It has already been one full week since students have returned to fully in person learning. Students are finally able to see their friends and have classes be a little normal before the end of the school year. There are some kids, though, who are fully online for the whole school year. In many ways, online only students are the forgotten students, separated from their classes and not interacting with their friends. 

Having to participate in class online hasn’t been a very organized system since so much has changed all year. Students say they have suffered through miscommunications, missing assignments, and no motivation to do anything. Going in-person gave hybrid students a chance to catch up and be able to work normally, but some many students remain online only.  Teachers have started to put their main focus on people who are physically in class and the online students are left in the background.  

Senior Adamar Vazquez has been fully online since the beginning of her senior year along with many other students. “I feel left out, this is the main thing that bothers me about being full online. I know most teachers try their best to involve us, but it’s not the same,” Vazquez said.

Having to be remote learning full time, students need to find their own type of routine while everyone else is at school. “Yes, I believe that staying organized is part of keeping track of my assignments, which is what I do. However, procrastination is a huge problem when it comes to completing them on time,” Vazquez said. 

Another student at West, Aliza Perez, has been battling online work both between high school and college. “Time management has been key for me since I started college in the morning, go until noon…Then I start high school class. Once I’m done I usually start my college homework and any high school work. So overall it’s been a little stressful at times but I’m managing well as long as I manage my time wisely,” Perez said. 

Distance learning has really made Perez feel far away from the Hub and West as a whole.  She said it’s something many students online-only feel.  She is aware she is part of the school through the constant communications, says said something’s missing for her. “I feel like an “extension of West that isn’t fully attached,” Perez said.