Nov. 9, 2021
By Anastasia Loutroutzis and Valentina Novak
Staff Writers
For many students, September marked the first time in a year-and-a-half that they were back learning in person at LHS. The pandemic led to LHS going fully remote beginning on March 16, 2020. Students had the option to return to school on a hybrid schedule on Nov. 11, 2020, but families were also allowed to keep their children fully remote through the end of last school year.
In a survey of 114 LHS students conducted by The Lighthouse, 67% said they prefer in-person learning, 18.5% said they prefer remote learning and 14.5% said they have no preference. When surveyed about their academic success, 49.2% said they were more successful when learning in school, 25% said they learn better at home and 25.8% said they noticed no difference between the two.
Freshman Christopher Sanchez returned to in-person learning last November as soon as he was given the opportunity to do so.
“I came to school last year because I felt the need to be with my friends again, and I feel like in-person [learning] gave me a better education than remote learning,” Sanchez said.
He said his constant access to electronics impeded his ability to concentrate on his schoolwork.
“Remote learning was the biggest challenge I’ve ever had. There were a lot of distractions over the time, like using your phone during class or playing video games during class,” Sanchez said.
Sophomore Matteo Morelli said virtual learning created a barrier between him and his goal of obtaining good grades.
“When I was in person, I would always stay focused. When I switched to virtual, I was just not able to pay attention. Staring at a screen day and night was too overwhelming,” Morelli said.
Morelli said last year, he returned to school as soon as he got the chance.
“I was only remote for the days we were required to stay home,” Morelli said. “It was terrible to start off my first year of high school on an iPad in my dining room. It didn’t compare to being with my teachers, classmates and coaches.”
“My social life was brought to an end with Covid, so being able to see everyone and new faces in school has been amazing. I’ve felt motivated almost every day and, for the most part, happy.”
Junior Jessica Garrison, who stayed virtual all of last year to be able to help her family, said she initially had mixed feelings about going virtual.
“When I first found out about going virtual, I was both excited and distressed. Excited because I’m very family-oriented, so being home with them made it better. Distressed because I assumed it was going to be difficult learning online due to easy distractions,” Garrison said.
She said virtual learning reduced her interactions with others, so she was excited to return to school in person this year.
Garrison said a downside of returning to in-person learning is that she must wake up earlier than last year.
“My social life was brought to an end with Covid, so being able to see everyone and new faces in school has been amazing. I’ve felt motivated almost every day and, for the most part, happy,” Garrison said. “Even though online education is easier, in person learning is a better way to keep students engaged and productive.”
Senior Emma Rodrigues, who returned to school in September, said she had a positive experience with online learning.
“I did like the independence of being online. I thought I had a lot more time on my hands, and I could get a lot more stuff done,” Rodrigues said. “I was really independent. I felt like it was easier because I could use the bathroom freely or get food freely. If class was cancelled or there wasn’t anything to do, I could get other stuff done, so when I found out we were going back, I was kind of disappointed because I was going to lose all [of] this.”
INFOGRAPHIC BY ANASTASIA LOUTROUTZIS This pie chart reflects the responses of 114 LHS students.
She said being back in school has been beneficial for her social life and provided more opportunities for interpersonal communication.
“The best thing is being around people, and I definitely have more one-on-one time with my teachers now,” Rodrigues said. “If you need help or you need one-on-one work, you can get it done now instead of having to awkwardly ask [on Zoom] in front of an entire class,”
Senior Alessandra Alberti stayed remote all of last year with the exception of two weeks in November.
“There weren’t many people in my classes because everyone was online, [so] I thought it would be better in person, but it didn’t really make a difference,” Alberti said.
She said if she had to do remote learning over again, she would change locations.
“I stayed in my room all the time, and leaving my room was a once-a-day kind of thing. I would have been better mentally if I tried to seperate the two,” Alberti said. “My room used to be where I would find peace after school, and then it turned into the classroom and the two just don’t mix well.”
INFOGRAPHIC BY ANASTASIA LOUTROUTZIS This pie chart reflects the responses of 114 LHS students.
She said the break from traditional learning caused her to be especially excited about her senior year.
“The pandemic has taught me to be appreciative of school because of all the things I missed out on,” Alberti said. “I’m really eager to do everything, and I don’t want to lose those opportunities like I lost my junior year.
