The first chirps from birds can be heard from outside as the clock slowly ticks to 7:00 A.M. A few rays of golden sun peek through the curtains, and in the walking world outside, a couple of cars can be heard driving past. Alarms are sluggishly turned off as students across the nations arise from their beds and head straight for their laptops; another day of distance learning has begun. 

Distance learning in itself is a great backup plan for schools in Prince George’s County to fall back on. As PGCPS states on their website, learning from home provided a “safe learning and working environment for prekindergarten through Grade 12 students…” despite the COVID-19 pandemic. While learning from home, students do not have to worry about potentially contracting the virus from their peers. As another plus to online learning, students who usually wake up earlier to get ready for school, have taken the opportunity to catch up on sleep. 

“Now I have an extra 45 minutes to sleep,” says senior Suzanne Clements, “because I don’t have to get dressed, prepare lunch, or walk to school.” Another senior here at Roosevelt, Emma Yanilmau, likes that she does not have to worry about “missing the bus, being self-conscious about outfits, or worrying about social interactions.” 

However, despite these positive and desirable outcomes of distance learning, many seniors are experiencing second thoughts about this current scenario.

At the time of writing this article, October is soon coming to an end. This time of the school year is especially difficult for seniors in the Science and Technology (S/T) Program. During their senior year, students in this program are required to complete a research practicum (RP) project, which often requires hands-on experimentation. After completing the research, students must then “present their findings” in a written form, verbally, and visually. However, the current pandemic is causing students to have their options restricted and narrowed down, even to the point of impossibility. “In RP Bio,” stated Yangilmau, “I’m struggling to find a project I could feasibly do at home while still being original. Quarantine has really narrowed my options.” Not being able to find an original topic of research for this laborious project could ultimately become detrimental to any senior’s GPA, and could even prevent them from graduating. In addition, before the pandemic, seniors had direct access to a variety of resources, such as their RP Teachers, Mrs. Watcon, their Internship Coordinator, the S/T office, as well as Mrs. Peterson. However, with distance learning, students must resort to online databases for information and communicate with their teachers through e-mails. 

Aside from their RP projects, S/T seniors are required to take AP courses that pertain to their area of study. With AP classes being more rigorous than their high school level counterparts, taking notes and actively engaging in the class is critical. However, due to distance learning, many seniors are finding it hard to put in the effort. “Distance learning is taking away the drive I had to study and work hard. I feel myself getting lazy to actually review the material every day and take down the notes in class” says Clements. This lack of motivation across the student body could lead to problems down the road with AP tests, as students will not be able to recall information. 

However, despite the pandemic, seniors continue to do their best and hope everything works out. Their determination and patience, which made them an S/T student in the first place will, without a doubt, allow them to achieve the short-term goals during their final year of high school.