COVID-19, the virus that has killed many, has highly affected the world today, whether that be restaurants, businesses, or schools. This virus has not only put pressure on adults to keep going, but also students.  

Students of all ages have struggled with COVID-19, especially the class of 2024, who missed nearly their entire freshman year.  

As many people know, most schools were virtual in the beginning of last school year, causing any orientations or events to welcome students into the school to be cancelled. This was not a big issue for very many students considering most of them were typically staying in the same school they were originally in, but this was a different story for freshmen.  

The class of 2024 began high school virtually, so when that came to an end, they had to figure out their way around on their own. Some students struggled with this more than others, but overall, it was hard on many. Jackson Williams, 10, communicates, “At the beginning of the year last year it was a little difficult, but I went in-person for half of the year freshman year, so I got used to the school.” Students who came back did have the upper hand over fully virtual students but struggle still came to them as they got settled into their new school. 

Not only was last year difficult on students who came back for the rest of the year, but it also had a big impact on students who stayed virtual all year. These students have now come back in person in their sophomore year. This made it rougher to get started into high school for them, considering most of their classmates have already been in the school for months now. Former virtual student Nori Liang, 10, mentioned that she believes it would’ve been easier to get settled in if she hadn’t gone virtual since most of the kids in her grade have been in-person are more experienced. 

With all of this happening, students’ grades have begun to change whether for worse or better. With students going from virtual to in-person, grades have gotten so much better. Students being virtual impacted their grades a lot. There are so many distractions and things around them that they can’t focus or get the work done that they need to get done. English teacher Mrs. Mathis says that having virtual students greatly impacted their grades because they didn’t pay attention and didn’t turn in their assignments. 

Now that we are back in school normally, students’ grades have been getting better and students have done well getting used to the school, freshmen and sophomores.  

COVID-19 has enormously impacted the education system and it will most likely continue to, no matter how much we try to prevent anything from happening. The class of 2024 has been immensely affected by this, but many of them have said that they are doing great now.