How many times have parents heard the line “I don’t want to go to school today” from their children throughout the school years? With the complications of COVID-19, this line has become a reality for many students, teachers, and staff around the world. Ridgewood High School is currently in the hybrid model, but there are many students who opted to go all virtual and have yet to set foot in the building.
An anonymous freshman student from RHS described the situation as, “depressing and honestly really annoying.” When entering high school, freshmen typically get to interact with upperclassmen and meet their fellow classmates from the other middle school. Some students find this overwhelming and the all virtual setting may be of benefit to them– however, for the students who enjoy meeting new people, this virtual setting can be extremely constraining and frustrating. Freshmen miss out on the “high school experience” of late night football games, lommons conference rooms, muffins from the cafeteria, going to town during free periods—all of these things that make RHS culture.
Upperclassmen students who are new to RHS are going through a similar experience as the freshmen. In a non-covid world, students have the opportunity to experience a welcoming environment here at RHS, where students and teachers are more than willing to help them adjust. In today’s age, they have no choice but to adjust alone, especially if they are learning in an all-virtual setting.
Navya Gupta and Juliana Kye
Staff Writers
Graphic: Juliana Kye