A couple months ago, I remember imagining what my first year of high school would be like. However, I think a global pandemic was the last thing that could have possibly crossed my mind. Yet, here we are. There are many ways that have helped the school community to adjust, and they are certainly helping us to find our new normal.

Some of the things that have helped us to adjust are the micro-retreats hosted by campus minister Mrs. Keady. I was lucky to attend the last one, and it was certainly a great experience. During the micro-retreat, Mrs. Keady asked us to rate our distance learning experience on a scale of one to five. I was happy to hear a lot of high numbers from my classmates. After that, we played a Kahoot on different NDP related subjects and talked about how we can help others during this time. Finally, we ended our micro-retreat in meditation and prayer.

Another thing that has been a big help is the support from all of our teachers, faculty, and family. The support from NDP faculty and staff has certainly made the transition to distance learning easier than we could have imagined. We know that our teachers and administrators are working hard to take our feedback in order to make distance learning run as smoothly as possible.

There is definitely a lot that I have done, and I’m sure many of my other classmates have done, to keep themselves busy during the quarantine. Aside from working on homework and studying for tests, there are many ways I’ve found to have fun. Exercising at home, family game and movie nights, reading, and watching different shows on Netflix are all constants during my week. (Check out NDP Gateway’s articles on what else you can do during the quarantine.)

This has certainly been the last thing I expected to happen, especially during my first year in high school. But I’ve adapted and adjusted well, just as the rest of my school community has. What’s important is to remember that we must continue to move through this time as a community of responsibility, love, and faith. I’m certainly interested to see what is in store for the final quarter of my freshman year.