John Carroll’s freshman class had a unique beginning to their high school experience as a pandemic forced changes in a normal schedule.

Freshman Zaida Annan said, “The first semester of the school year was surprisingly not incredibly stressful for me. After I became accustomed to how things work at JC, the rest of the semester went smoothly. The biggest stress factor for me was the number of assignments that I would be assigned because there were many times where I felt overwhelmed about all of the work I would have to do… I was very relieved to hear that there were not going to be any midterms this year. I could focus on my schoolwork without worrying about midterms and studying for them.”
Having no midterms was a relief for not only freshmen but for many John Carroll students. Bryonna O’Brien said “I was relieved there were no midterms; it took out a lot of stress.”
Despite this, freshmen have also been faced with a lot of challenges such as screen time, interacting with students, and making friends. Making friends and transitioning into a new school is a challenge in itself, pandemic or not. The change from middle school to high school is a big one.
Freshman Luke Ginski said, “The biggest transition for me was making new friends and doing online school.”
Luke added, “I wish that I was able to go into school more, interact with more people, and talk to the teachers more. I was proud of myself because I interacted with people; I tried to participate more, and I got to know my teachers.”
As members of the class of 2024 continue in their second semester, they will be able to meet more of their classmates as more come into the building.