Being confined in a room all day, students are sick of trying to learn calculus through a computer screen. Every student learns differently. When asked to discuss his feelings toward COVID-19 and its effect on his life, junior Peyton Mcallum explains how he misses socializing. He says, “I prefer in person because of the social aspect.” 

  Being alone and not talking to people can be hard. Peyton returned in the second semester last spring. He says, “I liked the cohorts, because they are more Covid safe.” Safety comes first and being at school for eight hours is a long time to be surrounded by people. Voicing his concern towards the safety of himself, his friends, and his family, Peyton says, “I wish we could go back to cohorts, if I’m being honest.”

   Millbrook students are still recovering from their time in quarantine. Junior Zipporah Wilson says, “Doing school online was highly challenging for me. I couldn’t focus. Online school was boring and harder to communicate.” Zipporah has also missed the social aspect of school. This is true for a lot of students, which is why some of them did not do well with online school. Zipporah explains, “It was hard to keep up with assignments during virtual learning.” After being gone for so long, Zipporah says, “It was kind of stressful. I forgot how in-person school worked.” Unlike Peyton, Zipporah did not return to school in the spring last school year. 

  As upperclassmen, many students are no longer freshmen. Everyone has a different perspective and when asked about the same ideas, junior Jeremy Ayuk-Takem says, “I’m adjusting to school pretty well.” Online school was challenging for him because he had to maintain his school work while also taking care of his little sister. Jeremy says, “Covid affected my learning by making me lazier.” 

  Returning to school is a bit challenging for some students. There are currently 2,368 students enrolled at Millbrook, all with different stories. Some people did not do well online; others did just fine. It just depends on the student and how they learn. Mr. Weinhold, an English teacher here at Millbrook, says, “Aside from the obvious risks of returning to school and the hurdle of making it feel like “normal,” there will never be a replacement for the ease or benefit of face-to-face discussion and the free exchange of ideas. Working directly with students is my favorite part of being a teacher.” Regarding their return to school, both the students and teachers are glad to be back.