Now that we are about a month into the new school year, in person and learning together, a lot of changes to the school environment are evident. Students around the DeMatha campus and of all grade levels are weighing in on how they are adapting to these changes.

Hayden Walsh, a freshman and cross country athlete, has said that he thinks that the teachers and staff are doing a great job so far on helping everybody transition back to physical school. Hayden is really happy to be attending in person “because you’re not able to have the same connection online that you would have in person.”

Sophomore Anthony Lukban says that he has transitioned very well as he is studying a lot more and waking up earlier. Anthony says that the adjustment has been difficult for him as school was easier for him online because he didn’t need to wake up early and studying for quizzes was a lot less difficult in general. The only thing that he would change about school is the time that classes start. He believes that students need more sleep and wishes that school started at 9:00 a.m. and ended at 3:00 p.m. as that would give everybody an extra hour of sleep which would be helpful in the long run.

Graham Fenn, a transfer sophomore student and cross country runner, likes physical school more than virtual school because he can see his friends and teachers and he can have that interaction you can’t get from behind a computer screen. Graham says that virtual learning was difficult for him because it was extremely hard to focus on his school work which definitely reflected in his grades. But in physical school it is easier to stay focused and getting help is not as difficult.

Senior hockey player Henri Bonnet, says that he is perfectly comfortable with physical school, but thinks that DeMatha should still be able to offer an online version of school for the students who are not yet comfortable coming back to school or who are sick. Henri believes that the mask rules at school are inconsistent because we have to wear them in class, but we can still sit next to each other and not wear them during lunch. Henri says he simply can not learn online and likes physical school better, but he thinks that every teacher should use Google Classroom consistently because that is what all of the students have used and adapted to and it is a lot more organized. He doesn’t like the inconsistency of some teachers using Google Classroom and some only using Veracross.

As the school year goes on, students are confident that they will be able to adapt and adjust to these new changes.