By Claire Fagan, staff writer
With the ongoing COVID pandemic and continuous shifts from virtual to in-person learning during the dynamic year that was 2021, River Hill students have adapted very quickly. Now that we are nearing the end of the year, students are reflecting back on the past twelve months.
When January began, the COVID-19 virus was spreading at a seemingly unstoppable rate. Vaccines were newly available to those working on the front lines against COVID. The Howard County School system had online classes, and students were isolated from their friends.
Junior Varshini Senthil commented, “I started to doubt myself a lot more, I started to judge myself a lot more, and that was really unhealthy.” During the pandemic, isolation limited social interaction and the mental health of many students suffered.
However, despite social distancing, friends were always there to support each other. Junior Tyler Owens mentioned, “Online school really helped me connect with one of my friends because we ended up playing video games every day… Over 2021 I’ve become more social and opened up a bit.” Students like Tyler recognized the importance of social connections, and took efforts to safely maintain them during quarantine.
By the time September rolled around, COVID vaccines had become widely available and Howard County was returning to fully in-person learning. Students got to interact with friends and were held accountable in their classes. For some, this adjustment was very difficult.
Varshini described, “Before COVID, I had a rhythm and I knew what I was doing… Now we’re back at school full-swing and everything’s just hitting me way too fast, and I can’t keep up with it.” Online classes were generally less intense than in-person, and the shift back after a year and a half of minimal work online was demanding. Additionally, in-person school brought other concerns, including contracting COVID-19.
An anonymous student tested positive for COVID-19 and had to quarantine at home for ten school days. They detailed, “I [got] sick and then my classes kept adding work, and as my classes kept adding work, I kept getting more behind. Then I couldn’t bring myself to do any work because I was so burned out from constantly doing work.” The fall 2021 school year brought increased course loads, and many students suffer from burnout. However, the school system seems to understand and empathize with this adversity.
Tyler explained, “We now have these Wellness Wednesdays. You just come in, do some homework, meditate, do whatever you want to prepare yourself for the following two days of the week.” Before COVID, River Hill largely did not have mental health support time, apart from 30 minutes of Hawktime once a week. Now, mental health has been brought to the school’s attention significantly and some classes give study halls or free periods on Wednesdays.
Overall, this year has been a strange time to be alive. There were struggles and there were positive changes, there was isolation and there was increased empathy within the community. Thanks to experiences from this tumultuous year, River Hill students and staff are prepared to thrive in 2022 no matter what challenges it may bring.