On this day in Osceola history, April 17th, 2020, students shared their thoughts on the pros and cons of online school. Students around the United States were forced to participate in online school to prevent the spread of Covid-19. While some students were fans of online school, many high school seniors were bummed out. Three seniors shared their experience of online school and their last few months of senior year.

12th grader Emma Lloyd said that online school has been more stressful than in person because of the lack of communication with teachers. Many technical issues occurred because of the overload of students in the county trying to log on and participate in their classes every day. Emma said she preferred being physically at school because it “keeps me motivated.”

Although some students had a particularly difficult time with online school, Kailyn Reska preferred it rather than in-person school. The anxiety that regular school caused made it hard to focus. Kailyn also liked the freedom with completing her assignment at her own pace, rather than having a set due date for everything. Even with the pros, she did come across negative experiences. The technical difficulties were a constant struggle for this senior too. Kailyn was also really looking forward to prom and graduation, but now she wasn’t even sure if it was possible for the class of 2020 to get that. Kailyn said these events were “going to be one of our last chances to hang out with friends before leaving for college.”

Lastly, Sam Leszczynski said his time in isolation hasn’t affected him much at all. He found his schedule more relaxed and has more time to spend more time at home doing what he likes. Sam faced issues with teams just like everyone else, and he did miss the interactions with teachers and friends in person on campus. Sam shared that his teachers were helpful in these difficult times. He was excited to attend prom and graduation, and said, “I think the school needs to provide a date for when those events will take place again.”