By Eliana Weinstein
Staff Writer
Prior to March 2020, life was moving fast for many high schoolers. After an early wake-up, students would attend a regular in-person day of school, with lunch breaks filled with meetings, extracurriculars, and hours of homework, before getting little sleep to only wake up the next day and repeat this whole process again. This vicious cycle happened five days a week and was further supplemented by work over the weekends. Life, like it always was, seemed to be moving too fast for many.
When COVID-19 hit in March of last year, some students felt an immediate relief that they would receive a break from this taxing lifestyle. The first few months of quarantine and online school gave students more time to talk to friends and relatives they hadn't had the opportunity to speak to, and cut out lots of time spent during the school day. Yet, as the months passed, students felt this abrupt pause transform into a new wave of unexpected stressors. In this unprecedented pandemic, students must continue for months to not see friends or participate in clubs in person, or even meet with teachers face to face. Soon, many students even began to miss their former busy lifestyles.
However, when the 2020-2021 school year began, things changed. Barrack high school students began going to school every other week, and the stress dynamic at Barrack once again changed. High schoolers were forced to adjust to a pace of life that changed weekly. Brynn Landow ‘24 said, “Having every other week in school changed my sleep schedule rapidly weekly, which definitely adds stress.” Many other Barrack students also felt this way, along with facing other stressors like more homework given during in-person weeks, and worse social-emotional wellness during online weeks.
The 2020-2021 school year is definitely a rollercoaster. Learning to appreciate the good things in our lives as high schoolers, but also recognize the stressors that arise because of living as a high schooler during a pandemic, is important.