Abigail McCown: So, if you would’ve asked me how I felt about COVID-19 last March, I might’ve told you I was relieved or even happy that we got a break from school  That time of year is what I consider to be one of the hardest parts of the school year.  Usually after Spring Break, it is super hard to focus and commit to doing the work when all you can think of is summer a month and a half away.  I truly thought that this COVID thing would go away quickly and not really affect my life.  How wrong I was! I did the whole stay up late, sleep all morning, watch every show on Netflix–thing day in and day out.  I have never eaten more peanut butter sandwiches in my life!  The excitement of cancelling the school year quickly gave way to complete boredom.  When I start cleaning out my closet for fun, you know it’s bad. 

Finally, I can tell you that I found a sort of rhythm for my days.  I would sleep in a little, but then take my dog on long walks and bake all kinds of desserts to pass the time.  It felt nice to finally have days filled with anything I wanted to do.  I got to hang out with friends more and do some online shopping. However, after virtually six months off, it has been pretty rough getting back to this new normal. 

Getting up in the morning, doing school work and adjusting to the hybrid schedule might be ok if we didn’t have to miss out on the fun things at school like football games, the back to school dance, or hanging out at my friend’s lockers during the passing period.  As long as you have these fun aspects of school, things aren’t so bad. 

Now that these things aren’t allowed, a lot of the fun aspect of school is gone. Wearing a mask in class is awkward and I feel like it is hard to recognize people and also hard to hear what people are saying because their speech is so muffled.  Hopefully things will get better sooner rather than later so we can get back to what high school should be: fun, friends and making memories. 

Bridget Doerneman: This year, I think I’m just happy to be in school. That was a huge thing I hoped for, after being away for so many months. As the school year got closer, I was worried we would be fully online. It was pretty crazy to hear the plan for this year, and I was curious how everything was going to happen with all the changes. It’s very easy to become sad with all the changes, but I really am grateful for what we DO have. 

It’s obvious I wish we could go to football games, see everybody each day, and have pep rallies and dances.  Walking around with masks keeps people pretty quiet, and no one talks during passing periods! 

The teachers have honestly been so helpful. I definitely feel for them and all the changes they have to work through. They have been understanding and helping us get to know Canvas and how they run their class. 

This year really calls for us to practice the virtue and character we’ve been taught all these years. I think that we really can make the most of this year, we have each other!

Noah Ferguson: This year has been more challenging than in years past. The mask wearing is definitely not ideal but is necessary for our safety. The masks are uncomfortable, they can make it difficult to breathe, and do not allow teachers and students to see the facial expressions that people are making during conversation. While the masks are not a favorable change to life, people have found ways to decorate their masks to not be as boring. The hybrid schedule is also a new challenge that has arisen. Trying to figure out which assignment is supposed to be turned in online and which is supposed to be turned in in-person. The lack of fans at sporting events is also a change to our community that will have to be adapted to. As a member of the football, I miss running onto the field hearing the roar of the fans. Don’t get me wrong the parents are doing a great job trying to fill the void of noise missing from the students. Even with all the negative changes, there is still some positive changes occurring. With USD 259 canceling then restarting City League play, the football team was allowed to schedule some of the top teams in the state to play this year. This new schedule will challenge our team and give us a chance to show the state what Bishop Carroll is really made of.