Starting high school is an experience most people either fear or look forward to. Everyone long awaits the chance to make one’s own decisions, the opportunity to pursue one’s dream, or the answer to whether or not high school really is just like Mean Girls. 

Unfortunately for the class of 2024, plans changed, as school went fully remote due to COVID. Transitioning into high school online did not give freshman the full high school experience. 

Some may argue online school provides an easier, more productive transition into high school for freshmen. However,  students are missing the interactions only experienced by being in person. 

One of these freshmen, being Billie Guidry. In regards to their high school experience, Guidry said,“I’m staying at home, and I’m sitting on a computer all day…no social interaction, but, you know, you’re supposed to socialize.”

Another student missing the social interaction is John Vagnoni, a freshman at GCHS.

“I feel like the connection with friends during in person schooling is something that’s made online learning difficult,” said Vagnoni. 

Social interaction is a part of high school that may be harder to encounter whilst online. Going to high school is scary for a lot of freshmen, so having peers and friends there makes it much more enjoyable. 

Of even greater importance, being at home provides many distractions that can prevent a student from doing their best. When not in a school environment, students have trouble keeping on task. In a recent survey, students reported the most distracting thing is pets, followed by family members and phones closely behind. 

Vagnoni said, “It’s not a particular object, it’s mostly just my boredom.”  Getting distracted is easy, and boredom plays a huge factor in getting distracted since most of the usual fun activities, such as group projects, cannot be done during remote  learning. 

Finally, freshmen are missing out on the things high school has to offer. Guidry, for example, was really looking forward to Homecoming, but it was canceled. 

“We’re missing out on the dances…like Homecoming…it would’ve been fun to hang out with friends,” said Guidry. 

Part of high school is developing skills and sparking interests.  Without being in school, it’s more difficult to get fully involved with activities that truly spark passions. While freshmen did not get to experience everything high school has to offer this year because of COVID, we must appreciate all the hard work the teachers and staff have done to keep us safe and learning. Plus there’s tons of clubs and activities you can get involved with online! Freshmen, you still have three and a half years of high school to look forward to; let’s try to make the best of it.