Swimming with Sharks
By Sydney Anderson
Life is hard enough for high school students—waking up early, dealing with parents, assignments, tests, chores, household responsibilities, and even part- time jobs. As teens, we are all preparing for our adult life, and that switch from child to grown up is not only a reality check, but it is a tremendous transitional change.
Now, imagine trying to do it all during a worldwide pandemic. Sebastian River High School set out a specific set of rules in 2020 when COVID-19 broke out to keep students as safe and as socially distanced as possible. The school had hallway markers throughout each wing to make sure students walked and stood six feet apart, with a mask on always.
As hard as it was trying to wash my hands nonstop and stay away from my own friends, the school’s rules prevented me from getting COVID despite being quarantined four times! Masks are optional now since many of us are vaccinated.
My senior year is so much easier with all these rules in place.
As much as I dislike saying it (What high school student really likes rules?), we walked into the 2021 school year set up for success. This New Year has brought many changes to Sebastian River High School, almost all for the better. We have a newly painted school. The coral walls are now a pearly white and blue. (Go Sharks!) The campus is welcoming and clean.
New vending machines with healthy snacks have been installed in every corner. They have an Apple Pay option so if you do not have cash, but have a bank account linked to your phone, you can buy what you need. We also have brand new Chromebooks. Students are connecting with each other using this innovative technology every day.
Administration is also enforcing a cell phone policy this year, and as much as the students do not like it, it is helping us focus so much more in class. Some teachers even installed charging stations for students in their classrooms.
All students and teachers got new IDs. Hall passes are color coded and correlated to the wing you are supposed to be in. Skipping class is no longer an option. The security guards can easily see anyone out of place. The school is now a safer environment because of these changes.
Juniors and seniors with strong GPAs have specific car stickers that let security know they can leave early this year. While I am a little jealous that junior privilege was not an option last year, I am proud that my school has stepped up its game for my last year on campus. I have a senior privilege this year, so I get to leave early some days too.
Sebastian River High School has made many helpful changes in 2021 that are making it easier for us to learn and excel in our classrooms despite Covid-19. It is so exciting that such minor changes can have such a significant impact on our lives.
While we are still going to have to get up early and deal with our parents, assignments, tests, and chores, maybe being a high school student in the year 2022 will not be so bad.
