Up until November 16th, FHS students hadn’t been inside the school in 248 days. A place where such kids would typically spend about seven hours five days a week had been shut down, with nobody having a clue about when it would re-open.

Although there is still no definite answer as to what the future looks like, students in Cohort C attended in-person learning at the high school this past week (excluding remote Wednesday). Let’s take a look at the things they enjoyed, the things they didn’t, and how in-person learning compares to the past two months of remote learning.

Ashley Currivan, a freshman this year and alum of Horace Mann Middle School, comments, “At school, I enjoy seeing people and getting to still go to and switch classes throughout the day. I think [the members of the FHS staff] are handling it very well and I really enjoyed it so far!”

With most freshmen likely unfamiliar with the school, it’s hard to imagine that they began their 9th-grade year with brand-new peers and teachers online. However, it seems like these students are doing well with the adjustment and looking on the bright side!

Ashley also adds, “I like how we can get mask breaks if we ask at certain times and I like how there aren’t many people in classes because it feels more safe.”

It is truly wonderful how flexible and understanding teachers are about needing a break from wearing a mask all day. Additionally, it’s great that students are feeling safe! The smaller classes definitely seem to help this.

Sophomore, Eric Tomaino, also shares his opinion: “It’s been an absolutely fantastic experience getting to go back to FHS. This year brought about many challenges, but I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to be with friends and teachers in the building to further my education.”

It’s awesome that peers and teachers are able to finally reconnect; it seems like strong relationships, whether maintained in-person or online, will make all the difference in learning this year. 

Leah Pilof, another sophomore, has positive feedback. She states, “I would say that it was very nice to get back into the building because I feel that it really pushed me to be productive.”

Leah also adds, “I thought the school was very good about putting precautions into place to keep everyone safe.”

Both students agree that they really enjoyed the week and are excited to return again soon!

Another sophomore, Nihara Lijan, put together a quick video to show how a hybrid day at FHS works. Check it out below!

Next, a few juniors decided to give their opinion on the big adjustment. Vedika Vinayak observes, “I have had more conversations in the last five days with my teachers than I’ve had in the past three months, which is nice because it’s really important to connect with teachers.”

It is fantastic that students and teachers are able to interact semi-normally again. As said previously, these student-teacher relationships are key to a successful academic year.

Although Abhi Yadlapalli chose to remain remote and not go in with Cohort C, he still has a few remarks on the situation: “[The Google Meets are] like the same but some teachers definitely execute it better. Others struggle with having to teach two [classes] at once and the kids who are remote sometimes are neglected.”

This is definitely a realistic feeling that one at home may have and it’s important for students to always communicate with teachers if something feels uneasy. However, it’s important to remember, as Vedika puts it, “The teachers are working so hard.” and students and teachers should be understanding with each other.

Our last junior, Joshua Tutin, comments, “I love seeing friends, and being in the classroom has a sweet familiarity! But with online hybrid there are a couple of challenges; with teachers trying to teach 2 classes, a lot of class time is lost just waiting for online to catch up. You start to see this distancing between the online students and the teachers; being in school solidifies that bond.”

Of course, there are challenges with any kind of learning environment that is not our normal one. It seems there is a common theme that students enjoy the connections they’ve made with their teachers in this past week.

Joshua ends by saying, “I just hope everyone stays healthy and we can finish this year right.“

Overall, it seems like the majority of students who returned thoroughly enjoyed it and are eager to go back in a couple of weeks. This school year will probably be our craziest one yet, but the way the Franklin community is coming together in such times is truly amazing.

Thank you FHS for helping students come back safely and happily!