For all students, freshman year is the first large step into high school, but for the Class of 2024, many believe it has been full of hardships and unique experiences. COVID-19 has vastly changed student life for all Upper School students and for freshmen, many have expressed that their first impressions of high school have been highly unexpected. 

Due to COVID-19, several students have expressed their dismay with the lack of opportunities to bond with their fellow classmates. Kira Patel ’24 has voiced her thoughts about her initial reaction to high school. She said, “I think that high school is a period of change where you explore who you are, and a time where you try things out and find out what you like. However, for me, during the first year of this chapter of my life, it was difficult to have the space to do so due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the end, we just have to make the most of what we have.” 

In addition to COVID-19 limiting social aspects and opportunities, the pandemic also caused health concerns for many students. When asked about their first year of high school during COVID, Charlie Parker ’24 said, “There is the stress of COVID and protecting your family. As somebody who decided to be home from the start I didn’t even think about the option about going to school just to protect the people I might be around. I definitely care about the precautions we take at school and at home to keep everyone safe.” 

Freshman year prepares students for their future years of high school, and it provides a smooth transition into what they will be experiencing for the next three years of their lives. With everything seemingly so disconnected this year, the transition into high school and future years felt absent for some. Freshman Skyla Larluz ’24 could connect with that same feeling. “It felt like my initial reaction to high school was just like an added year of middle school instead of the start of the new chapter of my school life. It was just a little underwhelming,” said Larluz. 

Although the feeling of disappointment seems prevalent in many freshmen’s reactions to their first year of high school, some have reflected on various happy moments during this year. Olivia Neri ’24 conveyed her thoughts on her initial high school experience along with what she was sad she couldn’t have done this year. “Things that I wished I could’ve had, as a freshman and especially as a new freshman, was to be able to meet new people and just have that interaction,” said Neri. “That’s why the highlights of this year for me were the in-person moments, since they gave me some sense of regularness back in my life.”

Other students echoed Neri about some highlights for the year. Parker stated, “I’ve met a good amount of people through all of this and I’ve become a member of a streaming group” and that “it’s just been amazing how many amazing people I’ve been able to come encounter with online.”