What are your thoughts on the new schedule and the constant change with schedules?

As a whole, the new schedule implemented on November 9th improves the quality of our education and Eastern experience. With class periods extended to forty-five minutes, teachers can fit more instruction into every session, which helps us better prepare for assessments. Everyone can agree that while they were fun, thirty-minute class periods did not allow us much time to learn. While the lunch time slot (one class after) has been tough to get used to, our new schedule represents a vast improvement over previous versions. – Andrew Shinkle ‘22

The new schedule is much improved over the last one. With teachers getting more time to teach as the class time is increased to forty-five minutes and an hour-long lunch period for students to be able to complete homework and recharge their technology, this new schedule is the best possible solution for our current predicament and has been the best schedule out of the 3 or 4 we’ve had so far. – Joseph Loverdi ‘22

Extending the periods to 45 minutes was very helpful because now classes aren’t rushed and teachers have more time for questions. I don’t like how we have to go back for one period after lunch, but the longer lunch is nice. – Leah Snyderman ‘22

Has Eastern communicated with you and your family well enough?

Yes, Eastern has done a great job with informing my family and I about important developments at the school, including positive COVID-19 cases, schedule shifts, and changes to after-school activities. Emails are sent promptly, and they also leave messages on voicemail for added accessibility. – Andrew Shinkle ‘22

Can Eastern continue to operate under 100% remote for the foreseeable future? What will be the impact on clubs and out-of-school activities?

Yes. If students continue to follow all necessary protocols I believe that Eastern will be able to operate fully remote. Sure, clubs may not meet as much or at all (I know some are meeting remotely via Zoom), but it’s a price to pay in order for everyone to stay safe. – Joseph Loverdi ‘22

Eastern has done an amazing job operating full remote. It’s definitely been a major step up this school year from the end of last year. Even though it’s harder for clubs to meet, they are still meeting and working well. – Leah Snyderman ‘22

Does the current spike in COVID cases cause concern for the spring sports season?

As a spring athlete I am concerned about our season. If cases don’t continue to consistently drop I don’t think we’re going to have a season because it won’t be safe, and I don’t want to have another season canceled. – Joseph Loverdi ‘22

Are people “fed up” with quarantine and social distancing guidelines? Will we be able to keep everyone in check, should another lockdown situation arise?

If another lockdown is put into effect, the situation may turn ugly. Over the summer, COVID-19 rates decreased markedly, leading people to believe that the worst was already behind us. However, due to increased violation of social distancing with the election and other events, infection rates and cases are seeing new highs. With things going the way we are, another lockdown seems likely, but people are not going to be willing to quarantine in their homes once again. With the holidays soon approaching, it will be interesting to see what plays out. – Andrew Shinkle ‘22

People are definitely fed up with quarantine. Despite cases being the highest they’ve ever been in the US, people are still going out. Another lockdown is inevitable at this point because it will be the only way to stop the spread. The holiday season is definitely adding to the going out and because people continue to travel and see their family, cases will only keep rising. – Leah Snyderman ‘22

How much worse will the COVID situation get? Is the worst behind us, or have the darkest days yet to come?

As of right now, I don’t think we’re out of the woods in regard to the Covid situation yet. In October and November, we’ve seen new peaks of cases nationwide where we’ve reached 12 million cases overall. And with the cold months of winter incoming, it’s very likely the virus will continue to mutate in response to the wide distribution of the vaccines. Of course, the vaccines will greatly help lower the cases, but the community of people who are against the vaccine poses a problem to this situation. The future of this virus essentially all depends on the people, and their willingness to wear masks, receive the vaccine if available, and social distancing. – Antonia Zong ‘22

How will remote learning affect education in years to come?

In the future when the coronavirus is not of immediate concern, I think remote learning will still be used only more sparingly. Majority of students still prefer to learn in-person and I’m sure most teachers are the same way. I only see in-person classes for the majority of learning then the use of remote during half days or non-holiday days off. – Arianna Morales ‘22

Remote learning and working has changed the education and workforce. I don’t think education will stay remote because it’s not the same as in-person learning, but there definitely will no longer be snow days. The workforce is completely changed, though. Offices are shutting down because people can just work from home, and there’s no need for them anymore. Big meetings and conferences can now be online. People can collaborate from around the world, and that will not go away. – Leah Snyderman ‘22

How can students work effectively from home when so many are working from home? 

Learning how to work from home is definitely a learning curve. I’ve tried using organization or planning apps but I just can’t stick to them long-term. I do have a schedule when it comes to working time and length, but unless I’m overwhelmed I don’t need to write it down. Forest is one app that can be useful in creating a time to work and focus after school. From time to time I’ll also use Google notes or even a post-it to visualize my to-do list for the day or next few days. It never hurts to get organized! – Arianna Morales ‘22

Working effectively at home is definitely a challenge for many people, myself included, especially if you live in a house with multiple family members. While that kind of distraction could be positive or negative, there’s a likelihood that you’ll lose focus rather easily. One method that I’ve found helpful is setting a specific time for myself to start work. The time I’ve set for myself is between 3-4pm to try and finish as much as I can, and as early as I can. I also prefer using the Notes app to make a list of all the assignments for the day, and then gradually checking them off as I finish each one. I feel as though this method particularly helps with motivation and feeling productive once I’ve checked off all the assignments. – Antonia Zong ‘22

How Eastern students can support other students, like watching the fall play?

Students can help to support other peers and acquaintances at Eastern by giving a look at clubs and activities to further benefit class participation. For example, they can join the Student Council or even take part in and help with the upcoming Food Drive. On a more personal standpoint, they could check in on others or even help walk people through the constant events going on in the world, from politics to at home worries. – Mirabella Gibson ‘24

How will COVID impact the holidays?

I know for my family it’s impacted us a lot. I won’t be able to see my grandparents this year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas because we all agreed to stay at home since both sets are high-risk. It’s for the best that we stay at home this holiday season in order to get the virus under control. – Joseph Loverdi ‘22

Would a Zoom Avatar help? Peer pressure makes many decide to stay behind a blank screen. How can you still develop a relationship with a teacher or professor in times of remote learning?

It’s definitely easier to hide behind a black screen, but I know for me even if I wanted to turn my camera on, I wouldn’t be able to do it for long in most of my classes. When using your ipad for zoom, you can’t split-screen and have your camera on. I have to use notability for most of my classes so the majority of the time I have to be a black screen because I’m taking notes. It’s harder to develop relationships between students but it’s not impossible. I think more effort to build that bond is necessary in order to break the invisible barrier between teachers and students. – Arianna Morales ‘22