By Jolin Hoang | Staff Writer

Finally promoted from middle school, eighth-graders get to experience a new environment once they reach high school. Kyla Penamante is among the many ninth-graders who are attending Gabrielino High School for the first time. But unlike previous freshmen, she is not going to experience a traditional first year. With virtual learning in place, she Penamante has to adjust to a new way of going to school.  

Penamante starts her morning by getting up 30-minutes before her first Zoom meeting. During that time, she brushes her teeth and eats a light breakfast, usually a croissant or some fruit. Then her virtual day begins as she attends her zero period, which is a 45-minute long class.

“For the first half of each class, I usually feel comfortable sitting down and doing work online,” Penamente explains, “But during the second half of each period, I usually have a slight urge [to get] up and out of my chair.” 

Two hours and twenty-five minutes into her virtual day, Penamante prepares for her third period, physical education. 

“I feel like P.E. is okay for me so far,” she says. “It wasn’t too hard for me to adjust to P.E. on Zoom because I have had experience doing workouts on camera during the summer when I wasn’t able to attend in-person classes for the sports I do.” 

   Penamente added, “It can sometimes be an inconvenience to keep having to adjust the camera toward the wall or toward the floor, but I feel like I’m starting to get more used to it as the school year passes by.” 

After her first three periods, she looks forward to lunch. The 45 minutes of free time she has are usually spent doing work for other classes, eating snacks, or taking short rests. 

By the end of the day, Penamante is relieved to know the school day has ended. During this time, she normally does homework for the next few hours. After finishing up some assignments, she relaxes and unwinds by going on her phone and scrolling through TikTok, talking to friends, or playing the game “Among Us.” 

   Later in the day, she starts drawing designs for the small business she runs and learning to code for the robotics team she is a part of. Penamante agrees that she has a lot to do after school, though she manages by eating snacks and meals in between her activities. 

Penamante feels that attending virtual school is easier than going to a school on campus because she gets more time to focus on her own interests and she gets to be at home.