Sophomores who stayed completely online in the 2020-2021 school year are on campus for the first time since starting high school, how are they feeling?

Students went through an abnormal  school year in the 2020-21 year, when Zoom swept in to replace in-person learning. When the VUSD gave students an opportunity to go back, many took the chance to be back in the classroom. However, plenty of students decided to stay home as well. While many students from all grades chose to stay home, there is an especially unique group of C group students returning to in-person learning this year. The C group sophomores of Ventura High School are on campus for the first time in their high school careers, along with the incoming freshmen class of 2025. Evidently, this is an extremely unique experience for the group. 

“I honestly don’t know how to feel. I probably still feel like a freshman, because last year I missed my entire first year of high school. It definitely feels like this is my first year [of high school] and last year was just a continuation of middle school,” sophomore Angela Gonzalez states. 

Being on campus for the first time is a new experience for this group, especially after spending the last year completely online. For anyone, being at a new school is an adjustment. Alexis Segovia, also a sophomore, explains that she is still getting a sense of what the community is like at VHS, but it helps to have friends that make the transition smoother. 

Gonzalez responded similarly, saying that being on campus is a lot calmer than she thought it would be. Although most of their classmates had a head start on campus last year, the C group sophomores seem to be catching up smoothly. Gonzalez even states, “I honestly feel pretty caught up, because I have people to turn to about where something is, or how a teacher teaches a classroom,” when she was asked about feeling caught up with her former A and B group classmates. 

Gonzalez stated she preferred in-person learning over Zoom. Like Gonzalez, Segovia answered that she would not go back online when asked what she would do if she had the choice. 

As Ventura Unified  returns to campus for the first time all together, students must  adjust to the “new normal.” As sophomores being on campus for the first time, there are greater adjustments to be made. With the help of their peers and teachers, former C Group sophomores seem to be transitioning back to in-person learning successfully. As they begin getting a feel of what the community is like at VHS, we are starting to settle back into life going to in-person school.