SMHS seniors reflect on year amid pandemic

If the coronavirus has shown anything it’s the adaptability of kids. 

A little more than a year ago, following the first diagnosed case of COVID-19 in Hays County, students across San Marcos schools had a variety of education opportunities — mostly virtual platforms. 

Between learning from home via a home computer, or coming back to class, masking up and finding partitions separating classmates from each other — oh, don’t forget the antibacterial hand sanitizer — students pushed through, nevertheless. And that’s after mother nature threw in a huge snow/ice storm.

San Marcos High School graduating senior Sebastian Russo, who’s headed off to Stanford in the fall, said it was tough to be away from friends and he was happy to return.

“I felt great. The data was there to show it was safe to go back. I think the benefits outweigh the detriments, especially for me on a personal level,” he said. “It was great to go back. It's obviously not the same as before, but I'm really happy with how it's turned out.”

Viviana Rodriguez said being away from school was like missing her extended family.

“Being away from my friends, I did lose a lot of connections,” she said. “It was sad because obviously everybody's like a second family. It was tough.”

She too was happy to return to class. 

“It felt really good. I like to learn in person,” she said. “Remote learning was hard.”

Rodriguez said learning seemed “clearer” and more “understandable” listening and watching the teacher in person.

Martin Salmi said he missed his friends, too.

“I did call them or whatever — but we still missed out on a lot of stuff,” he said. We didn't have a homecoming, didn't have a prom … that was kind of lame.”

He said remote learning was especially hard if you needed face-to-face assistance.

“I go to tutorials before and after school specifically to get help directly from the teacher,” Salmi said. 

As for returning to class, he felt it was a little soon.

“I felt it was kind of rushed,” he said. “I think they could have handled it better, but it's closure and I appreciate it for what it is.”

Once back in class students had to navigate the hallways in a unique fashion making sure to socially distance, an almost impossible feat.

Russo said he knew there was a standard the school district was trying to meet. 

“It was near impossible to meet the regulations. I know they've been downgraded over time, but I felt okay with it,” he said. “I personally didn't feel infringed upon — I felt totally fine.”

Rodriguez and Salmi agreed, saying social distancing on campus was hard.

“I believe everyone did their best,” Rodriguez said. “I mean everybody cares about their health and the health of the people they live with.”

“Social distancing in school … I mean it's almost impossible to maintain,” Salmi added. “I think they did an alright job.”

In the end, it was the extracurricular activities that became abbreviated or disappeared altogether that bothered the graduating seniors. 

“A lot of the traditions I was looking forward to throughout the last few years just kind of dissipated,” Russo said. “But there’s a bright side. I'm looking forward to the next few years of college so I’m not too worried.”

Russo said students are more adaptable than they think.

“We’re a lot more adaptable than we think sometimes,” he said. “I think it shows us all what we can do, even during extraordinary times.”

Rodriguez said don’t take things for granted.

“Really take advantage of who you have as friends and teachers because you never know what's going to happen,” she said. “We left on our spring break and never came back, which is insane. I'm glad for what I was able to learn and experience in high school.”

Salmi said missing out on extracurricular events this year was a shame.

“There were a lot of things that we could have only done in high school we’re missing out on,” he said.  “That makes me sad.”  

San Marcos Consolidated ISD Superintendent Michael Cardona said he cannot say enough about how proud he is of the students and staff this school year. 

“They were resilient and adaptable through a global pandemic, face coverings, a historic snowstorm, virtual learning and the list goes on and on,” Cardona said.  “This Friday, more than 430 SMHS graduates will cross the stage and they will go down in history as the graduating class that literally went through it all to reach the end of their K-12 educational journey. I am proud to be their biggest supporter.”