Never Gone To High School

JENNIFER ZHENG | OCT. 24, 2020 | FEATURES

As on any first day of high school, the incoming class of Stanton College Preparatory School freshmen were eager but nervous to start a new journey. Looking forward to meeting new friends and attending events such as pep rallies or joining organizations like the Multicultural Club, they walked into the large building with thousands of unfamiliar faces present. Although this image might be familiar to most students, this year's freshman class will have a different high school experience due to the coronavirus.

Six months into the pandemic, Duval County Public Schools continues to take precautions to keep students and staff safe. In July, DCPS gave parents a choice of placing their child in Duval HomeRoom or Hybrid. With these two options, Stanton College Preparatory School’s incoming class of 2024 have already had to start the school year with some limitations, far from the traditional high school experience.

“Being a freshman and starting online school is hard because you can’t really socialize and meet new people like we would normally have done considering this is our first year in high school,” said freshman Erin Aslan.

The uncertainties placed on extracurricular activities prevent students from participating in sports or clubs from the very beginning of high school, which usually allows them to take a break from school work and physically meet people outside of school. 

  “I really want to be part of cheer and I really wanted to do debate, but I am not sure if they are still doing clubs,” said Aslan, who opted to enroll in Duval HomeRoom. “I wanted to be part of a school team so that I can socialize with people.”

Due to the lack of socialization with others, HomeRoom students will most likely stay with their existing group of friends, which hinders the possibility of creating high school memories with both old and new friends. Freshman Janani Murali is a Duval HomeRoom student who feels this hindrance, but is eager to meet new people when she goes back to school. 

“Most of my friends from middle school now go to Stanton. I’m sure when we all get to physically go to school, it’ll be easier to interact with my peers in the classroom and hopefully start new friendships,” said Murali.  

  Duval HomeRoom students like Murali are not the only ones feeling socially hindered by the virus. The safety precautions that DCPS has placed in classrooms include transparent desk shields, maintaining six feet distance, and wearing masks at all times. The tension and protective barriers placed around classrooms for Hybrid students limit their ability to fully interact with each other. 

To freshman Alex Lee, the choice of Hybrid over Duval HomeRoom came down to the safety measures that in person learning involves. 

“I can learn a lot better in person, so that’s why I did hybrid. But everybody’s doing a good job of putting their masks on,” said Lee.

Despite the social difficulties that come with Duval HomeRoom, teachers are taking a different approach to give Homeroom students the same experience as freshman’s from previous years. According to Mrs. Amy Mele, an English Honors 1 and Great Books teacher, students receiving virtual instruction will need to learn new scanning and submission methods to complete their work. 

“Students will scan their pages or download the PDF and manipulate it through Adobe Pro by clicking the toolbox icon on top of the page, where there is a feature to insert little text boxes,” said Mrs. Mele. 

Since Duval HomeRoom is virtual, teachers interact with their students on the Microsoft Teams platform. Some teachers require students to have their camera on during class, so they can still maintain a teacher-student relationship. Similar to in class conventions, teachers can see if students are engaged and advise students to behave accordingly to classroom behaviors. 

“It is important that I am talking to them versus talking at them,” said Mrs. Mele.

Compared to Hybrid students who can talk to their teachers in person, some HomeRoom students are generally not as comfortable and close with teachers. Teachers usually take the initiative to call on students who seem confused or answer a question at that moment,though there is a delay in the process of asking questions and getting the answer. 

“Teachers cannot see our facial expressions during class, so some students that are scared to speak up will [not ask questions], causing them to stay confused on the lesson’s content,” said Murali.

Regardless of the fact that HomeRoom students aren’t as acquainted with their teachers, they are aware their teachers are giving them the greatest amount of support when it comes to learning. Teachers take into consideration the workload students have by giving a reasonable amount of homework. They also respond to student messages for help through Outlook or Remind.  

“My teachers and I aren’t as close [as if] we would be meeting up physically, but I know they would help me in any case,” said freshman Rishi Mudiganti.  “All my teachers are doing their best at trying to keep us engaged. They’re keeping us on track to give us the best possible opportunity to pass the course.” 

Although HomeRoom students do learn the course material, processing the material and applying it to next year's course could be difficult, potentially resulting in students who will fall behind the rest of the class.

“I don’t learn as well at home as I do at school, so that could mess up grades, which messes up test scores, and creates a domino effect of failure if I don’t work harder at home than I do at school,” said Mudiganti. “Next year, I may have to catch up a bit or review the course material to get on track.”

Along with the uncertainty surrounding extracurricular activities, students who view athletics and clubs as an important part of their high school transcript will have a harder time reaching their desired position within these clubs and teams. This hinders the student’s ability to earn service hours used to earn the Bright Futures scholarship.  Additionally, becoming a club officer or team captain often gives students an advantage when applying to college. 

“It does matter when it comes to having a leadership position, the impact you made rather than just holding many positions,” said Ms. May Ibasco, a guidance counselor at Stanton. 

Although the freshman class of 2024 has experienced many limitations placed on extracurricular activities, the newly elected freshman class president Jay Verma will take a new approach in getting freshmens involved.  

“My main goal this year is class spirit for sure. High school is meant to be an enjoyable right of passage. Although this year is tough on us all, I want to make it a happy memory for us all,” said Verma. 

In addition to his main goal, Verma has other strategies in helping and getting the freshman class involved. 

“Having the opportunity to be this year’s freshman class president means I can work towards unifying the class as a whole, make sure everyone knows the best ways to study and pass their classes at a school recognized for academic skill and inform the class about opportunities that are both fun and helpful to the community,” said Verma.

Working with the other freshman class officers, Verma mentioned some plans currently in progress.

“The officers together have set up plans for class shirts. It involves a competition, so that's a fun way to get the class involved. I am currently researching the best and most safe opportunities for volunteering. I definitely would like to collaborate with honor societies as they’re all beginning to take applications now,” said Verma. 

Despite the short-term and long-term disadvantages facing the class of 2024, freshmen are trying their best to adapt to the circumstances and are optimistic about what high school has in store for them.