On March 30, Governor Mike DeWine declared that due to the continued spreading of the coronavirus, schools will be closed through the month of April. Consequently, McNick will be continuing online schooling. The closure affects all students, but seniors feel as though they are missing out on more than just school. In the month of April seniors were supposed to see senior privileges come into effect, like wearing college spirit wear, having dyed hair, men not needing to be clean shaven, and eating lunch outside when weather permits. In a recent Milestone survey, students in the Class of 2020 were asked to give their honest opinions on recent events.
How has the switch to online school been impacting your life in and out of school?
“It’s harder for me to force myself to stay productive when I’m the one in charge of my own schedule, and it’s also difficult on my social life not being able to easily see people. I have to go out of my way to make sure I’m still communicating with others.” Katie McManus
“I like online school better because I can go at my pace and get ahead on stuff. I don’t have to worry about waiting until class to figure out what we’re going to do.” Emma Melcher
“My grades are significantly dropping and my mental health is on a steady decline like so many of my classmates.” Anna Voet
How are you feeling about schools being closed through the month of April?
“I think given the circumstances, it was the right decision and I’m happy officials chose this action because I wouldn’t feel safe to be returning to school at the moment. However, it is extremely sad knowing I’ll be missing even more events that I had been looking forward to.” Katie McManus
“I’m sad and slightly angry, as that is another month of my senior year gone.” Elise Nyktas
“I hope that keeping schools closed through April will allow us to come back in May. It’s a little sacrifice.” Tara Reich
What are your thoughts on big high school milestones like senior prom and graduation being postponed?
“As long as they happen I don’t mind.” Senior who wished to remain Anonymous*
“It sort of sucks because we all worked hard in high school, and we all sort of had this plan and now this plan is disrupted – but it’s all part of life so hopefully we can come out strong.” Tara Reich
“I mean it had to be done, and it makes me so sad we can’t experience what other seniors in the past have.” Senior who wished to remain Anonymous*
How are you feeling about potentially finishing your final year at McNick online?
“It’s fine with me. Wish we would just know for certain the final decision.” Emma Melcher
“I’m not enjoying the idea of it, but I know that we are doing it for the health and safety of all, so I can’t necessarily complain.” Brianna Taylor
“I wouldn’t be surprised, but I am still upset about it. I’m not ready for the real world and for college. I took high school for granted.” Anna Voet
Do you have any recommendations for teachers to make your online classes run smoother or make it easier to learn?
“It’s really helpful for me when teachers actually post their lesson plans for the whole week at the beginning of the week, so I can plan out how to pace myself for each day. It’s a lot harder when I have a plan for some classes, but for others I have to refresh Schoology and hope they haven’t randomly added another assignment for me to add to my to-do list for the day. I also think it would be helpful for teachers to remember that students are dealing with more classes than just theirs and should consider that when choosing how much work to assign.” Katie McManus
“Maybe just post lesson plans and try not to add or change them too much throughout the week, and be very vocal about changes so all students know.” Elise Nyktas
“Not really-this is a huge learning curve for all of us, so given the circumstances, I would say that we are all doing pretty well.” Brianna Taylor
The McNicholas Milestone 