Marlon Barrios, senior at San Mateo High School

The Catalyst  (TC): What do you wish your school would do for the fall semester: On-campus, hybrid, online, or…?

Marlon Barrios (MB): “I prefer it to be in person because I feel like teachers assign more work without being able to put into perspective the amount of assignments they hand out. Being at home, I feel like educators often forget that I now need to balance family and schoolwork and it tends to be a lot.”

TC: How do you feel about coming to school on-campus with others who might not be that careful with hand washing, mask wearing, or social distancing?

MB: “Honestly, I feel unsafe. Some people are taking it less seriously than others. Especially since I have personal experiences with the virus, I do not want to see any other of my friends or loved-ones being affected by the virus. We should maintain online-learning  for as long as possible.

TC: How are you doing with school right now: academically, socially, or personally?

MB: “Academically I am doing amazing compared to other years, but concepts are harder to understand and homework is becoming more time-consuming. Socially, I am unmotivated to do well in school without being able to see my friends in class.”