On August 24th students were welcomed back for the 2020-2021 school year, but things are a lot different. With COVID-19 becoming a common part of our routine by having to wear mask every time we leave our front door and carrying hand sanitizer like we would our phones everywhere we go, school also has adjusted to the growing pandemic that has not only affected our town, but the entire world.
In early July, students and their parents were given three options when it came to sending their child to school. Face-to-face learning was the first option. Under that plan, student would return to campus to learn and would always have to wear a mask. The second option was Digital learning, where they would return to school but through a screen using teams. The last and third option was to enroll into Florida Virtual School.
With a new school year, it also means new class schedules. This year students who chose to stay at home must be on time to class, as if they were physically at school, and video call their teacher during this class time.
This time it did not go as planned for most. Students were disappointed to look at their schedules and not have an elective they were waiting all summer to have. Student where also shocked to find classes they have shown no interest in having.
“I think it unfair they didn’t put our electives when we took the survey last year” says Savannah Wood, grade 12. She was supposed to be top editor of the yearbook since the previous one had graduated. Because yearbook class was not offered as an online or hybrid class Wood did not even have a choice to be editor; instead she got stuck with Theater Tech and Critical Thinking.
“They gave me three classes I never asked for and when I wanted to change them, they didn’t answer me for a week and a half” Wood expressed. She was not the only one this happened to as this had happened to students all over campus and online.
“It [took] them a while to answer my emails, but after a week they did” says Elisa Figueroa, grade 12.
Like Wood and Figueroa, many feel as though the students online are getting the short end of the stick, with some not even having certain periods. Figueroa had a problem in the first week of school where she did not even have a class for fourth period and was missing economics/government, which are two required classes for seniors like herself.
As of writing this, it is currently three weeks into this school year and most students seem to be finally getting their schedules handled property by the school. If your schedule still seems to have some issues, please get in contact with your counselor so you can thrive in your classes to the best of your ability.
