With the quarter coming to an end, students and teachers are reflecting on how things have gone so far. Similarly to last year, school has not been normal, and many students and faculty members still feel the pressures of the pandemic as a looming reminder that things won’t be normal for a while. However, students being back in the building is refreshing, even with a more rigorous school routine.

In a recent study from the American Educational Research Association, researchers determined that the time spent away from in-person school will have a detrimental effect on students’ academic performance during the 2021-22 school year. Barstow has not yet seen the full scale of COVID’s possible negative academic effect on students, but still, the effects of COVID on student work ethic is apparent to some teachers.

 “Last year, by necessity, gave people bad habits, and learning to combat that inertia has been a challenge,” said Mr. Mark Luce, the upper school English Department Chair.

This quarter has not been easy, and the creation of studying habits has been a hard adjustment for many students. Many teachers have echoed the same thing: last year was easy and this year will be much harder. The threat of a more rigorous year is apparent, and anxiety has been a common issue amongst students.

When discussing what has made this year more difficult, junior Ahna Chang (‘23) said, “It’s the expectations of a normal school year after having had such a non-orthodox school year, and  the very quick change between no expectations to super high expectations.”

Despite the struggle of returning to a more regular school routine, there is a genuine joy to sitting in class with students and peers. Eating lunch with friends in the cafeteria or meeting with one’s advisory during flex are all everyday occurrences that have become especially exciting this quarter due the lack thereof last year.

“I look forward to the lunch period because I can just relax with my friends, talk and joke around,” said freshman Abby Hill (‘24), “whereas in the past year it was a time where I was just alone.”

In contrast to schoolwork and anxiety, regularly planned events and traditions at Barstow have been a fun, necessary break for many students. After a lack of dances, parties and school traditions such as advisories or senior-faculty coffees have been greatly appreciated.

“I think that school events coming back has made it more of a community environment where our school lives are built around the Barstow community,” said sophomore Liane Bdair (‘24).

Some of the events that have been reinstated this quarter have been the freshman-sophomore retreat, pep assemblies, Harvest Fest, Dig Pink volleyball event, senior-kindergarten buddies, Grandparents Day, college visits at school, upper school meetings and fall sports games, such as tennis, soccer, and volleyball. 

An interruption to the monotony of a work week offers a valuable stimulant to re-energize someone feeling burnt out. The hard work and dedication from teachers and students has not been without reward. 

When asked about her favorite part of school this year, Hill had a quick response, “Seeing my grades in math improve. Honors Algebra II, it’s so hard and seeing improvement is great.”

Being back in school and forming bonds has also been a source of happiness for many this quarter. 

“I have really enjoyed meeting the new kids, seeing where they are and helping them move forward,” said Mr. Luce. “It’s also nice to see these kids that I’ve known […] for almost their entire lives be seniors. It reminds me that I’ve been here a while.”

Another new adjustment of this quarter has been the transition to a block schedule. Research from the University of North Carolina found that a block schedule has been shown to negatively affect students’ learning over the course of the year. This is the first year in-person that Barstow has used a block schedule, and the change has not been popular among all students and faculty. Mr. Luce remarked how he thinks the schedule could be detrimental. 

 “I don’t think that kids or teachers have enough breaks in different times with the new schedule and I think that makes things a little tricky,” said Luce.

The schedule has been appreciated by some students, however. “I feel like i can get more work done during my 90 minute study halls than the 40 minute ones or even the 55 minute ones we had last year,” said Avani Lakkireddy (‘24), which is also a sentiment supported by research.

The new schedule is just one of the many things that has made this quarter an especially large challenge for students to acclimate to, but even with the change, the students’ consensus is that they have learned a lot this year and look forward to next quarter.

A demanding, challenging, and engaging year is always necessary for growth and learning, and this quarter has been a reminder to students that Barstow expects much from them. The hard work has been rewarding, however, and the slow return to normal school has been a positive development for Barstow.