After a long 1.5 years of not being able to attend in-person school, Marymount High School has finally opened back up for the 2021-2022 school year in-person. Students are finally able to sit in classes in person, be with their friends at lunch, and participate in extracurriculars again. Although many students are stressed with the huge workload they have to get back to, they are happy to see their friends again. Here, three juniors explain their feelings about coming back to school.

Eva Coleman is a fun, outspoken girl. She enjoys seeing her friends every day. Over quarantine, she missed having lunch in the courtyard because she sat with a large group of friends, and now, she is so happy to see all of her friends every day again. However, she feels that she developed bad study habits over quarantine because of the easily available distractions, but as she is getting back to in-person learning, Eva notes that she is fostering better study habits, especially as she takes harder classes. In addition, she involves herself in many activities, including participating in cross country. This requires a huge time commitment for her because gets home around 6 pm every night and has about 4-5 hours of homework to complete. Eva talks about how she constantly feels tired from the amount of work she has in conjunction with her cross country practices. However, she is able to find positivity within all her stress and she wants her fellow Sailor Sisters to know that, although they may be feeling very stressed at this time, it’s okay to prioritize mental health over school. The value of a student is more than just their letter grade: a daughter, a sibling, friend, citizen, and much more. If they are feeling too overwhelmed at some point, it’s okay to acknowledge that they need help and be proud of themself for how much work they have completed so far this year. 

Next, I was able to meet with Quincy Plotts, another Junior! Quincy is very athletic and dedicated to her academics. She is a star athlete and really enjoys playing tennis with her Marymount friends. Since her season was shortened last year, she is very happy that tennis is back in action, all out! Tennis is Quincy’s favorite extracurricular activity, so when her season entered uncharted waters last year with COVID, she felt a little isolated because she couldn’t relieve any of her stress through exercise. . However, she says she feels more cheerful now that she can play tennis every day with her best friends and learn from the very best at Marymount! But the question remains: how does she do it all? It’s simple (at least for her). Quincy manages her time very well, as she uses her free periods and free time during the school day to get work done and meet with teachers during school, leaving her weekends for watching TV and having fun. Learning to manage your time is crucial to success at Marymount, as Quincy shows us all. Planning and finding time to get things done allows for more time for mental health and relaxation, which is SO important, especially at a rigorous school like Marymount. 

And finally, we get an inside scoop on the life of Katie Brauer! Katie participates in CAP, working on Peter and the Starcatcher as a co-director and stage manager. Two years ago, she joined CAP as a freshman and discovered that stage management is one of her favorite activities. She planned on doing it all 4 years of high school; however, because of quarantine, she did not get to participate that much in CAP stage management last year. Most of us Sailors use extracurriculars to explore our interests and build relationships, so when everything shifted to online last year, Katie found it hard to be fully engaged in CAP. A year later, her happiness in the CAP program has returned to what it once was in Freshman year: EXTREME!  Getting started on the play and planning for the musical has allowed her to make so many new friends so far this year, and she can’t wait to make more. However, Katie is also a very academically driven person, as she takes several AP and honors classes– way to go, Katie! Within this, she finds herself having a difficult time managing the amount of work she has. Similar to Quincy, Katie wants to send a message to the student body: she stresses the importance of getting enough sleep. She recommends stopping homework at least 7 hours before it is time to wake up to allow at least 7 hours of sleep a night. 7 hours, Katie?? That’s generous!