As De Soto High School students and staff return from winter break, many are reflecting on the past year and are relieved to see it close. Although it has been a trying year for most, many students are taking time to reflect on some aspects of this trying year. 

While the virus impacted the format of many extracurricular activities, student athletes like sophomore Angelo Saunders still found joy in participating in the fall football season. 

“It was different, but we did what we had to do to play and it was the best part of my year,” Saunders said.

Contending with COVID guidelines during the season was a struggle, but many of the DHS student athletes were able to see their seasons all the way through. For junior Ben Longren, his best memories of the year were also made on the football field this season. 

“I’m just so glad we were able to make it through the season without any complications among the team. It was a real blessing,” Longren said. 

Many extracurriculars such as the Homecoming dance were cancelled due to COVID, so being able to play sports was big for many student athletes. Extracurriculars may have suffered some due to the virus, but overall the changes to the learning format were impacted dramatically. 

Multiple formats were experimented with to begin the school year, making it difficult for students and teachers alike to become acclimated to a regular schedule. As COVID numbers rose, the decision was made to move completely online until further notice. 

English teacher Philip Hamilton was able to discuss the troubles with the constantly changing formats. 

“We have to be completely flexible as professionals. We [teachers] can’t really plan anything more than two or three weeks ahead, and I think that has been a real challenge,” Hamilton said. 

The flexibility and responsiveness of the students has been tested due to the remote format as well. Due to the distance students have from their teachers, many students have issues being engaged or following simple directions online. 

“Some of my classmates are immature. They don’t really pay attention in class. Some won’t even turn their cameras on, and for me it’s hard to see how teachers are able to handle that,” Saunders said. 

Whether students are able to handle the remote format or not is entirely up to them and it is something that the school has been attempting to monitor. With the format moving back to hybrid after the second semester, Hamilton says that he is excited to get in contact with his students and be able to build relationships again. 

“That’s the best part of my job to be honest, and it’s been so hard this year to create those connections. Having a relationship with my students is a crucial part of teaching, so I’m happy we will be getting back to it,” Hamilton said.

With a high number of students currently failing classes due to a multitude of challenges, the new year will be the clean slate that many DHS students and staff are waiting for. As 2020 comes to an end and a new year is on the horizon, DHS only hopes to return back to some sort of normalcy, as is the rest of the world.