By Shirley Shuman
Although she feels that “going distant” her junior year had a negative impact on her education, eighth-ranked Zoey Harrison has apparently overcome any problems that distance learning caused her. Harrison, the daughter of Mary Hamilton and Nathan Harrison, is enjoying her senior year and has definite plans for the future.
Nursing is this young woman’s chosen career. She explained why. “I’ve always been interested in the health care field,” she said. “In the experiences I’ve had in doctor’s offices, the nurses have always been nice. I want to give that experience to other people.” Harrison will pursue her nursing degree at Fairmont State University.
Regarding her high school career in which she was actually in the classroom, she has her favorites. One is Allie Suesli’s history class. “I don’t like history, but Mrs. Suesli engages us in many different ways to help us understand the material.,” she said. The other of her favorite classes is J.D. Drake’s Civics class.
Harrison said that the Civics class “deals a lot with what is going on in the world today and helps us learn what duties we have as we go into the world.”
Jerry Frame is her favorite teacher. “Mr. Frame is a great teacher,” she said “and is very passionate in his teaching. We have formed a bond over the years, and I couldn’t imagine high school without him. I’ve had him for three years and couldn’t thank him enough for making those years the best.”
In addition to her classes and a Co-op job, Harrison has other interests related to school. She has played volleyball since seventh grade, is secretary of the senior class, a member of HOSA—the health-related organization, and the local chapter of the National Honor Society. Her Co-op position as shift supervisor at Starbucks “takes about 30 hours a week,” she said. Much of her time outside school is spent with friends and family and in crocheting.
Harrison took time to explain why being on distance learning had the biggest impact of anything else on her school career. “With distance learning my junior year, I feel like I lost out being a junior and I missed out on things at school like pep rallies and other events. Distance learning also kept me from learning in a classroom [with other students]. I learn better hands-on instead of from a computer.”
Zoey Harrison appears to have caught up with most of what she missed as a distance learner her junior year. She is definitely enjoying her senior year and is ready for whatever the future holds.
