The Junior Perspective While prior school years were in part defined by the student energy brought to homecoming, pep rallies and sports games, it seems it is high school juniors who have striven to maintain a sense of collective morale during the pandemic. Angelina Pacosa and Andrew Sieradzki are among those Mustangs. Both are involved with the Marching Mustangs, with Pacosa, 16, as the band manager and Sieradzki, 17, as the tuba and baritone section leader. However, speaking separately, both discussed the ways that the pandemic has shaped their broader high school experience. For Pacosa, switching gears from “the school we used to know” to remote learning was a strange situation. She was used to a routine of going to classes and participating in her extracurricular activities, and suddenly that was put on hold. Even so, the challenges were accompanied by new skill sets as well. “[Learning] over a computer screen is a completely different experience, especially because technology can limit what teachers do, such as labs for science class,” she said. “I feel that I have picked up technological skills, though.” Along with acting as the band manager for the Marching Band, Pacosa is also in the Concert Band, orchestra and wind ensemble. She also participates in Mad Caps, and she acts as the historian of Tri-M Music Honors Society. Despite a condensed season with the band, Pacosa was encouraged by the school community and its response to the pandemic protocols and regulations.
8
March 2021 • Cliftonmagazine.com
“I think everybody for the most part really obeyed the restrictions we had, especially in person doing Marching Band,” she said. “It’s not the season that we wanted, but with everything that’s happening with the world and the state … I think that we did a really good job.” When Sieradzki considers the state of the world - and how the students, teachers and administration expected the shutdown to end in a few weeks - he credits the teachers. “Last year especially, but even this year, many teachers have really renovated everything they’ve done,” said Sieradzki. “It’s really obvious that they’ve done it to teach in this new environment, especially since it’s so foreign to them.”