Hawa Osman

The first week of high school is one that many incoming freshmen look forward to. But this year, it was different. Piper Fulton woke up on Thursday, what was supposed to be her second day as a freshman, to a text that school had been canceled due to busing issues.

“It was definitely a disappointment because I had already gotten up and ready before I found out,” Fulton (HSU, 9) said. For all of JCPS, the schools were canceled due to multiple transportation issues from Thursday, Aug. 10 through Friday, Aug. 18.

 “It was very nerve-wracking coming back to school after a week off. Since I didn’t have the chance to meet many people, it felt like the first day all over again,” Fulton (HSU, 9) said.

Even with the challenges of a rocky start to their first year in high school, freshmen aren’t the only students impacted by the time off school. Ellie Melton is a senior taking multiple AP classes this year.

“Since we missed so much school, we had to move at a lot faster pace when we got back, which has been challenging,” Melton (VA, 12) Said. With the intensity and fast pacing of AP classes, the time off school has created a lot of stress for students. 

Although many were disappointed by the many days off school, some students had a different view.

“I honestly enjoyed the time off, it was like a second summer to hang out with my friends and chill,” Jackson Bean (J&C, 10) Said. The worry of falling behind in AP World History was a low priority, Bean was more focused on soaking up the extra days of summer.  

Ms. Merritt Robinson is an AP Human Geography teacher at Manual. She mostly teaches freshmen. “I think most teachers would say that we’re here for the students, so it was tough being here without them,¨ Robinson said.

Although Robinson had a difficult time having to come to school without being able to teach, she felt that the break from school didn’t really affect her teaching or content.

“There’s so many disruptions and things that always happen that require adjusting and fixing plans, so it really wasn’t that big of a deal,” Robinson said. Being very organized, she quickly adjusted to the setback, fixing things like due dates and assignments for the rest of the year. Robinson felt that because her students were still new to the school, she didn’t see many effects in them after coming back to school.

“They’re always a little frazzled and out of their groove since they’re freshman,” Robinson said.

Just like Jackson, the students who came back to school stressed still seemed to get some enjoyment from the so-called second summer, but almost everyone was happy to come back, especially teachers. After all, an extra week of hanging out with friends and no crazy freshman to teach can’t be too harmful.