It is no secret that being a high school freshman is hard, but being one in a pandemic is even harder.
For many students, the 2021-2022 school year returning to normal was a relief. Old clubs and activities once cancelled or altered the previous year due to COVID were restored in full form, creating great excitement for returning students.
For the class of 2024, this year was the start of an entirely new experience.
Transitioning to high school during COVID was not an easy task for the class of 2024. The challenges of navigating a new environment during a time in which everything was altered due to the ongoing effects of COVID created a great disconnect.
As schools such as PV have started returning back to normal, current sophomores have found themselves in a confusing place, trying to relearn the usual functions and normalities at school while also getting to experience new activities for the first time.
Class of 2024 sophomore Katelyn Morris has struggled to adapt to these changes. “I’ve experienced a lot of pressure to jump into a sort of normal that I haven’t really seen yet, especially with being a band leader,” she stated. “I am expected to be a role model for the band and help out the 9th graders all while learning things as I go.”
Catching up with old “normal” activities is not the only challenge for these sophomores. Many sophomore students also feel a gap in their relationships with students in other grades.
Senior Catherine Moore considers herself to be an outgoing student at PV, but found that socializing with younger students during the pandemic was a difficult task.
“During the [2020-2021] school year I had a really hard time communicating with the freshman besides at the football games. I was fortunate enough to be a drum major and could walk around and say hi, but I couldn’t really communicate with them on a deeper level,” she stated.
As new classes enter the halls of PV each year, how will the upperclassmen leadership from the class of 2024 trickle down to younger students?
Fortunately, many students from the class of 2024 were able to participate in sports or extracurriculars towards the end of last year which helped in making connections with others.
Class of 2024 sophomore Izzy Steele participated in the varsity girls’ golf team which made her freshman experience more enjoyable.
“It was hard going from junior high to high school during COVID because no one really explained how school was going to work,” expressed Steele. “When the golf season started and I made the team, it gave me an opportunity to become friends with upperclassmen which really helped me feel more comfortable about being at high school.”
Although the future has proven to be unpredictable, there is hope that incoming freshman classes will no longer have to navigate through these unknowns.
The integrity, strength and perseverance of the class of 2024 will be remembered for years to come. They stand as a testament to the fact that no obstacle is too great to overcome.
