Freshmen have been impacted by the pandemic more than most understand. As we enter the school year, students of every year get back into the groove of fully in-person learning and extra curricular activities that come along with it; however, most students aren’t ready to venture out just yet.

Freshman Rebecca Snouffer talked about her experience with being in quarantine for most of her middle school career and the effects that has had on her, as well how technology made it harder for her to make connections.

“I went to O’Neill, [the lockdown] happened March 13, I was in seventh grade [at the time]; about a month into eighth grade [was when] we went into hybrid. [COVID-19] made it really hard to make friends during Zoom and then it was hard to stay in touch with your friends that you already have because nothing is going on,” Snouffer said.

Freshmen aren’t always the audience when it comes to DGS involvement when in reality that’s where students branch out into their interests.

Speech coach Christopher Blum, talked about the wave of incoming freshmen and the decrease in after school activities.

“I have noticed a decrease in engagement in the freshmen coming in; I believe it has to do with not being in school because of the pandemic. I think they feel not as connected with our community as normal freshmen would, with all of the beginning of the year events that we have and the work that we do at the junior high level to come and visit for [mad dash]. They are missing that school community right off the bat,” Blum said.