"The best part about online learning is learning new things every single day and being around my friends and teachers. I love how my teachers are so passionate about teaching us and are committed to make online learning a memorable experience. Next year, I am most excited about making new friends and new opportunities. I am so excited to be the Ecolo prefect, go back to actual school instead of online school, and learn lots of new things."

“What is something that you’ve learned about yourself throughout this experience?” “If I am given the opportunity to sleep in, I will always take it.”

"I think this quarantine has helped everyone appreciate the people around them a little more. Even after staring at my screen for half the day, I always reserve time to call my friends and talk about everything and nothing. Although I miss hanging out with them every day, it’s actually helped me strengthen some of my friendships. I’ve reached out to more people via texts, whereas I used to only talk to them in class. I hope to maintain these connections until we finally meet in person again."

“Adapting to online school in quarantine was not necessarily an easy transition. Although online school is not as bad as I thought it would be, going from seeing friends and family every day to not being able to see them at all is definitely difficult. However, as for adjusting and overcoming difficulties faced throughout this time, I personally find that filling up my time with different activities that I enjoy (baking, going for walks, FaceTime, Netflix) helps to make the situation better.”

"Self-isolating has definitely not been the easiest on my mental and physical health. I personally set myself the goal of getting more in shape and staying active. Five days of the week I go on a run outside, which enables me to feel less isolated from the rest of the world. Getting fresh air and sunshine everyday has been so helpful in maintaining a positive mindset. I have found that being productive has enabled me to feel happier overall in these tough times."

“At home, I have been doing lots of art! I have opened online artwork commissions and have been creating artwork for others to enjoy. In addition to painting, sculpting, and working on commissions, I have also been exercising with my mother. We log onto our online workout sessions every day after class. Exercising has been so beneficial for my mental health as it gives me an opportunity to clear my mind from homework and gives me a chance to move around after sitting down at my desk all day.”

“Personally, I enjoy the freedom of online learning, in terms of time management, assignment themes, and study strategies. Not that I disliked the structure pre-pandemic, but having more time to ourselves allows students to dive deeper into assignments. Learning in a domestic space personalizes the experience. My mom and I enjoy drinking green tea, so sometimes she’ll prepare me a mug and leave it on my desk. The small gesture makes me really happy that my family is healthy and at home with me.”

“From a young age, I’ve never liked public speaking or oral presentations of any kind, which is one thing I can happily say that I won’t have to do during online learning. Instead, I am spending my time baking, learning how to skateboard, playing board games with my family, and FaceTiming friends. Although this experience can be stressful and sometimes lonely, I have enjoyed the time I’ve spent reconnecting with old friends and learning new skills.”

"A big challenge that a lot of my friends and I experienced was the simple fact that we missed each other. It is easy to build and cultivate relationships when you see people every day at school, but in our online learning situation it’s been really hard to communicate with friends and peers. The way my friends and I have overcome this was to make several group chats, group video calls, and Netflix Party."