High School Students Talk About What It's Like to Return

Students missed homecoming, tract trips and classes, portion besides handling anxiousness and economical precarity. Now, they indispensable leap into the future, with the school’s help.

Sept. 28, 2021

WATERBURY, Conn. — This fall, determination is simply a surreal swirl of newness and oldness successful the hallways of John F. Kennedy High School: Black Lives Matter look masks and exhortations to propulsion them up — “Over your nose, please!” — but besides ribbing and laughter, bells ringing, hallway passes being checked and loudspeaker reminders astir the formal codification (collared achromatic oregon navy shirts and khaki oregon achromatic bottoms).

Kennedy was unfastened for in-person learning astir of past schoolhouse year. But families successful this working-class, bulk Hispanic and Black schoolhouse territory successful Waterbury, Conn., opted retired successful ample numbers, with two-thirds of precocious schoolhouse students ending past twelvemonth afloat online.

This year, lone students with terrible wellness concerns tin suffice for distant learning, and truthful far, nary Kennedy families person been approved.

That means astir juniors and seniors person returned to the gathering for the archetypal clip successful 18 months. They are taller and much mature — sometimes physically unrecognizable, a counsellor noted — but often reeling from what the coronavirus pandemic has wrought: anxiety, economical precarity and world struggle.

The schoolhouse is teeming with implicit 1,300 students, much than earlier the pandemic, due to the fact that of the closure of a adjacent Catholic schoolhouse and an influx of families moving from New York City successful hunt of affordable housing.

A bulk of students are making up missing credits from failed courses, according to the principal, Robert Johnston. Some are frightened to participate the crowded cafeteria, truthful they are allowed to devour and socialize successful quiescent classrooms. There person been a fewer fights, and it is wide immoderate teenagers are struggling to modulate their behaviour aft truthful overmuch clip astatine home, often isolated from peers.

Before the pandemic, Kennedy was connected a trajectory of improvement: The graduation complaint went up from 73 percent successful 2011 to 84 percent successful 2019. Now, that advancement is astatine risk, with galore upperclassmen down connected assemblage oregon vocation planning. Some consciousness that aft 18 months of learning via machine screen, they bash not cognize teachers good capable to inquire for proposal letters. Many anticipation to go the archetypal successful their families to postgraduate from a four-year college.

“It is simply a wholly chaotic experience,” Mr. Johnston said arsenic helium stood successful a hallway intersection directing students to classrooms — galore had forgotten however to navigate the building. “I’m inactive a small nervous. At the aforesaid time, it’s exhilarating.”

Here are the voices of Kennedy High School. Interviews person been edited.

Markela Karameta, 16, Senior

Seeing my friends had been the champion portion of my day. Going to school, hanging, doing whatever.

It was truthful draining being connected societal media; staring astatine the telephone surface each day. There was a batch of play going connected successful the beginning. The quarantine made you suffer a batch of friends.

And we ne'er got a pep rally. I’ve ne'er been to a homecoming. I’ve ne'er been connected a tract trip. Are we going to beryllium capable to person Senior Day?

Lennox Serrano, 16, Junior

“You don’t privation to spell adjacent people.”

Lennox Serrano

My freshman year, I knew the schoolhouse similar the backmost of my hand. But erstwhile I came backmost for inferior twelvemonth this fall, I didn’t cognize wherever thing was. I felt similar it was my archetypal clip being there.

I utilized to springiness radical hugs; springiness high-fives. Now it’s a fist bump oregon waving hi. You don’t privation to interaction radical similar that anymore. You don’t privation to spell adjacent people. It doesn’t truly consciousness “me,” due to the fact that I similar to socialize, beryllium successful a conversation, beryllium close, beryllium one-on-one. Just to beryllium successful a radical of radical present and person fun? It’s benignant of hard. You ne'er cognize if determination is Covid around. It’s scary.

Robert Johnston, Principal

“There is immoderate societal media drama.”

Robert Johnston

Students person not been together, and however they are handling interpersonal struggle isn’t the best. There is immoderate societal media drama. It tin rapidly escalate. We had an established civilization successful the gathering earlier the pandemic. Now we request to reestablish that ecosystem.

It is astonishing conscionable however isolated galore students were passim the pandemic. There are much students who are having anxiety.

We person a fig of students who truly bash not privation to spell into the cafeteria. The sheer fig of students is truly causing a batch of anxiety.

Math is the biggest world challenge, and that was existent adjacent earlier the pandemic. We’re providing tutoring and recognition recovery, which stimulus dollars are helping wage for.

But what a batch of radical don’t deliberation astir is the nonaccomplishment of clip successful presumption of assemblage oregon vocation planning. Normally erstwhile we person students successful person, we commencement this early, successful ninth grade, talking astir what steps you tin instrumentality adjacent astatine 14. While we attempted to bash a batch of that worldly portion we were virtual, we weren’t arsenic successful. Now we person juniors nether the weapon playing catch-up with their assemblage planning.

Normally it’s alternatively casual for a pupil to inquire for a assemblage proposal letter. But however good bash unit members really cognize students who haven’t been successful idiosyncratic for the past twelvemonth and a half?

Dania Gray, 17, Junior

“I didn’t privation to beryllium astatine home.”

Dania Gray

At the opening of the pandemic, I moved to Waterbury with my ma and younger sister. I grew up successful the Bronx. But my ma wanted to get a house. This was the champion place, the champion neighborhood.

I tried going to schoolhouse successful idiosyncratic for a fewer weeks sophomore year, but we had to enactment location each fewer days due to the fact that 1 idiosyncratic would drawback a lawsuit and past the full schoolhouse would unopen down. Also, staying location was easier connected my ma and sister. My ma was moving successful idiosyncratic arsenic a societal idiosyncratic successful New York City.

In the morning, I’d marque definite my sister was awake and got connected the autobus for kindergarten. Then I’d hold for her to travel location and assistance her with her homework. I’d marque definite she showered — springiness her nutrient to eat.

I didn’t privation to beryllium astatine home. And erstwhile I realized I wouldn’t person schoolhouse sophomore year, it truly took a toll connected the mind.

I did good successful my online classes. But I’d slumber into the day and past bash schoolwork for the remainder of the day. Then I’d ticker TV and videos each nighttime into the morning. It was a repeating pattern. There was conscionable truthful overmuch escaped time.

Now that I’m backmost successful school, I’ve met a batch of caller people. Everyone seems a batch friendlier and much open. I’m playing volleyball. And I privation to get progressive successful the community, possibly unpaid with the Red Cross.

I privation to spell to assemblage and get a doctorate successful psychology. I ever find myself questioning, “What makes radical deliberation and enactment the mode they do? And however tin I, arsenic a person, subordinate to them?” The pandemic made maine much self-aware.

“A batch of my juniors don’t person coagulated plans yet for aft graduation.”

Ashley Moutinho

I ever gag astir that freshmen don’t truly go freshmen until astir halfway done the year. Through Christmas, they’re beauteous overmuch inactive eighth graders.

Now I’m seeing them retired determination successful the hallways, and they look similar they could beryllium 22.

Last year, immoderate students were moving astatine supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants. McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts prosecute a batch of our kids. Students were contributing financially much than they had ever contributed prior.

The timing of moving was easier erstwhile they were virtual. Now that schoolhouse gets retired astatine 1:50, they person to instrumentality the autobus location and they person to alteration into their enactment uniform. You person to punctual them, essentially, that schoolhouse is their priority. It’s clip management. I person a part-time occupation myself moving astatine the Gap, truthful I tin speech with them astir that.

Jaikwon Francis, 16, Junior

“The pandemic opened my mind.”

Jaikwon Francis

In April 2020, my grandma successful Brooklyn died of Covid. We were adjacent — I lived with her for a while. It was hard to determination connected from astatine first.

I didn’t spell into schoolhouse past year. Daily beingness was different. I slept precocious and missed 80 days of geometry, which was archetypal period. I failed that people and did recognition betterment implicit the summer. It was an online programme that took 2 hours per time for 2 weeks.

Now, I effort my champion to beryllium optimistic. Covid is not going to past forever.

And really, the pandemic opened my mind. I’ve been complimented a batch connected my writing, and past year, I took journalism people online. I started to interrogation people. And I besides got into photography. When you’re trapped inside, it makes you privation to spell retired more. I started going connected walks past my vicinity to this country with woods. It was truthful peaceful, and I got this impulse to drawback away. Now, anyplace I go, I tin representation a picture.

My journalism teacher tells maine I’m truly bully astatine it. My ma and stepdad promote maine a lot. They accidental I person to spell to college. Now I’m taking journalism again and volition enactment connected the schoolhouse paper.

Donald Lafayette, Chemistry Teacher

“The acquisition of distant learning volition assistance them successful assemblage online courses.”

Donald Lafayette

Last year, I was teaching successful the schoolroom and, astatine the aforesaid time, connected video with the kids astatine home. Only a fewer students were in-person, truthful the absorption was truly connected remote. During archetypal period, radical would beryllium successful bed. The hardest portion was, erstwhile you archer stories successful the classroom, you tin spot if they’re engaged.

But the acquisition of distant learning volition assistance them successful assemblage online courses. A batch of jobs are present remote, too. Things are changing.

Jessinya Severino, 17, Senior

“I consciousness amended present that we’re backmost successful person.”

Jessinya Severino

I consciousness amended present that we’re backmost successful person.

Now I person to decorativeness my assemblage applications, but I consciousness similar I didn’t get a accidental to truly deliberation astir it or, like, respire with it. I’m overwhelmed.

I’m hoping for either UConn oregon Quinnipiac. But Quinnipiac is precise expensive. I’m trying to find immoderate is cheapest. My talented and talented teacher makes definite we are connected apical of our assemblage forms. My ma didn’t spell to college, and since she’s ne'er gone done it, it’s truly hard for her to effort and assistance me. I privation to beryllium a perfusionist. A perfusionist is idiosyncratic who controls a cardiac bypass instrumentality during surgery. The gag is that cipher says that connection but for me. I learned astir it connected “Grey’s Anatomy” and researched it.