Sofia Sfoufe, ‘26, was struck by quarantine fever from being stuck in her house all alone. In the midst of dealing with online classes, she wanted to find people she could interact with in a way her online classes wouldn’t allow her to. 

 Sfoufe checked the member’s list on Schoology, clicking on people in her gym class and decided to reach out to Kylee Ehrhardt, ‘26. They began chatting on Schoology for a while and then she eventually gave Ehrhardt her phone number so she could get to know her better.  

“She’s nice and funny and we get along very well. It’s nice to know someone at the school I go to,” Sfoufe said. 

After chatting for a few months they decided to meet up on a hiking adventure with Adventure Crew, a club that takes students on trips free of charge in order to help them connect with nature. 

“It was at a park and we took a hike so we stopped at a playground at a school and then we played gaga ball. That was pretty fun,” Sfoufe said. Sfoufe and Ehrhardt keep in contact with each other and are continuing to go to Adventure Crew. 

Sfoufe didn’t want to feel alone during online schooling and her first experience at WHHS hasn’t been a walk in the park. She lacked motivation during virtual learning. 

“Waking up seeing my friends in the morning would put me in a better mood. After that didn’t happen anymore, I started to turn off my alarm and go back to bed. It was the same thing over and over.” Sfoufe said. Since she met Ehrhardt, it has been a force for good and she’s glad to get out of the house and hang out with a friend. 

She said her most important life lesson was to be confident enough to reach out to her fellow classmates.  Reaching out to people and creating a conversation can help with online school. 

“If you were to reach out to another person it definitely helps with that routine of the day. It helped me be in a better mood because you have someone to talk to,” Sfoufe said. 

When looking at blank screens all day, it’s nice to see a real face.