Due to the pandemic, the 2020-2021 school year was almost all virtual until mid-April, when students were given the option to either continue distance learning or were able to come in for hybrid classes. However, given this option, many students still chose to stay home and a portion of these students were part of the 2024 class. 

This means that most of the sophomores this year have never even been in the building nor have had attended any in-person classes. A lot of these students may have not known what to expect and may have even been nervous about coming back to hybrid learning, especially since their last time going to classes in-person was in March of 2020. 

 “It was honestly a lot better than I expected,” said Julia Ceccotti, an FHS sophomore. “I chose to stay virtual last year so coming to high school for the first time was [very] frightening, but it didn’t take long to adjust and it’s so much better which has made my experience easier. Compared to being fully online, I was able to actually get to my work on time and I felt way more motivated than last year. I also feel like actually being able to interact with my teachers in real life helped tremendously with my success.”

Her plan is to continue her strategies used in the first quarter to repeat the same outcome for the next.

There are many students who have been successful this quarter but however, there are some students who have struggled to get back into the rhythm of things. Not only can the workload be extremely overwhelming for some, but so can having to adapt to a new environment. 

“It really was more difficult than I expected,” said Kashvi Chandra, an FHS sophomore. “I don’t know why but my motivation this quarter was lacking and it’s been pretty hard for me to get back into a routine.”

Chandra’s hope is that when the second-quarter begins, that she will be able to have a fresh start and that she can start off with a fresh mindset. 

Now, with the end of the first-quarter quickly approaching on Oct. 28, many sophomores are playing catch up to turn in any outstanding assignments and to even bring up their grades while others are taking this as an opportunity to relax and be prepared to start off on the right track for the next quarter. 

Looking ahead, Ceccotti adds, “I’m just excited for what’s to come especially with my peers and it’s just so much better now that we’re back in person.”