The rite of passage from elementary to high school isn’t quite what the freshman class of Homewood-Flossmoor High School was expecting.
As they walked through H-F on Monday checking out their Chromebooks and other supplies, some realized it might be the last time this semester they would be on campus.
The District 233 school board voted to move all classes to remote learning for the safety of students and staff as the country sees increases in the number of COVID-19 cases. H-F classes start Aug. 17. Students are coming to the high school this week for check-in.
“I’d definitely say it’s a different experience. I mean we’ve never really had this before so I’m shocked and surprised. I was going to be prepared and ready (for H-F) but it’s also hard,” said Caylyn Davis of Hazel Crest.
She also knows her freshman class will need other adjustments to H-F, such as learning the layout of the North and South buildings.
“Once we become sophomores it’s going to be different because we never got to know the school that well,” Caylyn said.
Maggie Franc of Homewood thinks freshman year “is going to be harder than (remote) was in the spring” because students will have to get right into the material through remote learning. By contrast, last last year students had been with teachers for nearly seven months before moving to remote learning.
“For me I don’t think it really affected me so much. Either way my goal is I’m going to college,” said Damarion Best of Flossmoor.
Carmella Abramczyk of Homewood was an H-F student this summer enrolled in freshman biology. She said the class was hard, and she’s sure learning remotely this semester will be hard.
“Online is really, really hard to do. There are so many things you have to keep track of. High school has a lot bigger challenges, but it’s high school nonetheless,” she said.
“I’m gonna miss a whole lot of friendships that I don’t get to over time because I don’t get to see them face to face,” said Brandon Berghan of Flossmoor. He took three classes in H-F summer school and is looking forward to trying out for the football team. Football season has been moved to spring.
His mom, Ivy Lange, reminds him that the changes H-F made to the 2020-21 school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic are only temporary.
She remains a big H-F booster.
“Any time you get to come up here it’s exciting,” Lange said.
