Being new to a school, specifically high school, can be challenging for students to get adjusted to the new environment. This is particularly true this year in light of COVID-19. 

The new freshmen students were  introduced to Geier Hall with the new protocols surrounding the virus. On top of that, freshman had to face whether to start high school from home via virtual learning or in person.

While virtual students learn and meet other students from Google Meets, in-person students meet other students while wearing masks and social distancing in the classrooms. 

Even though virtual and in-person students have had different cirumstances and challenges to tackle and overcome, many students feel they have had a freat start to high school. 

“My first month of high school has been a little bit scary because when you’re coming into high school, it’s just this whole group of… new people that you’re going to meet, so it’s a little bit scary,” states Danaye Martin, a new virtual freshman. “But, the teachers have made me feel really comfortable, and honestly, I feel really welcomed at Mount Pisgah.”

Martin finds it difficult being virtual since it is harder to meet many students and teachers in the classroom, but she believes the teachers are doing a great job with including the virtual students into the classroom activities. 

She recognizes how much the teachers and administration are putting into school in order to allow the student body to safely come back again.

Martin finds it helpful to arrange and organize her time while learning from home to keep her busy and on task.

“With online school…you get to go at your own pace, do your work, organize it in between classes, and you have a lot of free time because there is no commute to and from school,” says Martin.

On the other hand, in-person students have to wear masks, spray desks, and sanitize in between each class throughout the day which has added an unexpected obstacle to interacting with their peers in the  classroom.

“I enjoy helping spraying the desk and wearing the mask, but sometimes it’s a lot you have to do,” states Isabella Kee, a new in-person freshman at Mount Pisgah. “You always have to have something on your face, and it makes things harder to communicate with other people.”

Even though communicating with other students has been harder, Kee has not let that stop her from creating friendships.

As an incoming freshman, she joined the varisty cross country team which has helped her foster a stronger sense of community not just with fellow freshmen, but with many upperclassmen as well.

“I… joined the cross country team, and I’ve gotten to know a bunch of people that I normally don’t see during school like seniors and juniors,” says Kee. “It’s been such a great experience.”

Both Martin and Kee agree that the teachers and students have been very helpful in welcoming them into the Mount Pisgah community and helping them find their way around the school.

They have had amazing experiences at the beginning of their freshman year and notice the hard work the teachers and administration are putting forth in order to meet certain safety protocols.