As the first quarter comes to an end, students reflect on how it went for them and what they can do to prepare for the next one. 

“This first quarter has gone really well for me. Getting back into the swing of school took a little bit of time, but things are going smoothly now,” sophomore Colin McGee said. 

The first quarter urges students to organize the extracurriculars that they picked up during the summer, social events and their academics.

Making the adjustment of being on a structured schedule five days a week from having a very laid back, unstructured summer can be a big change for students to make especially after a global pandemic that caused most students to remain virtual last school year. 

“During the beginning of the year I had to assess how I was going to schedule my week and prioritize school work. The hardest part was definitely getting into a routine balancing school, sports, and social life,” McGee said. 

As students struggle to make these adjustments, teachers are left having to balance maintaining the pace of their classes while also making sure that their students are understanding the lessons. IB Biology teacher Amy Camire had to adjust the pace of her class this first quarter. 

“I feel like people weren’t quite ready to come back full speed full blast right away so our mantra has been taking it slow,” Camire said.

Teachers that review topics learned during virtual school and who are being patient with students have exponentially helped them get back into the swing of things. 

“My teachers did a great job of reviewing and teaching topics learned last year. We spent the first two weeks doing this and as a result I felt much more prepared to learn newer topics,” McGee said.

While some teachers are taking time to review old materials, others are continuing the typical pace of their lessons disregarding what students actually learned last year. 

“We’re taking time in classes to review things that we should have gone in depth on last year but didn’t get the chance too in some of my classes but I feel like others are just pushing through like nothing happened,” senior Amanda Weaver said. 

Teachers slowing down the pace of their classes to help their students may affect the next quarters to come, not allowing all of the material to be taught by the end of the year. However, teachers plan to pick up the pace for the upcoming quarters. 

“I think we need to pick up the pace but I’m a little afraid to do that,” Camire said.

While the first quarter is coming to a close, the rolling gradebook being implemented this school year will allow students to update assignments from previous quarters even after they finish.

“It’s fine because the rolling gradebook makes the end of the first quarter not really matter but it still happened a lot faster than I thought it would,” Camire said.

After finishing the first quarter, students are hopeful for the rest of the school year now that they have settled into their school routines, but are also anticipating the increase of workload and difficulty that is to come.

“I am fully expecting the school year to become harder next quarter with more work and tests, but I will hopefully be able to balance everything and come out successful,” McGee said.

For now students need to reflect on their first quarter and prepare for the second quarter. 

“I think the second quarter is going to be easier for me because I think I’ll feel like I’ve gotten used to being in person again and will have a routine that works for me,” Weaver said.