By Alex Mintz
The sound of the bell ringing signaled when everyone got out of their class. Students would all meet up with their friends and talk about anything on their mind while drinking their morning coffee in order to stay awake for the day. This would be a normal day at Tri-City College Preparatory, a charter school located in Prescott, Arizona.
This was no longer the case when the COVID-19 pandemic began. In March 2020, every school was shut down. No one could go on campus and talk with their friends. Everything was through Zoom and Microsoft Teams. That had a huge impact on everyone, including students, teachers and parents.
“I was sad when we got shut down because I really believe that part of Tri-City’s charm is that we interact with each other and we get that personalized experience, and that’s really hard to get from Zoom or Teams,” said Keri Milliken, the principal of Tri-City Prep. “But at the same time I feel like because of the technology that we already had in place, we were able to kind of come together as a group and get started on our schooling right away.”
As Tri-City Prep continued with this new way of learning, they were granted the ability to come back on campus to teach students face to face.
Elvira Sleeth, a mother of an incoming senior, said she was very happy students were able to come back to school. She says she believes that high schoolers need to have interaction with friends, which is part of the high school experience.
This was no longer the case when the COVID-19 pandemic began. In March 2020, every school was shut down. No one could go on campus and talk with their friends. Everything was through Zoom and Microsoft Teams. That had a huge impact on everyone, including students, teachers and parents.
“I was sad when we got shut down because I really believe that part of Tri-City’s charm is that we interact with each other and we get that personalized experience, and that’s really hard to get from Zoom or Teams,” said Keri Milliken, the principal of Tri-City Prep. “But at the same time I feel like because of the technology that we already had in place, we were able to kind of come together as a group and get started on our schooling right away.”
As Tri-City Prep continued with this new way of learning, they were granted the ability to come back on campus to teach students face to face.
Elvira Sleeth, a mother of an incoming senior, said she was very happy students were able to come back to school. She says she believes that high schoolers need to have interaction with friends, which is part of the high school experience.
Kat Keenan-Pascale, an incoming junior, was a face to face student who had a hard time coming back to in-person classes.
“It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be,” they said. Keenan-Pascale went on to say that only half of the student body was there and it wasn’t the same.
Evelyn Hurtado, a mother of four Tri-City Prep graduates, including one in 2021, said it was a relief when students were able to come back.
“I’m glad [hybrid learning] worked for some people. I know it wouldn’t have worked for [my son] Chance because it was very difficult for him to learn online,” Hurtado said.
Students who were not able to come back were not given the opportunity to watch the classroom at first. On Dec. 10, 2020, the school decided to put the distance learners in a new program. They were sent to Helios, which is an online learning platform entirely separate from the school.
Hybrid learning was decided on Feb. 10 by Tri-City’s School Board. This meant that there were face to face learners (FTF) and continued distance learners (CDL) in a classroom. The CDLs’ new learning style was watching a live broadcast. Students would have to complete homework and projects, but they did not get the same opportunities as the FTF students.
Lu Rivera, an incoming senior, was originally an FTF. However, she tested positive for COVID-19 and had to become a CDL on May 20, just a week before the end of classes.
“It was just hard to be motivated to do the classes. They were not hard on a level where I couldn’t do the work,” Rivera said. “You find yourself with so many breaks. My second class didn’t even do an online class, so you find yourself sitting at home doing nothing for a pretty long time considering you were supposed to be doing school.”
Anne Stoxen, the guidance counselor at Tri-City, said, “The thing that made me sad, though, is I felt like COVID gave some people an excuse not to come back and they were taking advantage of it, and then they didn’t know how to re-engage in their life.”
Rivera also felt that watching the broadcast was challenging in respect to participating in the class. She said she felt it would be easier to be in their shoes.
Elizabeth Fredric, a senior who just graduated from Tri-City, was a CDL for her senior year. She also agrees with Rivera about finding the motivation for classes. Fredric, however, looked at the situation with a more positive outlook.
“There were some things I liked about being a CDL, such as being able to wake up at a later time and not rush to get ready for the day,” Frederic said via Snapchat.
It was challenging for not only the continued distance learners but also the face to face learners.
Jakob Christy, an incoming senior, who was a FTF student, had two CDL friends.
“I missed those people, and enough people went online that the school culture shifted entirely. School wasn’t as fun without them,” Christy said.
Rivera also had a few friends that were CDLs.
“You have the class with that person, but you don't get to be with them. You don’t really get to talk to them at school,” Rivera said.
Keenan-Pascale had only one CDL friend.
“It sucked but it’s how it was,” Keenan-Pascale said of not being able to see their friend.
All the interviewees can agree CDLs were dearly missed because they were not there every day. Parents Hurtado and Sleeth both said it was the CDLs or CDL’s parents’ choice to go back or not. What mattered to a CDL or the parents of the CDLs was that they felt safe.
I, myself, was a CDL at Tri-City, who became a FTF student at the end of the school year. I can definitely agree with what Hurtado and Sleeth both said. It is difficult to have to choose not to return to school, but it makes others who care for you feel safe.
COVID-19 is quite a watershed moment for all of us. It affected everyone seeing how the entire world could change in a flash. However, I can agree with Sleeth when she says that we can learn from this and move on.
“It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be,” they said. Keenan-Pascale went on to say that only half of the student body was there and it wasn’t the same.
Evelyn Hurtado, a mother of four Tri-City Prep graduates, including one in 2021, said it was a relief when students were able to come back.
“I’m glad [hybrid learning] worked for some people. I know it wouldn’t have worked for [my son] Chance because it was very difficult for him to learn online,” Hurtado said.
Students who were not able to come back were not given the opportunity to watch the classroom at first. On Dec. 10, 2020, the school decided to put the distance learners in a new program. They were sent to Helios, which is an online learning platform entirely separate from the school.
Hybrid learning was decided on Feb. 10 by Tri-City’s School Board. This meant that there were face to face learners (FTF) and continued distance learners (CDL) in a classroom. The CDLs’ new learning style was watching a live broadcast. Students would have to complete homework and projects, but they did not get the same opportunities as the FTF students.
Lu Rivera, an incoming senior, was originally an FTF. However, she tested positive for COVID-19 and had to become a CDL on May 20, just a week before the end of classes.
“It was just hard to be motivated to do the classes. They were not hard on a level where I couldn’t do the work,” Rivera said. “You find yourself with so many breaks. My second class didn’t even do an online class, so you find yourself sitting at home doing nothing for a pretty long time considering you were supposed to be doing school.”
Anne Stoxen, the guidance counselor at Tri-City, said, “The thing that made me sad, though, is I felt like COVID gave some people an excuse not to come back and they were taking advantage of it, and then they didn’t know how to re-engage in their life.”
Rivera also felt that watching the broadcast was challenging in respect to participating in the class. She said she felt it would be easier to be in their shoes.
Elizabeth Fredric, a senior who just graduated from Tri-City, was a CDL for her senior year. She also agrees with Rivera about finding the motivation for classes. Fredric, however, looked at the situation with a more positive outlook.
“There were some things I liked about being a CDL, such as being able to wake up at a later time and not rush to get ready for the day,” Frederic said via Snapchat.
It was challenging for not only the continued distance learners but also the face to face learners.
Jakob Christy, an incoming senior, who was a FTF student, had two CDL friends.
“I missed those people, and enough people went online that the school culture shifted entirely. School wasn’t as fun without them,” Christy said.
Rivera also had a few friends that were CDLs.
“You have the class with that person, but you don't get to be with them. You don’t really get to talk to them at school,” Rivera said.
Keenan-Pascale had only one CDL friend.
“It sucked but it’s how it was,” Keenan-Pascale said of not being able to see their friend.
All the interviewees can agree CDLs were dearly missed because they were not there every day. Parents Hurtado and Sleeth both said it was the CDLs or CDL’s parents’ choice to go back or not. What mattered to a CDL or the parents of the CDLs was that they felt safe.
I, myself, was a CDL at Tri-City, who became a FTF student at the end of the school year. I can definitely agree with what Hurtado and Sleeth both said. It is difficult to have to choose not to return to school, but it makes others who care for you feel safe.
COVID-19 is quite a watershed moment for all of us. It affected everyone seeing how the entire world could change in a flash. However, I can agree with Sleeth when she says that we can learn from this and move on.