Photo courtesy of SLOHS Expressions adviser Scott Nairne.

  After a year of adapting to the many changes that COVID-19 has brought, San Luis Obispo High School students have finally returned to campus under a hybrid model schedule. While the return to campus was natural and easy for some, the entire freshman class walked into a whole new world of high school. What have the first few weeks of in-person learning been like as someone who has had no prior experience as a SLOHS student? Did it live up to their many high school expectations? Expressions decided to find out what the initial impression of SLOHS was among the in-person freshmen. 

Expressions: Did you attend the freshmen orientation before the first day of in-person classes? If so, what were your first impressions?

Freshman Flannery Clausen: Yes, I was surprised by how big the campus was compared to my middle school and elementary schools. I also thought it was super cool how many students were there and how many classes there were. Overall it seemed overwhelmingly large, but I was very excited to get started with classes in-person. 

Freshman Skylar Navarro: I did attend freshman orientation, and my first impressions were that the school is super nice and clean. The tour leaders were very nice and helpful as well so that was a nice way to start things.

Freshman Mattea Kalpakoff: I did attend the freshmen orientation. The best part was that I got to meet someone new to our area. Meeting new people has been something I’ve really missed. Also, it was great to see that, at least for the freshmen, I knew a lot of the people already from Laguna. 

Expressions: Which classes did you end up liking the most (and which ones the least)?

Clausen: My favorite classes were my math class and my PE class because I really like both of my teachers in those classes. It is a really good learning environment all around, and those classes felt super enjoyable and exciting. Overall I really like all of my classes, and I can very happily say I do not have a least favorite!

Navarro: I actually enjoy all of my classes in person, but when on zoom all of my classes are the worst.

Kalpakoff: My favorite classes are the ones where we have the most opportunities to socialize, so I’d say my favorite class is probably PE.

Expressions: How is SLOHS different from your previous school experience? 

Clausen: SLOHS is much larger, more classes and students. It was very overwhelming at first, especially because I came from a very small elementary school before attending Laguna. There are so many more students at SLOHS, even just having the in person students on campus seems like a big change.

Navarro: SLOHS is completely different from my previous middle school, Cayucos Elementary School. Cayucos school is a very small school almost like a private school; the whole middle school was about 60 kids. When switching from class to class at Cayucos you stayed with the same people all day. In highschool when switching from class to class the majority of your classes are with different people. Overall, I would say that my highschool experience so far is great.

Kalpakoff: I went to Laguna, and I would say the biggest difference is that the scale of activity at SLOHS is so much larger. That’s a good thing in that there is more to do, but also I don’t know about all the opportunities available, so it’s easy to feel like I’m missing something fun.

Expressions: What do you most look forward to during high school once we return to a more normal situation under COVID-19?

Clausen: I look forward to getting back into the natural groove of spirit days and class events because it has been so long since we have been able to do anything of that sort, and they are super fun with bringing students together.

Navarro: The things I’m looking forward to are more hands on learning, and being able to have full stands for sports.

Kalpakoff: I most look forward to having sports as our 5th period so the workload is less and sports are more consistent, and I’m looking forward to having breaks like lunch so we can socialize.

Expressions: What was the best part of your first week at SLOHS? 

Clausen: The best part of my first week was seeing all my friends and teachers in person! It was such a big change from our year online, and I am very happy to be back.

Navarro: The best part of my first week was actually knowing where I was going, and not having that feeling of nervousness or anxiety trying to find my classes was also great. Meeting the people in my class rather than the Zoom squares was really nice as well.

Kalpakoff: Getting to meet new people. That’s something I’ve really missed during covid, so it was great to be able to make new friends.