A number of students around the district are learning how to cooperate with the changes that the pandemic has put on them. The first day of school this year was Aug. 17. With fewer grades in the grade book, the student body is beginning to see the differences in academic performance for some students.

Last year, students of the St. Vrain Valley School District were faced with the decision of doing online schooling or attending in-person classes two days of the week. High school peers around the district were interviewed about their different experiences.

Dylan Mason (‘23), a student at Frederick High School, said, “Online learning was actually a lot easier for me because I was able to go at my own speed.”

The biggest challenges that he is facing in this year of in-person learning has been easy distractions in the school environment.

“Back when we were online, everything was available all the time,” continued Mason (‘23). This is a challenge for some students because it can be difficult to muster up the courage to ask questions in class when students don’t understand a subject. During digital learning, all of the resources were provided online.

The change in environment can be a lot to take in. Moving from the comfort of staying in your own home for education to jumping right into being around others for eight hours a day, five days a week, is a lot to take in.

Emma Barnes (‘23) from Erie High said, “The biggest challenge about in-person school is dealing with [lots of] people,” Adjusting from being by yourself to being around hundreds of people daily can be difficult and shocking for some.

Throughout the online learning during the pandemic, some students found that having more free time was more beneficial for them. This meant more time for jobs, hobbies, and time to do schoolwork.

Lukas Reck (‘23), who also attends Frederick High, said, “The biggest challenge [for] me, was having to commit to something for 7 hours a day. I feel like I have less time than I used to.”

Tyler Porter (‘23) commented, however, that despite the switch being jarring for some, he can’t “think of one person who had everything [that happened during 2020 and 2021] positively affect their mental state”. One of the biggest issues during the pandemic was mental health.

According to Frontiers in Education, an Educational Psychology website, “The American Psychological Association (APA) reports 81% of Gen Z teens (ages 13–17) have experienced more intense stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.” There seemed to be a pattern of negative mental health for most people. Mental wellness wasn’t at its best during the peak of the pandemic because of the divisions during quarantine.

This first “regular” quarter has been hard to adjust to for some students. Making the jump from learning from last year to full in-person has been a drastic change.