Trivial times, trying times, uncertain times: all of these sentiments have been said over and over again for the last year. The basis of all of them is that everything has had to change in order for this year to happen.

     Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, upperclassmen and teachers have reassured the freshmen, that in the coming years, school will be much more exciting. When we get into the cafeteria, attend sports games like normal, and get to take part in traditions that can’t happen with the restrictions of this year, high school will be more fun. These messages come with good intent, but this year as a whole shouldn’t be discounted just because it wasn’t “normal.”

     There have been great successes that have come out of this year so far in regard to the freshman class. We got to grow closer with small groups of students through the Shield Program at the very start of the year. The Class of 2024 has taken over the school for Freshman Fridays a few times, getting a preview of what the next three years will hold for the class as a whole. We have watched freshmen hold their own in athletic and academic competitions. The freshman boy’s football team dominated this year, even beating one of Fenwick’s biggest rivals, St. Ignatius. Additionally, students Grace Kapsch and Toby Yang, two mathematicians in the making, scored high on various Algebra competitions.

     There are surrounding schools that haven’t had nearly as much in-person time as we have. Their freshmen will go into next year knowing very few of their classmates. While we have only gotten to truly be in class with half of our grade, it will make seeing new faces next year exciting. 

     The hybrid schedule allowed smaller groups of students to get to know one another better. With half the class size in a classroom on any given day, students got to have more intimate relationships with their classmates and teachers. This in turn will make us a more tight-knit group when we return to full in-person next year. While the introduction to Fenwick that the freshmen have had was gradual, it gave us a glimpse into the next three years where we will be all together. The A group and B group competitions in various classes have been fun, but we are all ready to be one group, the Class of 2024.