2022. Another school year rolls in as if we never left. Except for some.
There are a multitude of small children running around. Fresh-faced, and naive, we look at them and think their bus got off at the wrong spot. They can’t possibly be in high school.
When the realization hits that these are the new grade 8s we have mixed feelings of annoyance and fondness. We’re forced to reminisce about the days when we were just like them. Before the crushing workload and depressing monotony of high school extinguished our spirits.
The Grade eights of 2022 have experienced something that those who arrived here in the past two years did not - essentially, a Covid-free start to high school. Very few restrictions, no cohorts, and a pretty normal high school situation. So, what has the first month of that been like?
Kate Anderson is a grade eight student at KSS. She’s gradually been getting used to life in high school and was happy to share what the adjustment has been like for her. “It can be a bit intimidating,” Anderson said, (sharing a school with kids so much older than her), but “you can become friends with some of the older people too,” noting that her older friends had been a big help to her in adjusting to high school life. She admitted it was difficult having so many different classes and assignments. “There is a lot of homework and I didn’t really do any homework last year (in elementary school) so it’s quite stressful.”
Kate said she’s too busy at the moment to commit to any clubs or sports, but she’s interested in what KSS has to offer. When asked how she felt about having multiple classes and teachers, Anderson replied “It’s challenging!” but she likes the block system as “you get a movement break in between classes.” At first, Anderson found it hard finding her classes and navigating the fairly large campus but she said after a couple of weeks it got a lot easier. Kate recognized that “the teachers treat you more like adults in high school and kind of set you off to do stuff by yourself. In elementary school they would treat you like little kids and do most of the work for you.” Kate said she appreciated the challenge even though she has had to work harder.
All things considered, Kate has decided that high school and elementary school both have their pros and cons. She concluded that while elementary school was easier and less stressful, high school gives her more freedom and responsibility.
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