Jack Kyle ’24

THE ROUNDUP

With the removal of online classes for the 2021-22 school year, some Brophy sophomores are finally attending classes in person.

Online classes have stopped being offered as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions being lessened, such as masks not being mandated outside, causing some sophomores who attended online classes all of last year to come to Brophy in person. 

Sophomore Nate Garcia ’24, who spent the entirety of the 2020-2021 school year online, noted the differences between online classes and in-person classes in regards to the academic rigor of tests and quizzes.

“Online classes have tests that, for the most part, are open-note, so transitioning back to in person classes which mostly have regular tests that require a lot of studying can be tough for some people to adapt to. It’s easy for some people to transition back, but for others, it can be tough,” said Garcia. 

Another sophomore, Ilan Levy Tieger ’24, was online for nearly all of his freshman year. 

“Over the year online, I had made a lot of friends in my different classes, so it was a really great feeling to come back and bond with all of those people I had met over the past few months,” said Levy Tieger 

Sophomores are now able to participate in Brophy activities that have not been available to them over the past year. Dances, sporting events and all-school masses are just a few events that Brophy sophomores are experiencing for the first time this year. 

For some sophomores, however, attending high school classes in person for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience. 

Dr. Tom Donlan, who teaches five periods of History of the Catholic Church, a required religious studies class for sophomores, has witnessed how some of these sophomores are adapting to regular classes once again. 

“I think some students are finding the return to campus a bit stressful because in the past, it was easy for them to be passive. But now, they have to be on their toes and engage on a regular basis,” said Dr. Donlan when asked about how he has witnessed students participating in his class so far this year. 

Dr. Donlan said, “It’s definitely tougher for students to come back, especially those that are a bit introverted or timid. At least in my class, I’m giving them conversations to have to get them more comfortable being back in this environment.”

Adapting back to in-person environments is something that many students have to do this year, but for these sophomores, it is an experience they won’t forget.