The faces of students and teachers were shrouded with masks. The students shuffled into the classroom for the first time. Knowing that it would be their only time in class, they tried to obtain as much information as possible before waiting a week for their next in person day. Not only were the classes confusing because of challenges learning at home, but also the class sizes were cut in half causing students to have few, if any, friends in the room.

The first quarter of the 2020 school year at GHS was a hybrid schedule. The students would have in person instruction twice a week, supplemented with online learning and a zoom meeting on Fridays.                                                             

Adam Hohlt, a junior at GHS, complained that “the first quarter was terrible because we didn’t have enough time in class to learn anything” and that “it was very hard to learn at home.” Most students agreed that the hybrid schedule did not work very well.

The beginning of the 2020 school year had many obstacles for parents and students. Parents had less time alone. Many struggled to find childcare who could help their children with school work. Students faced challenges managing school work between in person sessions and work at home. 

Lisa Webb, a parent of a GHS student, explained that she “missed having her alone time after everyone left for school.” She also acknowledged there were barriers for students to do school work at home. Hohlt backed her statement by saying that “trying to do work at home was hard” because “it was hard to focus and not procrastinate with all the distractions in a house.”

Even though some students and parents did not support the hybrid schedule of the beginning of the 2020 school year, there were a few positives. Students had more time to finish their work. The hybrid model allowed students more time to finish their assignments, so students would have less missing work. “Even though it was hard to focus sometimes, getting a week to do one assignment was helpful,” said Hohlt. In addition, parents didn’t have to worry about their children being exposed to COVID at school. Lisa explained that “having your child be exposed to COVID at school was a concern for many parents, so the hybrid model made sense.” 

The 2021 school year started off differently. The masks that were worn in the previous year are now not required. It was the first time many students saw their friends in over a year. Students also had more social activities. Being able to hang out with friends everyday rather than twice a week was good for students. Teachers, parents, and students all hoped that the year would continue without any COVID related issues. The beginning of this 2021 school year started off very differently than the start of the previous year. The decreased class sizes were now at capacity. “This year started off great”, said Hohlt. “Getting back into the school rhythm was a lot easier this year. The strict schedule also helped me not procrastinate”, said Hohlt. It felt like life was getting back to normal and COVID was fading away.