After the mostly online 2020-2021 school year, Morro Bay High School is back in session. Freshmen are not the only students new to the campus this year, many sophomores are making their MBHS debuts as well. Being a new student comes with its difficulties. As a sophomore who is new to the campus, I can say that both this and last year have been burdensome. Beginning high school doing three hour school days that start at noon and over Zoom is not the average freshman experience. Then, transitioning from the strange online schedule to in person school has been strenuous. From all the classes and abundance of clubs to the wide variety of people, MBHS can be exciting yet overwhelming.
Starting my sophomore year in person was stressful and anxiety inducing due to double the workload, double the length of the school day, and the expectation sophomores should be comfortable with the campus. In addition to hands-on work there is a lot more participation required than on Zoom, which in reality many students slept through, or did not put much effort into. Also, there is a factor about being new to the school that is not typically accounted for. It feels like many of the sophomores are freshmen. Due to the fact that the campus is new for us, most of the teachers are new for us, and the dynamic of the high school is different.
Sophomore Joshua Failla said, “I enjoy being around people, we didn’t actually learn anything last year. I did like the hours online but in person school is better.” After I asked him why he prefers in person school.
High school has a major social aspect that was missing from online. While online over Zoom there were little to no social interactions. The classes were mainly a teacher talking to an abundance of black screens. In breakout rooms especially no one would respond or engage in any assignment or activity. Whereas, in a personal school where students are given partners and there are many social interactions in every class. Because of going from not having much of a school social life to being in a largely social based environment I’ve had to readjust to being around a variety of my peers. Going in person makes it easier to be communicative and companionable. Even though it has been difficult to go from online to in person, the school is prodigious when attending it. Everyone is exceptionally friendly and welcoming at MBHS.
I asked Sophomore Garret Haub why he prefered in person school, he replied, “Because of the social aspect and also it’s easier to learn when you are in person. Online people are thrown into a breakout room and no one responds. Everyone is either on their phone or not paying attention.”
At MBHS there is a wide array of clubs and sports. During online school the clubs were online and had low attendance rates. And not every sport was allowed to be played. So I never got the full clubs and sports experience. Now, all of the school sports are running again and thriving. Plus, club rush happened September 10th and all of the students got to see what clubs there are. From drama club to grub club there is something that will interest everyone. I and many other new sophomores are joining these clubs as well. While online I attended some clubs and it was not functionable over zoom. In person however, clubs are better than ever. There are clubs for any type of person at MBHS and people are filling them up after being gone for a year. This really adds to the social part of school.
It is well known that high school is a crazy and stressful time. Going to in person school for the first time as a sophomore does not help with the insanity. All of the adjustments and being new to campus is the freshman experience with the sophomore title. Though the transition was difficult due to many different reasons, I am glad to be back. Most of all I am grateful to be apart of history as a sophomore/ freshman.
