Text by ASHMITA RAJMOHAN and MERWA MAROF
TRICKY TRANSITIONS “I “ FRESHMEN FACE CHALLENGES FROM COVID-19
FELT LIKE I WAS on Zoom for Singh was disheartened that high hours, and I was missing in-per- school would be similar to 8th grade son interaction and meeting new without the excitement of a campus people, which I was really excit- change. ed about,” freshman Shamsheer Singh “I felt like for the longest time that I said. The online school year held many was still in middle school because everychallenges for freshmen with their loss thing that was supposed to be different of a traditional first wasn’t different,” year of high school said. “It was I didn’t really connect Singh experience. But, after all the same.” months of learning with anyone, like Singh attended from home, freshmen the in-person orienteachers or students are now able to attend tation and felt that classes on campus for who I didnt know preshe finally got the the first time. closure she needed viously, on Zoom.” To kick off Palo from middle school. Alto High School’s “If I waited — OLIVIA LINDSTROM, freshman reopening, the Assountil sophomore ciated Student Body year, I would have held an in-person orientation for fresh- felt like I was still a freshman and I was men which included tours of the school, still unfamiliar with [in-person school],” followed by entertainment provided by Singh said. Paly cheer and snacks distributed by the Another benefit of returning to camParent Teacher Student Association. pus was being able to connect with peers “We got to go into some of the as freshman Olivia Lindstrom experibuildings and we also got to play Spike- enced when she opted to participate in ball and do a ton of Paly specific things, the recent hybrid school option. which was really fun,” Singh said. “I knew people already,” Lindstrom According to a recent online opt-in said. “But I didn’t really connect with Verde Magazine survey of 138 Paly stu- anyone, like teachers or students who I dents that was conducted from March didn’t know previously, on Zoom.” 18 to March 22, 65.2% of the 46 freshAs a student new to the district, man participants believed that Paly did freshman Bee Montes faced difficulty a satisfactory job with the transition finding a community of like-minded from middle to high school. Despite this, peers over Zoom. 81.4% believed that they missed out on “I just didn’t really have anyone to important milestones and experiences talk to in the beginning,” Montes said. they would have had pre-pandemic. “And usually when you go to a new Four freshmen and an 8th grad- school, you’re in-person, and you make er share their unique views on the high friends pretty quickly … it was hard for school transition in the pandemic and me to make friends.” their hopes for the upcoming months. To address these challenges, Montes joined the cheer team. A delayed welcome “I actually get to see people in perThis year, freshmen faced many ad- son have a conversation that goes back versities like entering a new environment and forth and there’s no poor connection without stepping foot on campus. or glitches,” Montes said.
22 APRIL 2021
Incoming freshmen Greene Middle School 8th grader Lydia Mitz eagerly anticipates transitioning into high school in the upcoming year when there will likely be less COVID-19 restrictions. “I’m excited to talk to everyone that I haven’t really seen in a long time from my school,” Mitz said. “I’m also excited to meet new people.” However, Mitz has become accustomed to the virtual school lifestyle after a year of distance learning, and worries about being in a new environment. “I think most people are nervous because they’ve never really been on campus,” Mitz said. “And they haven’t seen anyone from school in a long time.” After going through course selection and learning what Paly has to offer, she’s excited for the high school years ahead. “I think I’ve been provided a similar experience to pre-pandemic times by Paly, but if I was in-person the whole year, then it would have been much easier to talk with friends and figure out what courses to take together,” Mitz said. Adapting to online learning Overall, throughout the year students like Singh learned to make the most of the Zoom environment. “They [her teachers] did a lot of breakout room activities, which was also nice because … I got to talk to people who I knew from my middle school but I hadn’t really interacted with a lot,” Singh said. Sophia Kim has also found ways to overcome the social challenges of her online classes. “I’ve tried my best to participate in class,” Kim said. “And in that way [I] get to know my teacher better and my teacher gets to know me better because the more that you participate in class, the more familiar your face gets.” v
