We all know that Covid has changed things drastically from what we are used to, but the main question for many high school students is, “Will I get a real high school experience?” I know I am.
When chatting to upperclassmen, they recall what lunch was like in the past and how they ate outside and in the cafeteria. I’ve only ever eaten in the classroom, and we don’t even know what it’s like to eat as a group because half of the class has to wear their mask while the other half eats. Upperclassmen are also surprised to learn that we are unfamiliar with many parts of the school, such as the Media Center and how we don’t even check out books because it is now basically a classroom, along with Treasure island, the locker room, main or lower gym, and I’m sure there are more places that I don’t even know about. I recognize that all of these changes are not the responsibility of the school, but they do make life at school more awkward and upsetting.
What can we do now to make a difference? I believe we should have an anonymous question and answer session and ask the students what they would change to improve their high school experience. I say it should be anonymous because it gives kids who want to use their voices but don’t want to be known the freedom to say what they need to say. Of course, because of Covid rules, we won’t be able to make all of the adjustments we’d like, but I believe it will help us, the students, feel more heard during these strange times.