One of the impacts of the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. has been the closing of school across the nation in March. At Clark, closure occurred when spring break was extended for a week in order to deeply sanitize the school as the coronavirus became a national concern. This additional week of break was followed by a transition to online learning as conditions of the virus worsened.

Initially perceived as a short-term situation by many, the news that schools would continue through remote learning for the rest of the semester came as a shock to many parents, teachers and students.

Clark students and staff were faced with adapting to a new method of education, and naturally, people had reactions to the change.

Many teachers had already been using Google Classroom as a method of assigning work online, so students were accustomed to it. Video conference calls through Zoom, however, were less familiar to students and received mixed reactions. “I think doing Zoom is kind of fun. It’s new,” said junior Arpi Amiryan. Others were less accepting of the change and would rather go to school. “I miss being in an actual classroom,” said senior Gary Kemdjian. 

Many said that they miss the social culture school creates. “It’s so emotionally draining to know that I won’t see my friends in real life for weeks,” said junior Mary Geuvjehizian. “The Zoom calls help a little, but it doesn’t replace face-to-face talking.”

However, some students are finding more relief than stress in their altered schedules. “Even though we’re all going through some scary times, distance learning feels like a much-needed break. It’s pretty relaxing,” said freshman Margarita Kochinyan.

The biggest reason for this newfound relaxation may be the new setting in which students are learning. “Doing school online is physically so much easier than my normal school routine, because I’m in my own home,” said junior Manuel Vartanian.

Many students are optimistic about the change because of how much more time and energy they have to complete their assignments. “I’m definitely less tired now, and I have less work to complain about,” said sophomore Hayk Ghukasyan.

Some students are concerned about missing key development of their education because of distance learning. “I feel like I learn better in a classroom for some reason and that this whole situation might set us back a little,” said junior Taron Hovhannisyan. “The teachers and students just communicate better in class than they do online.”