As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into the fall and winter months, it is affecting school and various elective classes. With different safety restrictions and precautions, the split hybrid days are creating extra struggles and difficulties within elective classes that normally work as a unit. Multiple elective classes are having to adapt to accommodate for the growing pandemic.

Yearbook Co-Editor in Chiefs, Emma Peak and Lauren Hunt have had to adjust and change a lot of their norms in class. One of the most prominent changes has been to the base of their class; covering events and stories.

   “It’s so different this year.” Peak said. “We are doing most of our interviews virtually and mainly over text or email, which is not what we usually do. We usually try to steer the staffers and editors away from that, but this year we have no choice.”

    Yearbook is also having difficulties with class bonding because the class is split between hybrid days. Although this poses another obstacle the class has to face, Hunt has tried looking at it in a positive way.

    “In my past years of doing Yearbook,” Hunt said. “The whole class being together everyday during seventh period created such a family-like bond that this year is lacking due to the hybrid schedule limiting us to seeing each other only two to three times a week. Part of me is sad because I don’t get to know half the staff, but the other part of me loves it because I get to know my class more because there are so fews of us. It is easier to have a relationship with everyone.”

    Like Yearbook, Leadership is also facing challenges. Junior Kaitlyn Hong feels that initially the class struggled with communication during Welcome Back Week, but they improved on it for the Fall Festival. 

    “When planning for spirit weeks we’re split up in different groups and each group is responsible for a different element,” Hong said. “For example, dress-up days, assemblies, and so on. For the first spirit week, Welcome Back Week, it was hard because each group had some people on A day and some on B day, so the communication was a lot harder to deal with, because they were not altogether on a day. This spirit week was a lot better because the groups were split up so everyone in a group was on the same day.”

    Speech and debate has experienced challenges as well. Sophomore Elizabeth Shepherd, has found it hard to get the new kids to love the class the same way she did her first year. To try and combat this problem, Shepherd and other returning kids are trying to create different ways to simulate a normal year to get the new kids involved.

    “We are mainly just trying to get the kids excited about the class,” Shepherd said. “A big reason the class is loved by all of the returning kids is because of tournaments, and because we aren’t going to those, we are trying to engage the new kids with different games pertaining to debate. It’s just not the same