Ever since Friday, March 13, 2020, no Winston-Salem Forsyth County School student or teacher has had a complete year of in-person learning due to COVID-19. Therefore, this school year is the first time most of the sophomores will walk through the halls of Reagan. 

“To be honest I felt sad because I didn’t get to experience my first year of high school,” said sophomore Iyani Lopez. 

Many upperclassmen have used the nickname, “freshmores” to describe the sophomore students because they missed their first year of high school. Many sophomores do not find the name rude but more on the funny side. 

“I like the nickname ‘freshmores’ because we were in quarantine and missed our freshman year of high school,” said sophomore Alex Fela-Castillo.

Common feelings amongst the other sophomores about the return to in-person learning were uneasiness, nervousness and fear because they had teachers that believed they knew what they are doing when in reality they didn’t. 

“I feel like teachers could have slowed down or explained more, especially for the sophomores and freshmen,” said sophomore Cora Kidd.

When in virtual learning, all students learned how to adapt. Once each of the students got used to that new version of school, they were switched back to in-person learning either in cohorts or all at once.  

When talking about the difference between virtual learning and in-person learning, many sophomores expressed that they would much rather go to in-person school than stay virtual. The majority of the positives outweigh the negatives, such as the ability to participate in school events, being able to pay attention in class with minimal distractions and most importantly, having the ability to talk to friends at lunch and in class. 

Some negatives include having to wake up early to get ready for school, now that students are no longer in the comfort of their own homes.

“I like in-person learning, definitely,” Kidd said. “When I’m in school, I can socialize more with my friends, and I don’t have to worry about asking a question in front of the entire virtual class listening.”

Some teachers have noticed this change in how the sophomores act from the previous years to the current year.

“One of the biggest things I’ve seen is that students don’t ask questions,” said English teacher John Sobon. “I think during the pandemic, no one would ask questions, no one would speak online. And I think we are seeing some of that carry over into the live classroom.”

But for the 2021-2022 school year, both students and teachers are just hoping to complete the year all in person, and adapt back to the normal school environment.