Transitioning to high school is a big deal for freshmen, but starting high school during a pandemic is unlike any other 9th grade year experienced by anyone.   Freshmen Xavier Kimbrough, Tea Hayden, and Brooklyn Tinnin debuted at Greeley West High with nearlyv450 other new 9th graders. 

As freshmen, this is their first experience with high school and it’s during a pandemic. That pandemic has slowed making connections with teachers, getting involved in extra-curricular activities, and participating in some of the fun events that high school can provide.  Still, all three students seem to be enjoying their classes and said they have had a smooth transition to high school. “So far I’m loving my classes and they’re really fun,” Kimbrough said. 

 Tinnin and Hayden say they like their classes as well. They all seemed to have a relatively good transition to high school from middle school. But, Hayden and Tinnin had mixed feelings on whether or not it was better than middle school. Kimbrough said he is enjoying high school a lot more than middle school. 

One of the easy ways to make friends and get involved at West is to play a sport.  Hayden joined cross country and plans to run track in the spring.  Kimbrough said he was looking forward to participating in a sport in the future.

Tinnin said she was also looking forward to assemblies and Homecoming, as things previous students had told her about.   

The Coronavirus caused lots of changes in the daily routine and life of a high school student. One of those changes is the overall social part of Greeley West. Before the virus students would spend passing periods and lunches with friends. Now that they are online or social distancing, it makes it hard to interact with other people. Hayden and Tinnin said the hardest part of the transition to high school this year is not being able to see their friends at Greeley West and not being able to make new friends. 

This year’s freshmen are enjoying the educational part of school despite the various changes and differences. The biggest part of high school affected by Coronavirus is the barriers to social connection.