Covid-19 has made a tremendous impact on many people. Schedules have changed and there has been a new environment to adapt to. But the seniors of Lakeview high school are left wondering and predicting what is to come of their last year.

For the first semester, Senior students had been introduced to a new 2-day week, which they have never seen before. Many students of the class of 2021 had seen this as an opportunity for less school and more freedom, but they were soon to be mistaken. The 2-day week would make for a complete change in how teachers can educate students, and how the students can learn and work. On the days that seniors attend, they are able to ask teachers questions and receive help on assignments. As for when the seniors are home, they spend their time learning and completing assignments. This unexpected and unique change has not only affected seniors’ school schedules but as well as their hobbies and extracurricular activities they participate in during their off time.

Steve Anastasiadis, a senior band member and honors student, states, “Covid has changed everyone’s day to day schedule. For me in particular, my day to day has not changed too much. The main thing that I do differently is that I am a lot more cautious when going out of my house. I do not leave my house without a mask and I wear it regularly.”.

The changes that have been made by Covid-19 are surely extraordinary and were never expected. Covid-19 has made many changes to how teachers educate and how students learn. However, Covid-19 has also affected sports and the players that participate respectively.

For TJ Saxton, a senior basketball player, Covid-19 has done more than enough, “Covid has affected my daily schedule greatly, I cannot leave the house or do things without constantly having to ask myself if I can do the things I would like to do while being safe”.

Saxton continues to say, “Everything has been affected by Covid, especially the sports I play.”.

Anastasiadis also states “In terms of extracurricular activities, playing sports has been heavily impacted by covid. Many athletes have lost their season to play the sports that they have been training so hard for. Many school activities have been canceled as well. Almost all of the school clubs, such as the student council, have been abolished when a lot of students were looking forward to being a part of it. In terms of hobbies, I have become more interested in my outdoor hobbies such as kayaking and fishing over the past few months.”

As the Semester marched along, another unexpected turn was made. Instead of seeing their classmates in the halls, seniors began seeing their fellow students and friends over Zoom calls. As it turned out, the 2-day week wouldn’t be enough to hold Covid back. All students were told to stay at their homes within recent weeks, and students would be learning from the comfort of their homes. This was a change that had flipped the educational system on its head, making for a more difficult and unexpected way of learning for students. Over the years, Seniors had experienced many things, but homeschooling during the second semester was going to be a first. Many Seniors have been able to adapt fairly well, while others have begun to suffer due to the circumstances.

Brier Roper, Senior varsity captain for the boy’s soccer team, is among some of the seniors trying to adapt to the new environment. Roper states “For me, personally, it has been harder online. I personally learn better when I am being taught material in the classroom, not online.”

However, for Saxton and Anastasiadis, school seems to be going more smoothly than expected.

Saxton says, “It is much harder to learn in school than being at home. I understand a lot more and when I need help, my teachers are on the call to ensure I follow along and understand.”

Furthermore, Anastasiadis adds, “Everyone learns differently, but for me, school has been easier when it is all remote or all at school. The yellow schedule learning has not been the easiest because when I am in school, the teachers are not really teaching anything. The school day is more for asking questions and reviewing material that we are supposed to learn on our own. I personally do not like this method of learning. In the case of us being at home along with being in school, I would say that school is harder.”

Adapting to a new educational system is a difficult task. With dangers to be cautious about and many families suffering, it is hard to escape. Within these dark and unique times, somehow seniors have been able to make the most of it.

“Sure, Covid has done its extended damage, but the time that I have now is spent with my family and exploring. Fishing is a great hobby of mine, but Covid has opened my eyes to nature and what it has to offer,” says Saxton.

Covid has been proven to be a damaging force, but Anastasiadis believes that there are many lessons to be learned, “I feel like online school is a good way to introduce us to life in the future. What I mean by this is that in college, students are required to be much more self-sufficient, which means having the self-discipline to get assignments done and make sure that they are on task. In this case, I would say that it is for the better.”

As the semester is coming to an end, students in every grade level are wishing that life would go back to normal. Even students who have adapted well to the online variation of school would like for things to return to what they once were. But as Covid becomes more unexpected, seniors can expect to stay at home while others expect to return to class.

Anastasiadis exclaims, “I would want to either be completely online or completely in school 5 days a week. The hybrid learning has been a challenge for me because while we are at school we are not getting very much instruction and because of this, time is being taken out of our day that could have been used for learning new material.”

Roper even says, “I wouldn’t endorse more online schooling. However, I believe that we should do whatever the school system says is best. Whether that is online or attending the building.”

As for Saxton’s view, TJ adds, “I would like to stay online, I don’t trust that a lot of my classmates are staying at home and that they won’t bring [Covid] to school.”

Overall, Seniors have been quite worried about what has happened and what is to come in the future. Scared for the security of their graduation, seniors cannot stop pondering on what will happen next.

Steve Anastasiadis makes a bold overview of what most seniors are predicting what is to come. “I am predicting that school is going to remain online until there is a vaccine administered to the public. Cases are only going to rise before this happens. The best option to limit the spread of the virus is to have everyone stay at home.”