There are many downsides to this new school year that has been attended at home. Some include less time with teachers, very few opportunities for grades, isolation from friends, and the boredom of being home all day. However, the pandemic-ridden school year is not entirely horrible. Some students feel that the shortened day combined with all the work in one place has allowed them to stay more on top of their grades than ever before.  

This new school year has made a change to the amount of time spent in class. School now ends at 1:55 and this allows students to finish work in a very timely manner. This is very helpful to the mental health of students because it allows time for them to try new things, do hobbies, and participate in after school activities such as sports and music.  

The new year brings new advances in the technology being accessed by the students during a school day. Before last March, work was everywhere including Teams, on paper and any website that the teacher used for their teaching purposes. School now has all our work in one place. Other websites needed are included in Teams, while most work can be completed without leaving the app. Everything is connected through Microsoft so all work can be accessed through almost every device.  

 I asked some students at RHS on what they think about the new school year and if their stress levels have risen or dropped.  

Q: How have your stress levels been affected by the new schedule during the Pandemic? 

Christian: “My stress levels have been dropped because of the shorter school day, but online school has been more difficult for me because I cannot ask the teachers specific questions.” 

Q: Has Teams been easier or more difficult to use than paper/online? 

Christian: “The work being in teams has been more of a struggle for me even though it is more organized. I work better on paper and everything being online is more difficult.” 

Q: Do you have more or less time to do hobbies than before last March? 

Christian: “I have definitely had more time to do hobbies than last year because school ends so much earlier. I can enjoy the rest of my day after 2:00 if I finish my homework compared to around 4:30 last year.” 

Q: Do you have more or less time to compete in school sports compared to last school year pre-pandemic? 

Christian: “I have had about the same time to practice after school sports since after school I still have homework. I would say I get a little bit more time but nothing massive.” 

Q: Have you had more or less homework than before last March? 

Christian: “Homework has been harder and longer, but the shortened school day helps me complete my homework in a good time frame.” 

Walker is a Freshman at RHS and plays basketball as his after-school sport. 

Q: How have your stress levels been affected by the new schedule during the Pandemic? 

Walker: “My stress levels are higher despite more time to do my work. I feel like the less socializing causes more stress even though I finish my work faster.” 

Q: Has Teams been easier or more difficult to use than paper/online? 

Walker: “Definitely much easier and this helps me finish all of my work because it is all in one place.” 

Q: Do you have more or less time to do hobbies than before last March? 

Walker: “Even though most of my hobbies are with friends, I still have a lot more time to play basketball, fish and play videogames.” 

Q: Do you have more or less time to compete in school sports compared to last school year pre-pandemic? 

Walker: “I have more time for my after-school sports because I end school so much earlier.” 

Q: Have you had more or less homework than before last March? 

Walker: “I would say that my homework time is about the same, which is great because when I end two hours earlier and have the same amount of homework, I pretty much have two extra hours to spend on my hobbies.” 

The new look school year is not the most ideal way to learn, but it gets the job done and may even have some added benefits. If you are looking at virtual learning as a bad thing, make something of the little extra time that you have in the day. Hopefully all goes back to normal soon, but until then, make the most of it.