By Eunie Jeong

From August 12, RCHK has been conducting school online. This outcome, while much expected,  was nonetheless a start which did not meet with much enthusiasm. The spike in coronavirus cases made this decision understandable and many agree that it was necessary.

Now, more than a month later, wIth the coronavirus patients decreasing, the school announced that Year 9’s will go back to campus on September 29th. Having had their classes online from the start of the 2020-2021 school year, the anticipation and apprehension from the return can be imagined. 

But what do Year 9s say? Starting the school year online has been a new experience for all. However, it has been quite smooth. 

Anushka Binaykya of 9.3 says, “I believe the start was not bad, as the teachers had reduced twenty minutes of class time, which helped us lessen the amount of screen time.“ 

There were certainly important adjustments that were beneficial to students. 

Also, online learning had its advantages. Yuki Luo points out, “I think that we can have more time on our own because all the time of traveling to and back from the school is saved.”

However, we must note that after all, online school may be rather draining when it lasts for an extended period. In addition, the online start of the term was inconvenient for some. 

“An online start to the year was not ideal because we haven’t fully met our new teachers and they don’t know what we are really like,” says Euan Mccan, 9.6. The uncertainty of a new start such as meeting teachers again and seeing your class for the first time produced by online learning is unavoidable.

Still, Miffy Leung, 9.5 confides, “I'm happy to go back to school because I can meet all my friends at school, and I can enjoy different activities”. 

“Online start is a good thing to me. I can know people's faces under their masks, and also their personality.”

As last year, school has made appropriate precautions to address the coronavirus-related concerns. This means that use of staircases, water fountains, and cafeterias will be limited or temporarily closed. Other methods such as plastic screens on desks will be adopted. Despite these restrictions, classes will certainly be more interactive and interesting than the hours spent on screen. It is understandable that many concur with Cheryl Ng, who says that she is “excited about going to school”.

The  new students who joined RCHK this year express their mixed feelings about the prospect to receive a school tour soon and see their classmates in person. The anxiety at the idea of ‘the first day’ at a new school’ is widespread. 

“I'm kind of nervous returning back to school since I didn't really get to know a lot of people who have been to RCHK,” comments Valerie Lam, 9.6. 

It is echoed by Celia Chan 9.6. “ I'm definitely getting lost finding the classrooms.” 

There were benefits of an online start, as Dorothy Wong, also 9.6 says, “Online start is a good thing to me. I can know people's faces under their masks, and also their personality.”

Still, we can all be glad, old and new students included, that the situation is clearing up for us to be able to see each other face to face. Hopefully, there won’t be an occasion to go online again.

But we have forgotten one final thing. What do the teachers think? I will leave that for you to guess.