How do you feel about in-person school as opposed to online school?

“It’s good. It’s a lot better than online. Just meeting everybody is great, I guess, because I didn’t get to meet people online.”

— Fin Keeffe, freshman

“I like how they give us food because what I would eat at home was boring. I would always give myself toast for every meal.”

— Bella Balmaseda, junior 

“I love in person school. In person school grants me an opportunity to see all of my friends from a safe distance that I hadn’t been able to see previously.”

— Will Bollini, junior

“Zoom classes require many more steps for both the teacher and the student. So although you get to wake up later, and although it’s incredible that we have that technology, and that we were able to stay in class regardless, and it’s incredible that all of the faculty did what they did to make those classes as clear and as efficient and interesting as humanly possible, there is still all kinds of information you get by being in person with someone that you cannot replicate by being on Zoom, regardless of how much passion, love, commitment we have. You know, that whole in—person thing is really essential. And it is much more exhausting to be on Zoom because you are looking at different faces all the time and trying to read different faces all the time in a two dimensional as opposed to a three dimensional aspect.”

— Maura Vaughn, director of theater

What is your favorite part about in-person school?

“Being able to see all of my classmates in person.”

— Birdie Dillon, freshman

“First of all it’s Maura Vaughn, second of all it’s acting, and then third of all it’s not doing acting over Zoom. But actually, I think it’s a lot less draining. Although Zoom school is super efficient, you get to wake up later, and there is no travel time, I think that there is something that isn’t quite the same and it’s much more fulfilling to be at school rather than Zoom school.”

— Foster Lehman, senior

“I like seeing all of my classmates and friends. I like geometry. The class is fun. I like the material we are working on. The teacher is nice.”

— Cayman Stein, freshman

“I really like the field on a sunny day.”

— Ellie Jones, junior

“I like being able to talk with the teachers in person and have more communication. I like algebra. I just really like math and Mr. Parsons is really nice. We had a history poster project on the slave trade and that was fun to do.”

— Ella Loiacono, sophomore

“I like to be on Branson’s campus. I missed physically being able to interact with the natural environment here.”

— Will Tolmie, junior

“I like eating outside and in the sun.”

— Thomas Nelson, freshman

“I like the social interaction of in-person school.”

— Chris Lamm, senior

“The Branson food has been pretty good so far. I liked it. My favorite meal was the wraps.”

— Callahan Green, freshman

“My favorite part of in person school has been getting to see all my friends again and the snacks. The chocolate bars or the fruit leathers are my favorite snacks.”

— Sage Sanderson, junior

“In person it is easier to focus and comprehend material. And it’s also nice to see people.”

— Max Gutierrez, sophomore

“I like being on campus because it is nice and the scenery makes it calm. I like the trees. They are very nice colors.”

— Reid Morris, sophomore

“I like seeing my friends in real life. But, in the mornings I’m freezing.”

— Ines Haslett, senior