What was intended to be only two weeks off from school due to the coronavirus outbreak in March of 2020 became a much more trying ordeal for middle to high school students, cancelling events such as dances, sports events and even graduations. This had a strong impact on the class of 2026, who were only sixth graders at the time when the pandemic first struck, impacting their middle to upper years of schooling in response to the global shutdown. The effects would continue to be felt for years to come.
During the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were forcefully and quickly introduced to a new way of learning: electronic learning (E-learning.) This new teaching style forced educators to take their classrooms to an online setup, teaching their classes through Zoom meetings and other various platforms. The implementation of online learning continued to be carried out throughout the school system, even post-lockdown, and is still very much around today.
Senior Bella Santiago believes that online learning had a heavy impact on her ability to learn as a student.
“I think that online learning forced me to change the way that I managed myself as a student … like, having to organize my assignments online … getting used to different studying tools, like Quizlet and whatnot … but I think that being online was definitely an experience that I was going to have to get used to during COVID,” Santiago said.
Along with the learning impact of the pandemic also came the mental impact for a lot of students, as being isolated from each other for an extended period of time took a toll on many students. One of these students is senior Ameila Peagler.
“Not being able to see or hang out with my friends for so long, like, was personally the most difficult part to get used to … I think it really, like, hugely altered my social life, because having to go back to school and getting used to being around people again … was definitely an adjustment,” Peagler said.
While it was difficult for some to be isolated and quarantined for so long during COVID-19, some were able to adapt and learn from it, like Santiago.
“Honestly, while it was tough to be alone for a long period of time, I think that it helped me be more, you know, independent … especially as a kid, because when you’re older, you have to be more independent, so just being able to have that kind of early experience as a kid, um, helped me to prepare for the future,” Santiago said.
There were very systems set up to help kids and teenagers with this rough transition. For many students, the topic of the mental support that students were not necessarily given during this time still sticks with many, such as Peagler.
“Even though I, like, understand that everyone was trying to … get adjusted to learning from home, I don’t personally believe that students received a lot of mental support during the whole process … many other students fell behind grade-wise, and I think that mental struggles really played a large part in that,” Peagler said.
Reminiscing on what they might have taken for granted, both Peagler and Santiago take a look back in to the past.
“For the most part, the things that I, like, miss about being online are the friends that I made, on different media platforms … being able to talk to them in times where, you know, It felt like I was alone,” Santiago said.
Throughout a difficult period, even just spending time with family could provide the extra support needed to stay strong.
“Being able to spend time with my family … bonding with them in what was … a difficult time for the world,” Peagler said.
As the COVID-19 pandemic altered the regimen for billions around the world, Peagler looks at what she believes the coronavirus caused her to miss out on.
“I like spending a lot of time with my friends … not being able to plan to go hangout somewhere … is really something that I missed out on. Especially, like, being 11 or 12, as a kid, the most that you want to do is spend time with your friend group, so that definitly sucked,” Peagler said.
From the angle of the impact on teaching, former teacher and current 504 Coordinator Olivia Thatcher looks back on where
she was with her career before the COVID-19 shutdown.
“March of 2020 … so I graduated from college and then spent three years teaching with an international school, and then came to Wando in 2015 … so I was five years into Wando,” Thatcher said.
Thatcher remembers the reactions of many students to the pandemic.
“There was almost, like, an underlying excitement, which I know sounds really bad, but I think because it hadn’t been real to anybody yet. So I think that it was like, you know, my family and I saw the news that it was happening in other places. And then, I remember that week perfectly, because March 11 was a Wednesday and that was the day I got engaged,” Thatcher said.
Being a teacher often comes with the responsibility of having to manage multiple classes, curriculums and schedules which, once COVID-19 struck, had to be very quickly adjusted and adapted by many educators, like Thatcher, prioritizing helping students through the change.
“Over Zoom … but I also held students accountable, and I think that that was one, I mean, that may have come off as being
strict, but I think the intention is also … to help them through. They have to get up and go to class … for students that just stop logging on because they don’t even see the need to log on anymore, because there weren’t really … attendance requirements, but they were loose. They were a lot looser because there were so many asterisks on it. Like if the student is sick [there were different procedures],” Thatcher said.
As there is very little time left before the class of 2026 walks the stage, the lasting impact of COVID-19 on the next graduating class is clear, and Santiago leaves a message about her experiences.
“I just hope that people understand that, like, it wasn’t easy … I don’t think that I would be the person that I am today if it wasn’t for COVID, because … it was a long period of time that followed with many struggles, like … academic and mental,” Santiago said.
