There have been many changes to the school schedule throughout this past year, with plenty of adjustments and attempts in trying to figure out what would work with this unique situation. In the first semester and the first half of the second semester, all students were NTI and had set class times. In the second half of the second semester, students shifted to the hybrid schedule. 

Many students, such as Evie Reed (11, J&C) and Emily Githens (10, HSU), found the first semester to be stressful and confusing. “It was definitely a lot harder to learn content online,” Githens said.

Other students found the second semester to be more difficult than the first. “It was difficult academically and mentally/emotionally,” Kaelin Gaydos (9, J&C) said.

“Honestly, the second semester was much worse,” Jaylen Mills (10, HSU) said, “I started to get so burnt out and exhausted that even simple assignments were difficult to complete.”

Kayla Puffer (12, HSU) found this school year to be “boring, repetitive, stressful, mind-numbing.”

The constant transitions were difficult to adjust to for many students. “Second semester was pretty rocky,” Meredith Thomas (12, YPAS) said, “The multiple schedule changes were difficult to get used to and it just felt different overall.”

Other students found difficulty jumping from the first semester to the second, especially when it came to the workload. “It was difficult to keep myself motivated because it often felt like the work was just constantly piling up and it felt like some of my teachers just didn’t care all that much and it was overwhelming,” Mills said.

“The second semester hit hard, not motivated enough and the workload was way too much,” Lia Royer (10, J&C) said.

“The teachers all assigned too much homework along with class work,” Naomi Collins (10, VA) said.

Students were still able to find positive aspects in the newness, even through the various difficulties also present.   “Going two days a week has lifted stress off my shoulders,” Gaydos said.

“I liked that we got to work as a team, the whole school, to do what we can to get through this quarantine,” Mills said.

The NTI experience was a new and unfamiliar format across the board for students and teachers alike, provoking great confusion and stress at times. Schedule alterations were sometimes necessary in order to help accommodate students more freely, however, these changes also brought along some hardships. Overall, many students are finding satisfaction in the gentle return to “normalcy,” whether that be more available activities or the re-opening of in-person classes.