By Conor Baron
Mashpee Middle High School is right now in the midst of a major transition as the hybrid schedule used so far this year will come to a close and most students will return to school full-time. This change is particularly big for this year's seniors, who are now in their final months of high school.
Grade 12 students made the schedule change starting on April 5, while other grades will return gradually during the weeks immediately before and after April vacation. About a quarter of the class of 2021 will remain fully remote, according to information shared by Superintendent DeBoer in one of her weekly updates at the end of March.
For the students who started back in school, it has been a mix of emotions but they have a positive outlook. For the seniors, their first day back had very similar observations.
Senior Steven Theodorides said, “It was strange seeing most of the people in my grade back but it makes me happy to be all reunited as a grade again.”
Mashpee Middle High School is right now in the midst of a major transition as the hybrid schedule used so far this year will come to a close and most students will return to school full-time. This change is particularly big for this year's seniors, who are now in their final months of high school.
Grade 12 students made the schedule change starting on April 5, while other grades will return gradually during the weeks immediately before and after April vacation. About a quarter of the class of 2021 will remain fully remote, according to information shared by Superintendent DeBoer in one of her weekly updates at the end of March.
For the students who started back in school, it has been a mix of emotions but they have a positive outlook. For the seniors, their first day back had very similar observations.
Senior Steven Theodorides said, “It was strange seeing most of the people in my grade back but it makes me happy to be all reunited as a grade again.”
Senior Hailey Thomas had similar thoughts: “It was really strange and awkward. I didn't know anyone because of the grade or cohort.”
The first few days back seemed to be strange for many students. Many of the kids in the opposite cohorts haven't really seen each other since mid-March. It has been an interesting experience coming back.
Classes have been hybrid for the whole year and some engagement was lost mixing both remote students and in-person students over Zoom.
Zachary Taylor noted how the engagement has been a good change coming back in. “Classes were more interesting and engaging. When some of the students were home, it was difficult for everyone to be involved. With people coming back, there is more engagement between everyone.”
With all the students coming back, classes have become more of an actual class than how it was hybrid. Many students have been enjoying the personal connections coming back to school.
With the introduction of full in-person learning, many teachers and students have found it much easier to ask questions and improve on their productivity of school work.
Steven Theodorides agreed, “For me personally, I learn and do way much more while I am in school, so classes were good for me. I got a lot more work done than I would’ve if I was remote. Teachers have been very helpful as well when I need it.”
Talking to many seniors, since being in person their grades have improved a lot. Many seniors have had a much easier time.
Teachers have been really working their hardest to accommodate the students both online and in person. Zachary Taylor said, “Teachers have been a little helpful as they have talked to students about what they need to do. They have been supporting for students throughout the whole year."
Even for those seniors who haven't needed the teachers' help as much, their care and hard work has been acknowledged and appreciated.
Adjusting has been different for many seniors but for many it has been “surprisingly quick” as Zachary Taylor said and “pretty easy” for both Steven Theodorides and Hailey Thomas.
Overall the seniors have mostly enjoyed being back with their friends and ending their senior year together. Although there are still some students who are remote, the classrooms themselves have been quite energized with most of the grade together again.
By the end of the week students had many highlights. Steven Theodorides shared his highlight: “The highlight for me has just been seeing all my friends again and seeing everyone in my grade back at the same time, it makes me happy.”
Seeing their friends again even in the alphabetical seating has helped give the seniors a lot of motivation to end this hard fought school year with happy and hopeful thoughts. With almost all students to be fully back the week after vacation, soon more happiness and normality will hopefully return.