The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the start of the school year across the United States, and Bearden High School is no different. With around 6 million Covid-19 cases in the US alone, many students across the country are participating in school online.

Knox County Schools was one of many school systems across the country to offer students a choice of virtual or in-person, allowing students to choose the best option for them.

In Knox County, students use school-issued Chromebooks to access online classes, which are largely run through Canvas and Microsoft Teams.

“I’m able to work at my own pace within a class period or more to work ahead,” sophomore Hannah Claire Hill said.

Many students are working hard to adjust to online learning. However, for some, it has a disadvantage in comparison to in-person learning.

“Learning face-to-face allows me to understand a topic better, so being disconnected from that experience makes it more challenging to comprehend specific lessons,” sophomore Raiyan Abymayaleh said. “I had to find a nice and quiet workspace so that I could concentrate on my work.”

Though the pandemic has disrupted many students’ previous and current school years, senior Ahmed Ghazi has been able to reflect on his past years of high school in relation to this year’s unparalleled situation.

“I went to school every day expecting several lectures about something I was either interested in or had to learn to pass,” Ghazi said. “Having to take these online courses has somewhat made me grateful that this experience makes my high school career that much more memorable.”

Despite the various challenges encountered in the 2020 academic year, Bearden students, online and in-person, have come together to make the best of this situation.