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On Tuesday, April 7, the San Mateo County Office of Education announced via press release that all of its school campuses are closed for the rest of the school year, but learning should continue at-home via distance learning.
Online distance learning: Q&A with Bay Area high school students
Since many schools have closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, many high school students are going to school online in what is called distance learning. Some of them communicate with their teachers via email or websites, like gClassroom and Schoology. Others participate in online classrooms via video conferencing apps, like Google Hangouts and Zoom. The Catalyst interviewed students from Bay Area high schools about their experiences going to school online.
Emily Clarke, junior at Saint Francis High School
The Catlayst (TC): What’s a typical day of school like for you? Emily Clarke (EC): From nine to noon – somewhere in that region – I wake up... I usually do some homework in my room... for maybe an hour or two. I get up and I take a shower and get ready. I go to the kitchen [and] I do some homework while eating lunch. I do homework until Nana comes over [and] my mom's friend comes over. And, th...
Kathryn Kalinowski, freshman at Sacred Heart Preparatory
The Catalyst (TC): What’s a typical day of school like for you? Kathryn Kalinowski (KK): A typical day is first class is at 8:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., and then second class is from 12:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m... or we either have one class and then office hours... or just on Wednesdays, we'll have late start. TC: How are you coping with shelter in place and keeping in touch with your friends? KK: So far, it's be...
Cameron Clarke, freshman at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What’s a typical day of school like for you? Cameron Clarke (CC): A typical day of online school starts with me waking up and starting my online Zoom classes. Each class is about 30-45 minutes long, and there are two classes a day. TC: How are you coping with shelter in place and keeping in touch with your friends? CC: It's difficult to still be in contact with...
Sophia Bouzid, senior at NDB
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Sophia Bouzid (SB): I wake up. I contemplate why I’m still alive and the meaning of my life. I make myself an iced coffee because I can’t buy Starbucks. Then, I regretfully open Zoom and... I turn off my camera and mute, and then I just sit back and relax. Then, I workout with Parker [and] my Pamela Reif workout – I do abs and ful...
Luke Trembley, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Luke Trembley (LT): Right now, it’s have a class at 7:55 a.m., 15 minute break, and then a class at 9:30 a.m. And then, yeah, that’s pretty much it... TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? LT: I pretty much play video games with the boys. It’s fine right now, but I thin...
Maya Drusinsky, senior at Monte Vista High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Maya Drusinsky (MD): I wake up pretty late, eat breakfast and go on a run or workout, and my first and only class of the day is 1-2:30 p.m. I have classes Monday through Thursday, just one class a day – so, four classes per week – because I only have six periods and two of them are TA. We use Zoom for each class, and half of the time ...
Katie Koenig, freshman at Mercy High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Katie Koenig (KK): A typical day of school for me starts at 7:55 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. with 120 minute classes, 10 minute passing periods and 40 minute lunches. During distance learning, we still keep the same schedule just as if we would in school. About half of my teachers use Zoom to communicate or teach lessons, and the oth...
Andrew Rush, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Andrew Rush (AR): A typical day of distance learning consists of multiple Zoom meetings with teachers and a few hours spent on classwork. The time that is not dedicated to schoolwork is spent eating and sleeping. TC: How are you coping with shelter in place and social distancing, yet keeping in touch with your friends? ...
Jillian Pace, senior at Saint Francis High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Jillian Pace (JP): I’ve been trying to wake up at 7:00 a.m. each morning. I put on sweats, go eat breakfast and brush my teeth, then sit on my phone until around 8:30/9:00 a.m. Around that time, I check Schoology and write down all of my assignments for that day, although almost everything is due on Friday's. Then, I just try to do the...
Sofia Stemberga, senior at Cappuccino High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Sofia Stemberga (SS): Well, usually, we have weekly assignments that are posted on Canvas, so I check every single day [in] my emails and I check my live agenda. Usually, I have a few assignments for each class to do, like on a weekly basis, it's not a daily thing. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in t...
Madison Campbell, senior at Aragon High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Madison Campbell (MC): I think it's different compared to what private schools do. Because we're a public school... it’s also really difficult to check-in for classes because there are so many kids who don't have access to technology. So, pretty much most of the work is self-guided. I have a couple teachers who are doing Zoom's at ...
Logan Azem, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Logan Azem (LA): Right now, I wake up at about 7:00 a.m. or 6:45 a.m. I get on my zero period... kind of go through the motions... I get that over with... Then, I go back to sleep until like 11:00 a.m., then I'll wake up and take another class. Then, I'll do a little bit of homework, and I'm pretty much done for the day. T...
Kate Ragusa, senior at NDB
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Kate Ragusa (KR): I wake up at 8:25 a.m. I open my computer, log into Schoology, join a Zoom classroom and do the same thing until 2:55 p.m. [I] rarely get out of my bed. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? KR: I am seeing my friends on Zoom calls a lot during class and the...
Nate Sanchez, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Nate Sanchez (NS): The first few weeks we did not have anything mandatory like Zoom, so all we got was work to do that was due by a certain day. But, things have changed in this previous week because we have mandatory Zoom with a maximum of two classes each day and Wednesday off each week. TC: How are you coping with soc...
Will Mauer, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Will Mauer (WM): I sleep in until at least 10:30 a.m. I get on my computer in bed and check if I have any assignments or Zoom classes for the day. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? WM: I keep in contact with my friends and peers on a regular basis. It has been hard to no...
Reilly Moore, junior at Design Tech High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Reilly Moore (RM): Right now, we’re doing intersession and next week is our spring break, so I’m not sure how core class schedules will look. But, as of right now, I have to be on a Zoom call from 9-9:30 a.m. with my homeroom teacher, then we’re free to go after the call. We can do our work whenever, just as long as it’s submi...
Jim O’Brien, freshman at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Jim O'Brien (JO): I have my first class in the morning and usually the teacher will give us an assignment in class and then a homework assignment. Then, there is like a good 10 minute break for me to grab a snack or just rest for a bit. Then, I will have my next class, which usually gives the same amount of homework as the first cla...
Gia Elhihi, junior at Carlmont High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Gia Elhihi (GE): I don’t have Zoom calls, so I don’t have to wake up by a certain time. Instead, my teachers upload assignments to an app called Canvas and, from there, we just do the assignment listed. To turn-in assignments, we have to take a picture of it and send it through Canvas. TC: How are you coping with shelte...
Jack Bevilacqua, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Jack Bevilacqua (JB): For Serra, we meet with each class once a week. One class is from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then another class from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., so it varies from classes from third and fourth periods and second and first periods. We've been doing that a lot, and it's been Google Classroom-orientated, so we turn in all the ass...
Peyton Sneyder, senior at Mercy High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Peyton Sneyder (PS): At 7:55 am., I normally have a free period, so I can get a head start on homework. Then, I'll have 15 minutes in-between to get a break and then I'll buckle down in class, and it's normally over by 2:30 p.m. I have a leisure class at the end of the day, so it's not too stressful. TC: How are you copi...
Sarah Johnston, senior at Saint Francis High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Sarah Johnston (SJ): Before online school, we had classes every day from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Now that it's online, we have each day of the week being devoted to a different subject, and we have drop-in hours on Zoom. For me, it takes about an hour to get the day's assignment done, and then I am able to just do whatever I want or get ah...
Grant Ragusa, freshman at Junipero Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Grant Ragusa (GR): There are random, unstructured Zoom calls, and a lot more work assigned. I normally sit at my desk all day and am working on assignments. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? GR: It’s not fun. I wish I could see my friends, but I’m always on FaceTime ...
Edrina Hamzeh, senior at Carlmont High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Edrina Hamzeh (EH): A typical day at school is fine. It consists of my going to my six periods and having a lunch break in between. I always come out of it exhausted and burnt out. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? EH: I honestly am not coping very well with shelter in pl...
Maya Zeidan, senior at Mercy High School, Burlingame
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Maya Zeidan (MZ): A typical day I would say is getting Starbucks in the morning, then I start off with just a study hall. It's pretty simple. And then, I have like sciences and labs, and those classes [are later in] the day. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? MZ: I've b...
Sophia Soliman, junior at Mercy High School, Burlingame
The Catalyst (TC): What’s a typical day of school like for you? Sophia Soliman (SS): I wake up usually ten minutes before class starts. I set up Zoom on my phone and then I use my iPad to do my school work in my dining room. I pretty much do the same as regular school in the convenience of my own home. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? SS: I have been dr...
Sam Doles, junior at Mercy High School, Burlingame
The Catalyst (TC): What’s a typical day of school like for you? Sam Doles (SD): A typical day of school depends on whether it’s an A or B day. But, for A day,s I start with Physics, Math, lunch, afterward, I have Spanish and AP [English] Lang. On B days, I have AP Psychology, US History, lunch, and then collab. I go to classes all on Zoom as if it were a regular day at school. TC: ...
Madison Kammuller, junior at Burlingame High School
The Catalyst (TC): What’s a typical day of school like for you? Madison Kammuller (MK): I wake up around eight in the morning, and I end up starting my homework around nine. I go through my day as if I were actually in school. TC: Does your school use Zoom? MK: My school has over 1,000 students, and it would be difficult to manage all the classes all on video calls. My teacher...
Thomas McCoy, sophomore at Saint Francis High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Thomas McCoy (TM): I wake up around 7:30 am, shower, and get ready for the day. I usually start working around 9:30-10:00 a.m. until lunch. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? TM: The social distancing is strange, and I only go outside to work out or do chores. &nbs...
Isabel MacGinley, junior at Sacred Heart Preparatory
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Isabel MacGinley (IM): On a typical school day, I wake up at 8:35 a.m. and log into Zoom at 8:30 a.m. I finish around 3:oo p.m. still in my bed. After my classes, I usually do homework for about four hours and then watch TV, shower, and hashtag repeat. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? IM: Social...
Sophie Alter, junior at Palo Alto High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Sophie Alter (SA): At Paly, until spring break, school work is “flexible” unless you are in AP classes, then the work is mandatory. I wake up around 8:00 a.m. and start doing class work. When I need a break, I’ve been going on hikes with my dogs and friends. With AP tests changing, I’ve been starting to adapt my studying for...
Autumn Bristow, senior at Milton High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Autumn Bristow (AB): As a senior, I only had two academic classes and two electives. Our school has dedicated each day to a specific subject. So, on Wednesdays, I have my elective classes: Advanced Drama and Cirque. We use Zoom and rehearse our play for about an hour. And, for Cirque, our assignments are workout videos. On Thursday, I ...
Damon Lewis, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Damon Lewis (DL): Through the Zoom meetings, I find it gives time to catch up with school work with teachers. But, they also are aware of the lack of the social aspect, so they do invite us to talk with our peers in the meetings to just stay and touch with each other, especially in a time of such uncertainty and high levels of stress. ...
Ryan Bruins, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Ryan Bruins (RB): A typical day is pretty light. Because we’re seniors, a lot of teachers either give us time to do our homework in class or assign a very light load at home. It’s also really fun during class – The teachers like to joke around with us and get to know us super well, so I really enjoy being around my teachers and m...
Fiona Stone, senior at Lynbrook High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Fiona Stone (FS): I wake up… eat breakfast in the morning, and work on school work for most of the day. I usually Facetime my friends and do homework. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? FS: It’s been hard because I don’t get to see my friends in person all the ...
Maddie Lau, sophomore at Aragon High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Maddie Lau (ML): I wake up around 9 a.m. Then, I check Canvas and go class-by-class and see what I have to do that day. At 11 a.m., I am done with everything... I read afterward... it’s not that long. Some of my classes are on Zoom. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? ML: [My fr...
Grace Wong, senior at Mountain View High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Grace Wong (GW): I wake up at 8 a.m., then I go to online school. During the break, I eat lunch, hang out, and go on my phone. After lunch, I go back to online school. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? GW: I keep in touch with [friends] through text and through FaceTime...
Michael Smoot, senior at Serra High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Michael Smoot (MS): Each class day feels pretty similar to me. I attend my classes and do my work, but I get to do it from my bed. I love it. However, I do miss my friends and being able to get help from teachers easily. TC: How are you coping with social distancing and keeping in touch with your friends? MS: I think I’m co...
Jacqueline Helmig, senior at Burlingame High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Jacqueline Helmig (JH): I usually wake up around 9 a.m. and get up first thing because, if I lay in bed any longer, I will feel like it was a waste of a morning. I make my bed and get dressed and do my hair to feel productive. Then, I make myself a cup of coffee and do my homework. I usually finish at 2:45 p.m. TC: How are...
Lillian Del Chiaro, senior at Mercy High School
The Catalyst (TC): What is a typical day of school like for you? Lillian Del Chiaro (LDC): A typical day is I wake up literally right at 7:55 a.m., sign into my class, which is usually a question on Schoology, and then, if I need to join a Zoom chat, I will. The day is really easy and, although there’s a lot I’m still figuring out, I’m really enjoying it and it’s very calm. I normally feel li...
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