March 23, 2022, was a momentous day for the senior high school (SHS) students of MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) as they finally stepped foot inside the school to resume in-person classes after two years of online classes.
SHS students buzzed with excitement as they started the Fourth Quarter of S.Y. 2021-2022 back onsite.
“Coming back to school onsite makes me happier to wake up… Onsite is more enjoyable because even if I’m not friends with all of my classmates, we are all able to share a laugh during class time,” said Sydney Jamina See, a Grade 11 ABM student. Even after two years, many still feel a sense of familiarity. “Coming back to school onsite felt like everything had changed, but at the same time, nothing had changed. Seeing everyone again face-to-face in school felt normal,” Zoey Stephanie Axibal, a Grade 11 HUMSS student remarked.
Many continue to reminisce memories of life before the sudden transition to the online set-up.
“I really missed that thrill of chatting with classmates and friends during the mini-breaks in between classes,” recalled graduating ABM student James Nathan Ang. Fellow batchmate Franxine Uel Cawaon agreed with Ang’s sentiments. “Of course, I miss seeing my friends the most. It's so much more different to have classes together online and to sit together in the lecture hall, exchanging looks as the class goes on… I missed my teachers a lot as well. Since we only met them about once a week online before, it was very hard to feel connected and to make the most of my learning experience with them,” the senior HUMSS student reflected.
With the new schedule, both students and faculty members struggled with the new schedules and routines.
Cawaon related her adjustments in adapting to the schedule of face-to-face classes. “I think a lot of students can relate to having to fix their sleep schedules to accommodate the face-to-face setting. Now, you have to consider your travel time, wake up two hours earlier than before, choose an outfit, eat breakfast, take a shower, and sit in the car for forty-five minutes all before 8:30 am.” Meanwhile, See admitted that she had to adjust to normalizing social interaction face-to-face, saying it was something she had to get used to once again.
All in all, most, if not all, SHS students miss the feeling of physically attending classes and seeing friends and classmates face-to-face. Many agreed with Ang as he said, “It was fun to see my classmates and chat again.” Even with the new additions and safety precautions, there is still that novelty in stepping foot back into the school building. “It just felt like I came back to my second home,” Axibal puts it best.
In preparation for the return of the students, the school prepared health regulations such as temperature and attendance checks using QR codes, foot-operated door handles for every classroom, and pressure-sensitive pedals as a means to open faucets in most of the bathrooms. These are some of the many measures the school has taken to ensure the safety and health of the students and teachers as they finish the final leg of the school year back at MGCNLCA.
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