By itself, starting high school can be a difficult time, but in fall 2020 it got even more difficult. With the effects of Covid-19 spreading rampant throughout the world, the up and coming freshmen were presented with the challenge of adjusting to high school with Covid-19 restrictions.

Despite the challenges, the class that faced unusual circumstances as freshmen are ready for the new opportunities college will offer.

Because of the threat of Covid-19, the school employed many methods to try to keep students and faculty safe. Some of these included masks, divided lunch tables, quarantines and more.

Junior counselor Sarai Cerano said the unusual circumstances left lasting effects on the class.

“Whether it was wearing a mask or them having to learn school through technology and a device, it was very different for them and had its own set of challenges,” Cerano said

Cerano believes one major effect was on the students’ social skills.

“You missed that socializing piece with your teacher and the social cues and learning things like that,” Cerano said. “A lot of students actually now when you talk to them, they tend to shy away from social situations. So rather than going up to people and just being welcoming and approaching others in social settings, they tend to shy away a little bit more.”

Senior Sully McCollum was one student affected by these restrictions. McCollum said the restrictions forced him to be more social outside of school and put himself out more because he was unable to fully socialize at school.

“Personally, it made it a little bit more challenging to make friends,” McCollum said. “It was also a fun challenge, and I eventually found a group and found my own clique in the school.”

During their freshman year, the class was restricted to just three or four to a table with plexiglass dividers at lunch.

“I think it was a lot harder to make friends freshman year only having three other people at a table,” senior Kaylin Hart said. “You weren’t able to see anyone. Just getting to know people was a lot harder.”

Hart believes that socializing with her grade became easier after freshman year.

“It was difficult making friends but then once that was lifted sophomore year from then on my grade started to mesh more,” Hart said. “I feel like freshman year our grade was very clicky because of that, but we started meshing after that was uplifted.”

Senior Maggie Kirt said she was surprised to see what some people looked like after mask restrictions were lifted.

“There are a few people that I couldn’t even recognize,” Kirt said.

Kirt said she does not know if she was affected socially because she never knew anything different.

“I do know I didn’t have a terrible time other than being quarantined so many times freshman year. I was kind of fine. I had fun with my family and stuff,” Kirt said.

Cerano believes it also affected them academically

“The isolation piece really from multiple angles, whether it’s socializing in group settings, being in the lunchroom, the classroom, or even outside of school really impacted students,” Cerano said. “That one-on-one piece of not being in the classroom with teachers changed the routine of students and how they learned because they also have to learn study skills and time management in a very different way.”

McCollum says he did not feel a negative impact on his academic performance.

“If anything, academically it affected me positively just because when we’re at home, or the times that we went home it was just really easier assignments for online,” McCollum said.

Even with these effects, Cerano believes the students are on the path to normalcy again.

“Having them go through the pandemic, this class and the ongoing classes behind them are on an upward trajectory of relearning some of these skills and finding ways that are helping them be skillful and successful,” Cerano said.

With graduation coming fast, the senior class will have to adapt to the new set of challenges that come along with college.