A strange start to the school year

August has long been designated Back to School Month, but there has never been a year like this. Students were asked what they saw as the strangest thing about starting a school year at a distance and this is what they had to say: 

The strangest thing about the start of this school year is…

1. … that I won’t be learning in the classroom and be able to do hands-on activities. ~ Vinnie’a Brady-Bracy (Class of 2024)
2. … that we have to meet our new teachers and classmates online this school year. ~ Laila Uyan (Class of 2021)
3. … meeting new people in online, and try to mingle with them ~ Dung Le (Class of 2024)
4. … that we may not get an opportunity to participate in the fun school events and traditions. ~ Jared Ramil (Class of 2022)
5. … that we won’t be able to be in class physically in person so everything we learn is going to be online. ~ Tas’jay Julian (Class of 2024)
6. … that we wouldn’t really have a first day outfit.  ~  Lilian Luu (Class of 2024)
7. … that we won’t be learning face to face and can’t see are friends. ~ Alex Villanueva (Class of 2024)
8. … that we will not be learning together in the classroom and socializing with students and teachers physically. We will be learning through our computer or phone as online learning to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. ~ Axata Ranjit (Class of 2023)
9. … waking up every morning to already be in my “classroom”. ~ Melissa Theodorus (Class of 2022)
10. … not being able to have the excitement of seeing your friends on the first day after not seeing them for months. ~ Amelia Jiles (Class of 2024)
11. … not feeling like you’re in a school environment on the first day of school. ~ Justin Narsico (Class of 2021)
12. … not being able to constantly have someone to turn to for help whether it be for my mental state or physical state. ~ Jaxson Oriarte (Class of 2024)
13. … that we will not feel the usual environment we are used to living every day. ~ Dulce Bernal Ortiz (Class of 2023)
14. … that I won’t be in a classroom and that I won’t get the full high school experience. ~ Joseph Smith (Class of 2024)
15. … that we will all first see each other through a computer screen. ~ Rianna Garcia (Class of 2024)
16. …that we will be making new friendships. ~ Amira Ziani (Class of 2022)
17. … we’re not going to really have the help and support of our friends, peers, and teachers the way we’re used to even after some online learning. ~ Zahara Qorbanzada (Class of 2024)
18. … obviously there is a pandemic going on. ~ Omar Rodriguez Ramirez (Class of 2021)
19. … that we are learning on the computer and it won’t be the same then we were at school. ~ Elvira Reyes (Class of 2024)
20. … that everything will have to be online and there will be no fun outdoor activities. ~ Dianna Solorzano (Class of 2024)
21. … that we will be having to learn to manage our time in getting school work done and not getting off task. ~ Arianna Herrera Torres (Class of 2024)
22. … that we will be have to be online and can’t see are friends. ~ Andrea Ramirez Birruete (Class of 2024)
23. … that we will be doing online classes instead of meeting our teachers in person and our new classmates. ~ Andjali Monroe (Class of 2022)
24. … we can’t  met new friends and join activities and go to classrooms. ~ Nyla T Tijerino (Class of 2024)
25. …that we will not be meeting our teachers. ~ Alexa Benitez Lopez (Class of 2024)
26. … not visually getting help by your teacher and not knowing some of the stuff they are trying to teach you. ~ Artiana Adanandus (Class of 2024)
27. … that we won’t be able to join any sports or have the same learning experience as we usually do. ~ Rosie Angulo (Class of 2023)
28. … that we have to wear masks if we go back to school, and as freshmen we won’t get to experience the first day of high school.  ~ Ana Mota Salas (Class of 2024)
29. … that we´re going to end up missing a lot of the physical activities, such as school events or little things like talking in the back of the classroom. In a way we’ve been deprived because of the situation we´re in. ~ Melannie Melendez (Class of 2021)
30. … all the rushed changes to the curriculum in a rapid attempt to accommodate for online schooling. ~  Leila Harper (Class of 2021)
31. … the fact that I don’t have as much social anxiety being around so many people so I’ll be more calm. ~ Keyla Gonzalez Anguiano (Class of 2023)
32. … that we will do online learning instead of going to school. ~ Karen Leon Benitez (Class of 2024)
33. … that Corona popped out of nowhere to ruin this school year. ~ Marvin Olandag (Class of 2021)
34. … that we won’t be able to meet new people and make friends like before since school is online. ~Sonia Robledo Cervantes (Class of 2022)
35. … that the bad things had to happen at a great moment. ~ Michael Orsi (Class of 2021)
36. … the fact that new high schoolers such as myself won’t get the opportunity to experience our first semester as a freshman as we were supposed to, as well as not getting the opportunity to meet new potential friends among our peers. ~ Mary Ibarra (Class of 2024)
37. … that we will have to get to know our new teachers without the usual classroom environment and the hands-on activities that usually help us interact and bond with one another. ~ Adrian Ramos (Class of 2022)

Did you miss out on your opportunity to answer the question? Share your responses in the comment section below.