classes and started to recognize them in the hallways. I really started to get a feel for what the next four years of my life would be like.
About three weeks into the hybrid model, the Nordonia School Board opted for students to go back to classes full time. This is when the workload really started to pick up for me. Every day, I had to wake up so much earlier in order to get to school on time. I had to turn to my nemesis, coffee, to keep me awake. Something that was different for me was the split scheduling for the lunch periods. I have lunch that splits one of my classes in half. It took awhile to adjust to the random tone that would signal change of classes during 4th and 5th periods. The first day, I also realized that there was no homeroom, which was another change from previous years. I missed having that home base, so to speak…but it got better.
When asked to write about this new experience, I wanted to get a few other student’s opinions as well, so you as the reader could see how other students navigated the new environment with the given situation of the pandemic.
One freshman student who chose the hybrid model shared his thoughts about the first few weeks. He told me that his classes were all good but it was a hard adjustment to the online schooling process three days a week. He also participates in a fall sport and he was able to make new friends on his team. He said “At first, I hung out with only kids from my old school, but after time passed I was able to branch out more.” He said there were projects and essays he had to do, some of which he did not prefer, but overall the workload was not difficult. Organization on the at-home days were harder than the in-school days, but he eventually got the hang of things. He said that he had to “use a notecard with the room numbers from time to time.” during his first few days as well. Something he told me that really stuck out was: “High school is so much fun…[once] the hard work is put in towards school work.” This quote can be applied to many other new students who come into our school system because hard work is a necessary skill for any high school student. In other words, it is much easier to enjoy the fun parts of high school once the studying is done.
Another student in 9th grade shared with me her experiences in the first few weeks of high school. She has been at Nordonia since Kindergarten, but with the whole COVID-19 situation, high school has been very different for her. She stated: “My experience with the first few weeks of school has been interesting. The experience has been in the middle of good and bad. It is good in a way because us as students have been able to interact with one another during school. It is nice being able to learn and interact with teachers and other peers even though this is an awkward time. My initial thought of going back to school was more of a worry. I know that the school district is trying hard to make it as safe as possible for teachers and students to be back in the classroom. Being a part of a school sport this year was also interesting. I was fortunate enough to have a full season. Students who are in sports want a full season. Students who want to be in school (in person) want to be there and feel safe. This school year has definitely been an interesting one so far. This can be a story to learn from for future generations. Although 2020 has been strange, I hope we will learn from this and come out stronger than before.”
Both students’ analyses of their initial freshman experiences brought up very important points about the start of school. They each told me that their first few weeks was like nothing that they had ever experienced before; especially within the chaos of coronavirus.
My first 5 weeks of high school went pretty well. At first, I was very nervous and anti-social, but I eventually warmed up to some people around me. I was nervous not only because of the coronavirus, but also because this was a completely new environment for me. All of my teachers are very kind to me and I have found a group of friends to sit and chat with at lunch. Even though it took me a little while to get used to my schedule, I now know what is expected in each class. I now feel ready to take on the new challenges and opportunities that will come my way throughout my high school experience.
~9th grader~
