Disclaimer: This article is the opinion of an SRA Press staffer and is one that is shared by additional SRA Press staffers. This article is not targeting a certain group, person, time, etc. The student body needs a voice and “The Lasso” allows for publication of that voice. This and other students’ opinions are important as students are experiencing campus life every day and deserve to have a voice in the world they live in. 

Santa Rosa used to be a more comfortable campus before Covid-19 occurred and many large scale changes were implemented. The dress code allowed students to express themselves more, staff had smiles on their faces, and laughter filled the courtyard everyday. I remember seeing kids have better bonds with teacher, security, noon duties, and one another.

Imagine Santa Rosa today. It’s small and flat. Students still experience joy but, to many “veteran” students something feels missing — the campus never really feels whole.

Before Covid-19, people were excited to see their friends in the morning, running up to each other to embrace a hug. Now, students don’t experience the same joy — no running up to each other, everyone looks lost.  Although staff that interact with the kids everyday deserve more than they are given, their patience has worn thin. I notice some don’t have the same spark as they did when they first started.

The day before the Covid-19 lockdown started, I sat in my 7th grade history class watching CNN10. I remember Carl Azuz talking about a “ new disease from China”. I paid little attention because I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense. Nothing felt off about that day but I do remember coming home from school and finding an email about getting school off for two weeks. Although weird, it couldn’t have been that bad, right?

Junior Araia Worthington said, “We just got back from our Pali trip and I was at lunch with my mom when she got an email that school was cancelled for a few weeks because of a bad outbreak. I was a silly little 7th grader so I didn’t care about the new widespread illness, I just cared that I didn’t have to go to school. Well a few weeks turned into months and then into years, so it was definitely worse than I originally thought it would be.”

We all had different experiences with distance learning, some loved it, others didn’t. Personally, I loved it, it was fun to just wear my uniform shirt and sit in the comfort of my own home. The workload was way easier and my house was quiet, unlike a classroom. The atmosphere after returning back to Santa Rosa completely changed. Teachers seem more sad, upset, disengaged, bored. Students with stunted social skills are more immature as a result of distance learning.

A year post-Covid, the rules at Santa Rosa got stricter. The life from what Santa Rosa used to be became bleak. Noon duties and security looked exhausted while trying to keep a smile on their face, one of what it used to be. 

Noon duty Mrs. Camille Aguilar reflected on Post-Covid life saying, “We used to be more outgoing as a school. Students were way more extroverted and had fun with all their classmates.”

In regards to changes at SRA, dress code got more strict and many slides were added to the “Student Expectations” presentation. While we all acknowledge we signed a contract about what we are and are not allowed to wear or do, does it have to be this restrictive? For example, Only two bracelets per arm and two necklaces at a time as two of the new rules seems restrictive of student expression and the items that hold sentimental value for students.

Sophomore Vanessa Diaz said, “SRA is a good school, it’s better than most schools I went to. I think it was less strict then, now it’s a bit more strict since Covid.”

Personally, I don’t agree with many of the rules set for Santa Rosa students. The rules are forever changing and seem to be getting harsher and more restrictive. Additionally, punishments are more severe and simple mistakes are turning into detentions.

Junior Daksh Bagga said,” The dress code is overblown and punishes students for minor infractions.”

Watching Santa Rosa Academy transform from its peak into what it is now post Covid-19, depresses me. Pre-Covid, Santa Rosa used to be such a cheery place. Now it has become a muted shell of what it used to be.

Although, campus life is slowly getting better because of the addition of new friendly faculty and staff. However, it is still sad to see how many students that were affected by Covid-19 struggle to find their place at SRA. I believe things can get better and back to its old cheery self, as time heals all.

All that being said, English III teacher Mrs. Linda Mays sees a definite change for the better within students. She says,” Students are definitely more loving now. They are more accepting of each other.”