Kareen Gill, 16, National Cathedral School:
The worst part of quarantine has been the lack of social interactions in person, and also being away from the cathedral close. The best part about online school was that classes were shorter and more manageable. I’m excited to be back on campus but also anxious about how the new socially distant classes will function with so many restrictions and key differences. My school is doing a hybrid approach – half online, half in person, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Anjali Donnelly, 16, Sidwell Friends School:
The worst part of quarantine for me has been that I can't see my friends that much anymore. We went from seeing each other almost every day before quarantine, and now I've only been able to see them a couple of times. It's also difficult to find things to do because everything is shut down. The best part is definitely spending more time with my family. We've started taking walks together and playing board games in the evenings. I feel like all of us have gotten closer over the past few months as we've seen each other more often. I'm excited to go back to school because it has been quite some time since I have last seen my classmates and teachers. I'm not quite sure what my school plans on doing for next year, as they will be sending it out later this month.
Brent Moore, 16, National Cathedral School:
The worst part of quarantine was not being able to see my friends and people at school. I realized that I took school and the class environment for granted, which was something I didn’t realize before quarantine. Also, spending so much time with my family was definitely not enjoyable. The best part of quarantine was definitely the extra hours of sleep and less stressful school schedule. Also, seeing my friends for the first time after months of not being able to see them was memorable. I am weary of my school’s plan of 2 groups with alternating schedules next fall, because it means there is a high likelihood that I will not be with some of my friends. Also I think we will have complete online learning in the fall because COVID-19 cases keep increasing.
Will Denton, 17, McLean, St. Albans School:
Personally, the worst part of quarantine has been not being able to see friends, and also not being able to travel. Although, it has been nice to catch up on sleep and have more free time than usual. St Albans has not released a plan yet for the fall, other than doing a mix of online and in person learning. I feel nervous about everyone going back to school, but I do think that there is a way to do a mix safely.
Ryan Cilluffo, 17, Landon School:
Missing the last few months of school including baseball season and prom was the worst part of quarantine. Also, not being able to see my friends as much hasn’t been very fun. The best part of quarantine is that I have gotten to spend more time with my family. I also have been able to try some new things that I may not have had the time to do otherwise. I am excited to hopefully go back to school in the fall. Right now, there is not a definitive plan, but there is supposed to be some sort of hybrid system, where we are sometimes in school and other times at home.