Over the Covid-19 pandemic many students across the country experienced an unprecedented amount of freedom because of online schooling or zoom. During this almost 2 year period, students got used to not attending class in a normal fashion and to atypical leniency from teachers. This led to wake up calls for many students when normal in-person schooling returned. It was a journey that many read, talked, and complained about along the way, and an experience that has left an indelible impression on all of us.

The pandemic started in March of 2020 and with its beginning came the end of normalcy in western New York. Senior Noah Dusinberre said the transition was not a smooth one, adding,”Most teachers and students had no idea what they were doing. I do not think it is the teacher's fault--it was a janky time.” This idea was expressed by many, including teachers. English teacher Jami Snyder said,”Taking a curriculum that has a social aspect and converting it to something that you do by yourself in writing was the real challenge.” With students showing up inconsistently for Zooms and even less consistently doing work, it seems Dusinberre was right: learning was certainly “janky”.

September 2020 saw the return to school, but not back to normal. We switched to an in-person/remote hybrid schedule that now feels like a fever dream: sitting in our beds in front of a screen for days straight, disconnected and disenfranchised.

Last school year gave us something that resembled the pre-Covid era, with a full return to synchronous, in-person learning. Still masked, many students found this transition back jarring, to say the least. “It was rough, it was like I was able to choose when I wanted to learn and then I was forced to pay attention all day,” said Dusinberre. Others, however, found something to gain from the Covid shutdown. Seniors Cameron Heinig, Anna Yarnal, and Sophia SymesLatini all discovered that Covid had helped them to manage time better and get work done in a more timely fashion. Junior Joey Taggart said, ”Covid made me realize how easy I had it before the pandemic and it caused me to be a better student academically for sure.” This effect can be seen today with students like Taggart who take advantage of the time they have in the building: seeking out teachers, getting work done during study halls, and making connections with the rest of the learning community.

Socializing after Covid was an interesting endeavor. Some, like senior Owen Emerson,” talked online and played video games with friends” just like during the lockdown. For others large social gatherings faded and never came back. Freshman Anna Agnello,”Before Covid I hung out with my friends a lot in big groups and now we do not do that. I think that we grew to not like it.” Freshman Talula Worth echoed that same tone with, “Before Covid I was a lot more comfortable socially before and I was awkward after.” It seems that Covid has molded an entire generation. Whether these changes are permanent or temporary remains to be proven.