In the same way, students who chose in-person learning considered their surrounding environment, virtual learning students also factored their surroundings into their final decision.

“In-person school is essentially what I would do at home, just with substantial infection risk and less comfortable chairs,” senior Travis Weir said. “I decided to do virtual, and my parents agreed with that. My grandfather is at extremely high risk for complications, so anything I can do to reduce risk is worth it.”

The want for normalcy made the decision of choosing virtual learning for junior Jani Jung difficult. She had to not only weigh in her position as one of the captains for the varsity cheer team but also concerns about her health. 

“It was really my parents that really influenced me,” Jung said. “In the beginning, I actually really wanted to go because I wanted to socialize, but then my parents were reminding me how it can be dangerous. Everyone wants to go back and get back to ‘normal’ but we can’t have that normal yet and I feel that people have realized that.” 

For freshman Aahana Mulchandani, the reality of experiencing high school via Zoom for an undetermined amount of time is still somewhat upsetting despite choosing virtual learning. 

“I honestly really want to go back, but I know it isn’t really gonna be like actual school like other students expected,” Mulchandani said. “My parents are against it as well and it’s kind of sad that I can’t make friends or hang out in groups.” 

With four weeks of virtual learning under their belt, Weir, Jung and Mulchandani feel that they made the right decision in not choosing in-person. 

“I thought [at] the beginning of virtual learning I wasn’t going to do very well because I usually like being in class and having my teachers and classmates around me,” Jung said. “I thought it would be easier but I’m really liking how they are doing virtual school right now, it’s definitely easier and there’s obviously a lot of problems with the internet but I feel that they figure it out well.”