At this time of year, most students are counting down the seconds until summer, but COVID-19 has provided us with a different perspective. 

  While students are waiting for the school doors to reopen, they are thinking ahead about certain changes they are going to make next year.  

 Junior, Adam Fisk said he is going to “be more excited to be a senior and make better decisions”.  Allison Tripp, also a Junior, said “I’ll have a better attitude about being there (school)… it’s worth it when I can go see my friends and interact with people.”

Online school has also proved to be challenging at times. While online classes are helping students to keep their grades up, it is not an ideal way to learn. Teachers can have a very positive impact on students’ education. 

Sophomore, Gavin Bonilla said, “I definitely took my teachers for granted,” he added that teachers help us by providing, “motivation to do homework”.  With a teacher’s encouragement, school can be a very enriching experience.  Sophomore, Jill Syphus added, “It is harder to make myself do schoolwork… at home, there are so many more distractions and I have trouble motivating myself to do things.” 

For most high school students, it is difficult to stay at home all day trying to stay productive and have a good time. PHS has created many opportunities to get involved in extracurriculars. Senior James Cardon said, “Very few people play sports on a collegiate level so high school is really our last chance to play sports on a highly competitive level. Fine arts… help you meet new people and it’s extremely satisfying to be working on something with those people,” 

Even freshmen, who have lots of high school experience left are learning how important it is to participate in school activities when they can. Freshman, Saydria Ostler said “I’ve always liked going to school functions, but I am going to go all out next year…. Corona break gave me a 180 turn around in my perspective,”

So what is next year going to be like? Hopefully, we can expect students to work harder in school, participate in school activities, value their teachers and friends, and join clubs. 

Cardon said, “Especially with the reality of things like COVID-19, it’s important to take advantage of all the opportunities offered in high school because you never know when those opportunities might be taken away,” 

Next year, it is important to value our classmates and teachers and make every day count.