After a year and a half of covid discord, including a hybrid school schedule, smaller class sizes, and less social interaction in general, we can finally see some normality in the school year. For freshmen, this year is interesting. They essentially missed 7th and 8th grade, and are now being thrown into their freshman year of High School. 

Freshman at Hall High School, Daniel Do, said, “I feel very welcomed at Hall.” “I have joined clubs to meet new people, but sometimes it feels like I have to do that to make up for the lack of social interaction between people during lunch and class time.”

Haydon of Glenbard West High School said for the New York Times, “School was never my biggest struggle, good grades were a standard for me, and I worked hard in everything. Anxiety and panic wasn’t part of my daily routine and to be honest I didn’t understand why it was so hard for some people to focus or talk to others at school. Just eighteen months later, I have lost all capacity to sit in a classroom and learn. Homework and assignments feel like the hardest task and last thing I ever want to do. Random events set off this panicky feeling that triggers me to so easily feel overwhelmed and helpless.”

Karyn Hill, a math teacher at Hall, comments on some of her freshman students, saying “This particular freshman class is having a harder time transitioning because these students haven’t been students in school for a year and a half. Some of them are still stuck in the middle school model, and haven’t been able to transition to the high school model.”

When asked if she thinks these students are adjusting well, Hill said, “Yes, I have seen a slight improvement over quarter 1.” And she is hopeful that it will only continue to improve past the new year.