9th Grade High School (1st Year Experience)

Zoom Unveils Slew of New Features at Zoomtopia 2020 (eweek)

Zoom Unveils Slew of New Features at Zoomtopia 2020 (eweek)

Brooke Firring '24, Staff Writer

Waking up to my biology class at my desk on a Zoom call was not the way I expected my freshman year to start. Getting the “First-day jitters” along with being so excited to meet new people just felt so different. Moving to a completely different school knowing nobody was unquestionably not the way I had hoped to start my year. This year was extremely unforeseen

To make do with the circumstances, my classmates and I used social media to branch out and connect with each other. This way of communication was not ideal, but we had to make do with what situation we were in. Apart from meeting some of my current best friends, I felt that I never was able to have the experience of forming close relationships with people I had mutual classes with. As the weeks went on, classes on zoom started to feel longer. Soon, the 8 am wake-up calls seemed like 6:30 and once my last class was over, I would always feel so drained. Of course, being on Zoom is a great way to learn remotely, but it sure is not an easy way to focus. 

Whenever you ask people what their most memorable high school memories were, you tend to hear a lot of the same. Activities such as formal, spirit week, and capping and pinning are usually mentioned. One thing that left me and many others disappointed was not being able to experience these things during our freshman year. 

Once I finally got the opportunity to attend class on campus, it was definitely not what I expected either. The idea of attending on-campus school seems as if school is back to normal when, to be frank, it’s not, due to all of the restrictions and guidelines present with Covid-19. Meeting my classmates and teachers with masks on was definitely not something I wanted to do, but it’s the way it had to happen. However, the past few weeks on campus have been extremely fun. I have met an amazing variety of people I didn’t know before, and have learned so much more with the presence of my teachers. 

Ultimately, being on Zoom for my freshman year was decidedly not as anticipated. I would tell any upcoming freshman to just make the best out of the resources and to care a lot – if not more – about a class on Zoom. My freshman year experience was without a doubt bizarre, but fun.