With another year almost at a close, many students make resolutions to improve their grades. But, has the gloom of the pandemic gotten to them? How are students managing to stay motivated through this tough time? As I roam the halls, I peer into classrooms, watching all the students slumped in their chairs. Here are some of your classmates opinions on the topic:
     Mackenzie Bell, a grade 12 student at Canterbury High School, sits in her math class, slowly dozing off during her four-hour school day. She explains how classes can get very boring when they go on for four hours, even with an engaging teacher.
     “When I’m doing online classes I try to put my phone away and not lay in bed so that there are as little distractions as possible," Mackenzie said. "I can imagine if I was in a younger grade when I wasn’t as worried about my grades, I would’ve been heavily affected by the pandemic and lack of motivation but, this year I’ve been working really hard to keep up with my work. I organize all the work I have to do on my calendar to make sure I get it done.”
     Gabrielle Nicholls, a grade 10 student, missed three weeks of school. Normally that wouldn’t be a massive deal but, because of the hybrid-quadmester system, fifteen days is equivalent to two whole months.
     “I was so stressed all the time," Gabrielle recalls. "Like, literally the day I got my wisdom teeth out, all I could think about was how I’m never going to catch up with my school work.”​

 "I was so stressed all the time."
                                                                     - Gabrielle Nicholls

     Andrea Clifford, a mother of a grade 11 dance student at this school, watches over her son as he completes his homework in the next room. She explains how she’s found it amusing and interesting to work from home with her son on the days where he has school online.
     “As a mom, it’s sometimes hard to give up your kids to schools in kindergarten because it’s when you, for the first time, aren’t a part of their lives anymore and you don’t really know what goes on," she explains. "So, it’s kind of nice to just be a fly on the wall to see how things are going because report cards don’t tell it all. It’s also just nice to have him around and to spend more time with him.”​
     Her husband, Steve Clifford, feels sorry for all the extracurricular activities that were taken from many of the students but encourages them to keep pushing because there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. He explains how he constantly reassures his son that if he's responsible and stays on top of his work, he will have no problem succeeding in this fast-paced quadmester system. “I think students need to take tons of self-responsibility this year," he says.
​     This year it's all about self-discipline. If you stay focused and don't procrastinate, anyone and everyone can succeed!