A “Different” Freshman Year: Starting as a Freshman Virtually

An unknown place looms overhead. The nervous chatter of undetermined voices around in the air. The blur of faces and bodies bumping around into us all. A musty scent mixed with sharpened pencil shavings and waxed floors. The tinge of nervous excitement. This is an experience of a lifetime and one that this year's freshman class will never get to experience. The beginning of our story is different than most.

This year, instead of going into an airy gym or a neatly organized classroom, freshmen stare at a screen. A screen that flashes with bright faces, names, and black boxes. Instead of sitting down at desks for the first time, we are at home. "I always thought my first day of high school would be me running around my apartment, grabbing socks and food on my way out, trying to find an outfit to wear," said Riley Brown ‘24. "This year, I actually just rolled out of bed and went to my first day of classes in my pajamas." 

For approximately 70% of the freshman class, NEST+m is new. Usually, the first few school weeks involve eating lunch at different tables, meeting classmates, and joining clubs. While freshmen are still getting some aspects of this (take the online club fair, for example), the lack of IRL social interaction is difficult. Daniel Mateo, principal at BioTECH at Richmond Heights 9-12 in Miami and head of the Educational Leadership board at Florida State University, explains how schools are trying to adapt to distance learning. "Older students may suffer even more [than younger students] from social isolation...because friends play a far more important role in their lives," said Mateo. "Principals and teachers are working online to try to bring students together outside of class to continue to foster relationships, say during lunch period when classes shut down online for about an hour, they sometimes offer online activities." 

However, there are positive things about virtual learning. Ellie Fecko ‘24 says that virtual learning "means that I have more flexibility on how I learn and how I manage myself." 

While high school is a huge transition for most, online learning has allowed some students to thrive in this flexible learning environment and prioritize their mental health. It has also provided some with the flexibility to explore their ideal learning styles.

The caring and supportive NEST+m teachers and administrators have also helped freshmen make the most of a challenging situation. From encouraging us to get to know our classmates in breakout rooms to connecting students in advisory through online games like Among Us, the teachers and administrators always are looking for ways to connect us in this strange, digital world of our 2020 freshmen year.    

Overall, the freshman experience has been different for us. Not for better, not for worse, just different. We still have a bright future to paint, whether it is with a digital pen or not.