A DIVIDED FRONT

District should implement more measures to have united student body by better including virtual students

ARCHIT KALRA COLUMN D uring the pandemic, I’ve often felt like I’ve been thrust past the event horizon of a jarring black hole, with no way out. 2020 has managed to unite us against a common enemy, and also simultaneously divide us into separate rooms, homes and communities.

If I had told you a year ago that the 2020-2021 school year would witness the student body at this school being divided into three cohorts–Carmel, Greyhound and virtual–and I would be part of the virtual-only section, you would have never believed me.

I have nothing against our district as managing this issue was extremely difficult and the decisions administrators made were the best they could have made at the time. Also, I want to make it clear that I don’t want to critique our wonderful teachers in any way; teachers have by far worked the hardest to make sure that virtual students don’t fall behind in their classes.

But none of this means we can just divvy up our 5,000-strong student body and leave the virtual kids like me to fend for themselves. Instead of

mirroring the activities the Carmel interactive education at home without and Greyhound cohorts do in their overwhelming teachers or the system. classes, the virtual cohort has beBut teachers and administrators come something of a pariah. aren’t solely responsible for these

For me, the biggest probchanges. Virtual students themlems have been organization selves can also take steps to and class activities. For most help. This year, for example, it’s of my classes, Zoom meetcertainly harder to find new ings rarely happen, and if friends; to get involved, we virthey do, they’re often for optual students have to take the tional office hours, not lessons. first step. Try joining (or starting)

I feel I’d be better a new club, or talk to someequipped to handle my STRONG STEPS one in one of your classes via classes if I could join a live Canvas message or in a Zoom lesson, but many teachers can’t do these because they’re teaching BY THE meeting. These small steps can transform your social dynamic. other cohorts during our “virtual class NUMBER The virtual cohort is arguably at period.” This year, I’m taking three labhighest risk of psychological stress, based science classes without the ability to attend school and conduct any 900% especially because they are in much more social isolation than hybrid stuexperiments firsthand. Yes, I know I how much dents. COVID-19 has permanently chose to be a virtual student, but we the e-learning changed the way we operate as human can do more to close the gap. In AP Chemistry, for example, virtual students can watch videos of teachers doing lab demonstrations. If we continue to engineer innovative apindustry has grown by in the past 20 years with better technology The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Archit Kalra at akalra@hilite.org beings, but we can’t let it change the way we live psychologically. H proaches like this, we can take charge SKILLSCOUTER This column was originally published of our learning and find a way to get an SOURCE online on Sept. 23, 2020

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