The freshman class already had to adjust to a new environment and a bigger workload when school started, but  this year they also had to adjust to living during a pandemic.

Many of the freshmen at NDA say that they appreciate all the work that has gone into bringing back school for them, considering the new rules to stop the spread of Covid-19. At the end of the day, however,  they still feel cheated out of fun activities like sports and dances.

“I think what I missed out on because of the pandemic was soccer. We tried to have a season but we weren’t able to,” said Henry McKenna.

Now that the school has switched to a completely virtual schedule, they feel that being in person with classmates and teachers is just another thing that has been ripped away from them.

Although working at home might seem like a luxury to some, many students say that it’s really hard to focus on the lesson, especially when you’re sitting at the same desk all day.

Despite all of these rough patches though, many of the freshmen are finding ways to look on the bright side of this unique experience.

“I mean there are probably some things that we missed out on, but we are also such a unique class because of the pandemic. When we’re older, it’s going to be so cool to tell our kids our experience throughout high school due to COVID-19,” said Hannah Greisen.

Other freshmen have also said that being able to grab a snack from their kitchen and taking a break to go outside between classes are all perks to learning from home.

A lot of them have also been learning new things about how to deal with their workload and long classes.

Here is some advice from freshmen to other freshmen about how to deal with the stress of school.

“I would say just don’t think too hard about stuff and relax and take a deep breath when it is getting hard,” says Eleanor VanHandel.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Give yourself time to adjust and experiment,” says Julissa Zuniga.

So even though the freshman class hasn’t had the most normal first high school experience, they are definitely still making memories and will continue to be optimistic.