When asked to think back on one’s first day of high school, many remember being nervous, not knowing where to go, not having classes with your friends, and feeling alone in a sea full of people. However, the Solon High class of 2024 will have a slightly different impression. 

When the Coronavirus hit Ohio in March of 2020, Gov. Dewine made the decision along with much of the rest of the country to have the schools go remote for the remainder of the school year, with hope that the next school year would be in person. That was until shortly before school began at the end of summer, when they chose to have the first quarter all fully remote, and then moving forward with optional hybrid schedules. 

While this may not be an ideal situation, the most common stresses of starting high school would be temporarily delayed. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean it didn’t come with its own drawbacks.

High school is seen by many as quite the adjustment from middle school. Throwing in a pandemic adds even more new details to learn about. Ella Giallanza, who is a freshman at Solon High School, has a unique perspective to look at. 

Giallanza started out the second quarter going with the hybrid plan, and because she has dyslexia, being in-person makes learning a lot easier for her. Giallanza switched to going all 4 days in-person, as that had become an option for students. However, Solon switched back to all online starting November 23. This revert back to the first quarter schedule may have negative repercussions towards students like Giallanza, who function better in the building.

While Giallanza much preferred being in school rather than at home, there were difficulties that came with that as well.

Because Giallanza is a freshman, she walked into the high school building not knowing who anyone was or where any rooms were.

“I got lost,” Giallanza said. “I asked people for directions or sometimes people would walk me to classes.”

Solon High School has been known to be very confusing for students in those first few weeks of walking around the halls. Giallanza mentioned that she got assistance from upperclassmen she knew or her golf coach, Mr. Wentz.

“I even had a map [of the school] to get to classes, but it didn’t work,” Giallanza said.

When asked about online learning, fellow freshman Hannah Park said that, “The worst part of online learning is not seeing [my] friends and not being social.” 

Park, who tried the hybrid when the new quarter started but quickly reverted back to the at-home plan, mentioned that there were positives to staying online as well. 

“[You] can stay in your pajamas,” Park said. “And you can eat food at home.” 

Many students like Park have been able to find the comical perks of being at home all day and, therefore, not having to worry about picking out a cute outfit for school or packing a lunch. Giallanza commented that she agreed with Park about the pros and cons of staying at home, as well.

Another freshman, Juliet Coll, also had remarks on the “extremely unique experience” they were all going through. 

“For years I had been looking forward to my freshman year and I definitely didn’t expect to be entering school only two days a week, having to wear masks all day long, [and] missing out on sports and more of what the normal freshman should experience,” Coll said. she explained that she was certainly disappointed about how what was supposed to be a very exciting year turned out to be anything but. 

However, Coll also remarked that while she is not happy with the current situation she and everyone else is in, she knows all the precautions being taken are needed.

“…So much has changed for the best,” Coll said. “And I believe we should continue to take the steps we need to keep people safe.”

2020 has certainly been seen by many as a year for the books, and methods of school are no exception. High school is known as being some of the best or worst years of a person’s life. However, when people talk about their experiences, they usually all sound pretty similar. The freshmen class of the 20-21 school year will certainly stand out in terms of being nonparallel to anything previous.