Months after initially going into quarantine and transitioning into online school, students are finally getting to come back to school while maintaining social-distancing and participating in a split schedule. With this change, many students are starting to look back and appreciate their time in quarantine and online school because of the better habits they formed and the silver linings that came along with the dark clouds of the pandemic.

While these past months have been draining and difficult in many ways, many students at XCP took full advantage of their time at home and made the best of their situations. A poll was sent to XCP students, and out of 137 respondents, 43% marked “Yes” that they formed better habits during quarantine and online school, 34.1% marked “Maybe,” and only 23% marked “No”.

Adela Campo, an XCP freshman, said she learned how to better manage her time for high school. Campo was not alone in forming better school and study habits. “I formed a much better habit on getting my work done, and not procrastinating as much as I used to in the past,” one sophomore said in the poll.

Students also formed better habits in areas beyond school. Waverly Bagley, an XCP sophomore,  responded to the poll saying positive habits she formed were “going to bed at a reasonable hour as well as just counting my blessings in general – finding something to be grateful for every day.” 

Other students used the time for self-reflection. Grace Bianchi, a sophomore, said, “I honestly enjoyed getting to have some alone time and getting to focus on myself.” 

Many students picked up new hobbies and enjoyed getting to spend extra time doing things they enjoyed. Some students worked on art, while others became more active or enjoyed watching television and movies as ways to relax and destress.

Online school also had some positive benefits for Xavier’s incoming freshmen. Campo said, “It was nice to have a slower ease into high school. To have it online for a little bit gave me time to adjust to kind of the whole crazy schedule before actually coming.”

Although these students were able to find the benefits in this time, most students acknowledged the difficulty and the many struggles it has given people. In many ways, it has brought the XCP community closer together. Being house-bound allowed many people to spend more time with families.

AnnaRose Saba, an XCP senior, said in the poll, “One positive habit I have formed during this pandemic is managing my time better. This has enabled me to spend more time with my family and find balance between school and personal life.”

Relationships between classmates have also been strengthened. “Online school has allowed me to feel slightly less worried about competing as much with my fellow students, because we all are struggling right now and it is best to work together,”said Talia Udelman.

“What I’m really trying to do while coming to school is just really trying to be present,” said Talia Novack. “I appreciate going to school a lot more. One thing I definitely learned from being online for so long is not to take anything for granted.”