On March 9, the FUHSD announced that the hybrid, in-person instruction model would resume on April 19, 2021. Students had three potential choices: stay remote entirely, stay remote with the option to participate in extracurricular activities such as sports, or return to school entirely. For going back to school entirely, students had the choice to go to in-person learning for either 2 days or 4 days. Since then, Fremont’s campus has been able to welcome back roughly 500 students on campus.

Even though a sizable majority of students opted to stay remote, (roughly 1500 students) a lot of returning students have come back on campus for varying reasons. For some, this was their first year at FHS and they wanted to familiarize themselves with the campus. Some just missed the in-person experience!

Ayush Pandey, a ninth grader, stated that he has a positive in-person learning experience so far as he enjoys meeting new people and being able to interact with them. He also said that he prefers the in-person learning experience since it is nicer to be around people compared to talking to people virtually. It is also a lot easier to communicate with classmates in real life.

For ninth graders, this was their first time coming on campus for school.  

“I have been able to adjust to the campus pretty easily after the first day,” Pandey said. 

He also added that he recommends in-person learning to other students who are also thinking about coming on campus.

For Isha Singh, a tenth grader,  the in-person learning experience has been  great for her as well.   

“I thought I preferred remote learning since I got used to it, but I actually missed the social aspect of being able to interact with teachers and students,” said Singh. “I definitely prefer it now. It feels like life is getting back to how it used to be. It is also more relaxed and you get to get to know your classmates.”

Singh continued by sharing the best parts of her in-person school experience so far. 

“Some of my favorite experiences have been spending time with friends at lunch, getting to see my teachers, and being able to see some of my classmates and walking with them in the hallway,” said Singh.

She also added that remote school has helped her feel more productive and has helped with motivation. It has helped each day feel less routine.

Not only have students been transitioning to in-person learning, but teachers have had to adjust to this too. 

“It’s definitely different than before since I now have to remind myself that I have two audiences and I sometimes forget to talk to both,” said History and Associated Student Body (ASB) FHS teacher  Jeff Kakes.  

His favorite part of going back to in-person teaching is easily being with students again and being able to interact with them in real life. It was exceptionally different to be able to do this in-person and he also believes that it is nice to have the energy back in the room!

While the switch to hybrid learning has been a huge transition for many, it has also been a positive experience for many as well as a step closer to normalcy.