Vista Vajedsamiei (11) & Bahar Fallahi (11) | STAFF REPORTER
Recently, St. Robert students received their mid-term report cards. We asked some school community members to share their thoughts about the school year so far, as well as how they felt about their grades now that we are halfway through the first semester of this academic year. We also interviewed philosophy and religion teacher Ms. Roccari on her perspective on students this school year
Grade 9: Simon Zhao
Vista: How have you found high school so far?
Simon: I found it more complicat[ed] because of all the changes with moving classrooms and the new environment.
Vista: Has it been what you expected? How is it similar or different from your previous school years?
Simon: I found it just like what I expected. Like, I just knew that it would be a really big school and I knew that I would need to find my class after every class. It was kind of the same as my old school except my old school was much smaller and we didn’t move [between] classes.
Vista: Any goals looking forward to this school year?
Simon: Not much, just to like maybe get into some of the sports teams.
Vista: Are there any particular teams that you want to join?
Simon: Maybe hockey or badminton.
Vista: Were your marks up to your expectations? How do you plan on maintaining or improving them?
Simon: I think most of them were up to my expectations, although I think I’ll maintain them by just continuing to do what I do really.
Grade 10: Angela
Vista: How is grade 10 different from last year?
Angela: Grade 10, I am more used to the school as well as the surroundings, so this year, I am able to focus more on my studies rather than getting used to the school and making friends.
Vista: Do you feel like you are a bit older and wiser compared to last year? How?
Angela: I think I am a little bit more mature because I am calmer and react to situations and stressful scenarios much better. And I also have a better support system to help me, such as the people around me. And with puberty, I am more mature because I am fitting in better and feeling more confident in my body.
Vista: Were your mid-term marks up to your expectations? How do you plan on maintaining or improving them?
Angela: So, my midterms were absolutely not up to my expectations because none of them are a hundred [percent]. However, my plan is to work hard and make them a little bit better in the second half of the semester by being better, being nicer to the teachers, and participating in the class.
Vista: But why are you aiming for a hundred percent? Because it is okay to not be a hundred [percent], you know? No one is ever a hundred percent at everything.
Angela: So, a hundred [percent] is my expectation. But I know that it is okay to not be a hundred [percent]. However, it motivates me to work harder to become the best [that I can be].
Grade 11: Sally Kim, Rita Kiani and Isabelle Lu
Bahar: How is Grade 11 different from last year?
Sally: There are lots of things different compared to last year I feel like its a more normal year—unfortunately, we will have exams—the workload and stress are more, but on the other hand I get to see more people in school—normal school year compared to with COVID.
Bahar: How is the workload and how do you manage it?
Rita: The workload is heavier compared to last year for sure and with there being exams it makes everything much more stressful.
Isabelle: It’s definitely much more as compared to last year, but I do manage to get things done by doing my work and studying to the best of my abilities.
Sally: It’s a lot, but after dropping IB I learned to not procrastinate and that’s really helped me.
Bahar: What are your favourite activities to do after school?
Rita: Personally my favourite activity to do after school would be to sleep for as long as I can
Bahar: Were your marks up to your expectations? How do you plan on maintaining or improving them?
Isabelle: Yes they were up to my expectations, as I was able to get grades very close to the class averages. I plan on keeping my grades this way by staying focused on my studies and not procrastinating.
Grade 12: Renee Wang
Vista: If you could go back and do anything differently in your high school journey, what would it be and why?
Renee: I remember in Grade 9, I was the kid who put everything into their work and had like no social life or time to do anything else. So, I guess if I could do one thing differently it would be to basically tell myself to relax a bit and to have fun and enjoy life and to not let school take over [my] entire life.
Vista: How has the workload been so far?
Renee: It has definitely been a rise from Grade 11, maybe because we are coming from online to in-person, but that is to be expected given that I am in Grade 12. It is all manageable.
Vista: That’s great to hear. Were your marks up to your expectations? How do you plan on maintaining or improving them?
Renee: They were pretty much what I expected. I’m not overly disappointed with them, but I think that in order to maintain them or get them to a higher level I need to just keep working hard.
Vista: Do you have any favourite cafeteria food(s)? What is it and why?
Renee: Is it cliche to say caf cookies? I don’t actually eat cafeteria food often so… the only time I’ve eaten cafeteria food was [when] my music teacher just treated us all with cafeteria food. I had a caf cookie and it was a nice experience
Questions for teacher(s): Ms. Roccari
Vista: Have the students reached your expectations? If yes, how? If not, how can they do better?
Ms. Roccari: OK, well that’s a good question. I think, overall, all of my students have been meeting my expectations. Behaviourally, they have adapted really well. I was very concerned about coming back full-time to the classroom because of such changes that have happened over the past couple of years due to the pandemic, of course. But, students seem to have adjusted very well to the classroom setting. They remember their routines. The thing I’m most happy about is that they are all very respectful, very caring individuals, and are very dedicated to their studies. Of course, you know, everyone can always do better, academically and in their choices. But, I think, overall, I’m very happy with my students this year at this point in time.
Vista: What do you think about how the students have been learning this year compared to those of the last two years that we have been online?
Ms. Roccari: OK well, a lot of changes had to happen when we were teaching online. So, things like tests were omitted, at least in my class, because I didn’t think they were [a] very good indication of learning. Whereas this year they have been included again. And I think that might change the final results by a few percentages, not by a lot. There was a lot more writing and reflecting involved when students were [learning] at home, compared to now, they still have writing and reflecting, but it doesn’t make up the majority of the assessments, so the assessments are a lot more varied. that, I think helps most students, because then you have a different variety and students always have an opportunity to have some type of assessment that suits their learning styles and their preferences. So, overall, the marks may slightly be a few percent lower this semester compared to last semester, but not a major difference, when you look at the entire class.
Vista: What do you enjoy most about teaching philosophy and religion?
Ms. Roccari Oh, that’s a hard one not because I don’t love it, it’s because I love it so much that I don’t know if I can single out what I like most about it. I do love the fact that I get to have discussions in class that reflect students’ original thoughts and ideas, morals, and values, which is not something that commonly happens in most classes. So, students teach me just as much as I teach them through our discussions and lectures. I think that’s my favourite part [about teaching philosophy and religion].
As seen above, the members of the St. Robert school community have different perspectives on the year so far. One thing that is common in all their answers, however, is that they hope for the year to continue smoothly and to enjoy the journey ahead.
