From Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, North Polk High School set their online trial week into action. The trial week differed from the norm, including a four-period block schedule, ten minute passing periods, and hour-long classes. Alongside these changes, a few classes in the building had to adapt to the general aspect of being online. P.E. classes, the band, and choir all had to work around being at home for the week.

The athletic weights class was one of the many classes that had to figure out a way for students to learn and participate while at home.

“I didn’t really have motivation to do athletic weights at home,” freshman Joseph Hoffmeier said. “Because of my bad internet connection, I had a hard time filling out my workout log, so that was frustrating. I am happy that I was still able to see my friends and teammates, and that I was able to work out while at home.”

Participating while at home gave students some connection and sense of involvement, but it isn’t like being in person.

The band had an interesting week, practicing at their homes, and logging into Google Meets.

“Online band went pretty well for me,” said junior Landon Stokes. “It was difficult getting to class on time, because I had jazz band in the morning at the school.” 

The band were put into breakout rooms with their instrument sections to lessen the number of kids in the main Google Meet, and for further productivity. 

“We were still able to interact with the people in our section; I feel like that’s one of the good things about online band.” Stokes said.

The band members were able to get in some good practice, despite not being able to practice as a whole. Choir had a similar situation like the band. Both band and choir have around 100 students in each class, and so practicing altogether would not be an option while online. The choir logged into Google Meets, and worked diligently to catch up on new music.

“We weren’t able to hear everyone at once, since we kept our microphones off, so we really couldn’t tell what we needed to work on as a whole,” senior Emilee Mapes said. “Despite the microphone issue, I think online choir went well. We made some progress on our new music.” 

During the trial week, there were many classes that had drastic changes presented to them due to being online, but they were able to work around these challenges and adapt to what 100 percent online school could be.

“It’s hard to stay focused when you’re at home; you could easily go on your phone or mess with something in your room,” Maps said. “I think once you work past that urge, you can get a lot done online.”