With everything that has happened so far this year, its been one for the history books, but the real effect that COVID will have on students is not fully understood.

All of the new accommodations that had to be made due to the COVID restrictions have taken a lot of adjustment for students, such as the constant wearing of a mask in school, attending classes online, constant schedule changes, and feeling a lack of personal connection to other people.

“For me, the most difficult accommodation has been online school,” Del Val junior Kimberly Johnson said. “I’ve adapted fairly well to the change, though it still took time. I, as well as many others, had to learn to navigate technological errors.”

“A difficult accommodation is to have to socially distance and to wear the mask around people,” senior Jessie Liu said. “It feels less personal and more difficult to connect to people.” This is a common feeling: kids having a hard time feeling that personal connection to people with the challenges that have been faced this year, especially if the students are at home.

Being home all the time can also have negative personal effects on students. “As a student who struggles with mental health, not being able to get social interaction or have the resources I use daily, I found it really difficult to stay focused and I kept falling into bad days,” Julia McPherson, a senior at North Hunterdon High School, said.

For students who are physically in school, some things are different than expected. “I did not think school would be like this. I was expecting masks and social distancing but not desks instead of tables at lunch and plastic screens separating us from teachers along with all the changing schedules,” junior Caroline Weckesser said.

It’s clear that COVID has affected all of our lives, but some people are finding themselves going through changes, both positive and negative, due to quarantine.

“I have struggled with mental health issues and finally addressed them this year and have grown tremendously over COVID,” Liu added.

“I believe I’ve become more anxious about normal things than I used to. Life seems to have accumulated extra steps since the pandemic has hit,” McPherson said.

No matter if you took on school virtually or in-person, there’s no doubt that this year, and its impact, will be remembered for years to come.