The Last Day Of School (but in March) By Taylor S. Remember how public toilets were gross not unsafe? Remember when we were packed on planes, flying to places with more people? Remember when playdates weren’t virtual? Remember when the only masks we saw were in doctor movies? And when we went to REAL LIFE SCHOOL!! Lunch in the Cafeteria and rushing to get the best handball. Learning in person and then setting off to do a mountain of homework. Hanging out with your friends, real P.E, real assemblies. The experience of school. I miss it so much. Just sitting at a real desk with a teacher in front of you. I haven’t been to school in 7 months. An extra long summer break? No, A world wide pandemic. But that Thursday in March, The last day of real school, I remember like yesterday. The rain feeds the starving grass, it pounds on dusty roofs, and my mom’s car gets a much needed wash. Me, well I’m sleeping unaware of what’s to come. “Taylor Wake up,” My mom whispers, she slaps on the lights and throws a laundry basket in the middle of my room. “Ugg,” I groaned, “5 more minutes please!!” “You have school” My mom says. I unwillingly role out of my bed and onto my floor, but it's not really a floor. It's a mountain of junk, with books, clothes and who-knows-what else. I stand up and zombie walk over to my window. I peek out and see rain. “OOOHHH!!!!” I yell. (I’m amused that it's raining, but I’m yelling for the main reason to see if my sister is up.) I hear footsteps down the hallway. Sydney walks up, “What is it?” Sydney asks. “Just rain.” “Then why did you wake me up!” “Cause I wanted to.” “That's mean.” “Your mean.” “Can I borrow your rain jacket?” Sydney begs. “No I’m wearing it.” She sticks her tongue out at me and leaves. I lazily slap on some clothes, and hide my rain jacket in my tornado closet and stumble to the kitchen. My mom was sitting at the couch worryful glancing at the news. Her old computer was on her lap as she packed the amazon cart with toilet paper and clorox wipes. “Governor Newsom just banned gatherings over 50 people.” My mom says glancing at her phone. “But P.E is more than 50 people.” I say. “So we don’t have school.” I start to get my hopes up. “Too late to cancel now.” My mom utters. “Just enjoy school, Ok Taylor.” “I would rather be sleeping.” I mumble. After 1 lazy bowl of cereal it's about 8:05 and time to go to school. “We are going to walk.” My mom mumbles, “We need to get outside more.” I am about to argue but getting wet doesn't sound too bad. After blocks of wetness we are at school. “Race you to the front office.” Sydney yells. “Ok….” I start. “Hey Scarlett!” Sydney cheers and runs off with her. I make my way through the confusion of kids, parents, backpacks, and umbrellas. I wipe my feet in the sea of people in the entrance. I skid down the hallway out the door to Ms. Grafton’s classroom. Beyond that is normal classroom stuff. Math lesson ?, storyworks packet, indoor recess. All I wanted was to be in my bed. I opened up my book and started whispering to my friend during my snack indoor recess. I had no clue that 7 months later I’m a 5th grade Zoom student….... “Ok everyone, put away that math book and time to watch a movie!” Ms. Grafton cheered. Excitement flooded the room, we were finally doing something fun! Not long division. After Ms. Grafton heated up the popcorn that had been sitting in the corner of the classroom for weeks. “Everyone line up.” Ms. Grafton instructed. So after that everybody raced to get to the front of the line. No social distancing, no masks, imagine that! While watching the movie I imagined being home in my own bed. I just want school to end. I want it to close and be at home. But Taylor you heard the news, and that Covid-19 is dangerous. In the future if you're at home you’ll be looking back on this day, saying “I wished Taylor enjoyed that,” Just enjoy School. Just eat popcorn and enjoy. So I did enjoy myself and appreciated school. After 3 servings of popcorn, and the evil guy in Kung-Fu-Panda 2 destroying a fortress, Ms. Grafton abruptly stops the film. “This most likely won’t happen, but we may not go back to school. Gather up you Math Book, Writers Notebook, also…….” Ms. Grafton started. Of course I didn't listen. I shoved all the contents of my desk into my hands, and carried them out to my backpack. It took me 2 trips. (And in the end I forgot my favorite galaxy water bottle!) As the clock ticked closer to 3. The classroom started to look emptier. The desks were stripped of all contents and shoved into backpacks. “Ms. Grafton..” A girl in my class begained. “What?” Ms. Grafton responded. “You know how you said that we probably will come to school tomorrow, but we are taking a lot of our stuff out of our desks. Won’t it be hard to put it all back?” “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” “BING!!” the 3:00 bell had rung. I walked out the door to the front office, where my mom would be to pick me up. I looked back at the classroom, unsure if or when we would come back to it. I walked along the hallway with one of my good friends. We joked like normal, but would this be the last time? I walked out the commotion of the front office to my mom and sister. As we walked to my mom’s grocery filled car, I looked back at Franklin. When would I come back? I already missed school, the classroom, the cafeteria, the yard. That was the last time I got picked up in 7 months. At first we were sure to be back by the end of Spring Break. Nope. Cases too high. What about the start of next year? Nope. Now we are hoping for an after winter break reopening. But who knows? I think back to all the times throughout 4th grade, that I just wanted to be home, sleeping. Turns out that wish came true. Now all I want is to be back in the classroom. (And I still don’t have that water bottle back!)

This work was done as an assignment for Paula Flynn's Fifth Grade class at Franklin Elementary, in Santa Monica, CA. Hogwarts soaring above my head, the ecstatic Harry Potter fans walking around, amazed seeing their favorite book come alive. Hagrid’s roller coaster, and the long-but worth it 4 hour line to ultimate Harry potter ride The sunlight shining down on Hogsmeade, the fake snow shining bright The sound of chattering people, and the whoosh of the rides The excitement bubbling up inside me, this is my dream, being in Hogwarts When can I go back?

This was written as an assignment for Paula Flynn's fifth grade class at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. I hope that after covid i can live my normal school, spring, fall, winter, and summer life including: playing with my friends, doing sleepovers, going to the beach/playground, eating at a restaurant with no mask, summer camps.

This was written as an assignment for Paula Flynn's fifth grade class at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. I dream for Covid to end and for everyone to be given the vaccine. The world has taken a heavy hit from covid and I know that we can come back from it. Covid has affected many people from around the world. I hope that we are able to all stay safe during this pandemic.

This was an assignment in Paula Flynn's 5th grade class at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. Dark but Reflections of light Sounds from across the world Later in my life is this still gonna be my dream The achieving satisfaction Sounds from across the world Sounds from across the world Sounds from across the world

This was an assignment in Paula Flynn's 5th grade class at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. Universal Studios Color everywhere, and many people swarming around The sun shining on all of our faces as we wait in line The sounds of people whooping and hollering as they go on rides The smells of the giant donuts in Simpson Land. I enjoy spending the day at an awesome amusement park When will I go again? Universal Studios

This was an assignment in Paula Flynn's 5th grade class at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. People hugging having a good time without a care in the world.No masks close together. Like before. A beautiful ray of sun beating down on there faces. Sharing it’s warmth with them.Casting shadows of them. The shadows black against the colorful world. I hear laughter, joy and relief, almost everyone is happy. Leaves are rustling in the wind as if dancing to a beat. Happiness, Laughter, Grateful When will this dream come true. When can we live like this again. Joy Joy Joy

This was an assignment in Paula Flynn's 5th grade class at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. I hope to see my friends again I hope to go to school in person I hope to travel around the world I hope to see relatives Why can’t it always be like this? Hope hope hope

Hugs, Laughter and Love I see my cousin running with me in the fields i don’t feel ashamed of what i am doing and neither are they The sounds of our feet crushing the grass with a smile just because we are finally together I taste the great food melting in my mouth Happiness, Joy and fun Joy, Joy, Joy

This is from an assignment in Paula Flynn's 5th grade class at Franklin Elementary School, in Santa Monica, CA. Hugs, relief, and happiness. Sunlight shining through trees at all angles. Laughter and chatter, both mushed together to create a beautiful moment. The wonderful aroma of food, once more able to be shared. Hope, joy, and love. Was the coronavirus caused for a reason?

This is from an assignment in Paula Flynn's 5th grade class at Franklin Elementary School, in Santa Monica, CA. Being at my Flight class Light from the sun in the Simulator The sound of propellers from the simulation Why can't we go back sooner Happy focus Tencasity Focus Focus Focus

--Reflections on the Pandemic Archive-- Looking back over my experience with the “Journal of the Plague Year” COVID-19 archive, my prevailing emotion is gratitude. This opportunity granted me experience that few historians earn, and the remote, asynchronous work schedule allowed me to collaborate with my colleagues in ways that maximized our respective contributions. The breadth and depth of our individual experiences and perspectives tremendously improved our collective process and products. I spent enough time in the Arizona State Archives last year to recognize such collections as historical treasure chests, but I have now participated in processing an archive’s content and navigating the ethical dilemmas those submissions sometimes create. Archivists and curators are the history profession’s truly unsung heroes, and their work facilitates society’s perception of itself. My background in police work and public safety drew me to the archive’s existing Law Enforcement collection. In taking on that subset, I succeeded in reshaping the collection’s parameters to now include stories about police and law enforcement. I wanted to diversify the collection to encompass perspective of both the police and the public with whom they interact and serve. While some overlap exists between the Law Enforcement and Social Justice collections, each remains distinct. Through my contacts and writing, I promoted a Call for Submissions to an international audience of law enforcement professionals to reduce their relative silence within the archive. Within the archive’s content, I recognized that one’s location might shape their pandemic experience, and I created and designed an Arizona-based exhibit to explore that. Further research and discussion with my mentors and colleagues ensured the exhibit illustrated these differences without excluding visitors whose diverse experiences could further enrich the archived and exhibited content. I am proud of my “Arizona’s COVID-19 Pandemics” exhibit, particularly because of its compressed, one-month incubation period. Beyond displaying images, data, and stories representative of the diverse pandemic experiences within the state, the ACP exhibit offers visitors numerous levels of interaction and engagement to became active participants and create their own exhibit experience. Visitors can complete opinion surveys, add a story to the archive, explore additional content related to the displayed pieces, view ever-changing results from pre-defined archival content searches, conduct their own archival search, view collective visitor survey results, and apply to join the staff. The exhibit’s searches will include the archive’s future submissions, which reshapes both the exhibit and the experience visitors may have with it. A more detailed explanation of my ACP exhibit may be reviewed here: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/43037 Because of Dr. Kathleen Kole de Peralta and Dr. Mark Tebeau, I stand prepared to join research, curation, and exhibition teams and immediately contribute to their work products. Despite my gratitude for this experience and the opportunities it presented, I look forward to the day COVID-19 is no longer part of humanity’s daily vernacular. James Rayroux 22 April 2021

While working as a curatorial intern on ASU's 'A Journal of the Plague Year' COVID-19 archive, I created this exhibit on the pandemic experience within the state. In addition to obvious, overarching realities such as socioeconomic status and immediate access to healthcare systems, I initially believed one of the greatest deciding factors that determined one's experience in Arizona was an individual's residence in either predominantly urban or rural environments. The proposed exhibit had been originally titled "A Tale of Two Arizonas" to pay respect to Charles Dickens and the differing realities experienced here. To test my proposed hypothesis, I went about finding data, stories, and submissions that substantiated or disputed my premise. Within a short time, I had identified four distinct environmental drivers of personal pandemic experiences; to me, that indicated the existence of many more I hadn't yet found or had overlooked along the way. My evidence suggested a minimum of four pandemic locales: Urban, Rural, Border, and Tribal within the State of Arizona and its fifteen counties. The recorded health data and personal experiences demonstrated the naivete of my initial hypothesis, and I retitled the exhibit: "Arizona's COVID-19 Pandemics." The Exhibit Background section illustrates the vast dichotomies within Arizona in terms of population density and access to healthcare facilities. Given the virus's respiratory nature, these factors seemed especially relevant to driving diverse local experiences. I chose to include a flyer from the Coconino County Health and Human Services' "Face It! Masks Save Lives" campaign. The flyer included a specific line to "Stay Home When Sick" that seemed to illustrate a different public health paradigm than the broader "stay home" orders from Maricopa and Pima county. This section also features an image of Sedona's red rocks and a portion of The Wave to remind visitors of the wide-open rural areas accessible to all, as well as those with cultural significance to the Native American tribes and limited access to the general public. The next section asks a short, five-question survey in which visitors may participate. The Silver Linings piece features a short audio clip of a father and husband discussing some unexpected benefits of the pandemic. Visitors may explore additional Silver Linings stories and submit their own experience. The Tséhootsooí Medical Center piece seeks to illustrate the different pandemic experience on the state's tribal lands. I hoped to inspire some relevant emotional turmoil for the visitors through the piece's visual presentation. I wanted to create a series of waves with quotes from the medical center's healthcare workers. I hoped visitors' attention would be drawn to the large, bolded key words, and that they would first experience the segments out of sequence because of that. After potentially feeling a sense of chaos, they might settle themselves into a deliberate reading of the texts and find their own order within the experiences provided here. This piece allows further exploration of Native submissions and topics, a review of an additional related news article, and a submission prompt that invites visitors to offer guidance to hospital managers. The next piece illustrates the differences between mask mandates in communities across Arizona. In addition to hearing an audio clip of interviews with mayors and a public health official, visitors can explore additional submissions related to mask mandates and submit their thoughts on statewide mandates. The Arizona Department of Health Services provides zip-code specific infection data on its website, and the wide array of known case infections therein further illustrates potential dichotomies across the state. In working to include and represent this data in a consumable way, I encountered inconsistencies with tribal data. The nation's Indian tribes are overseen by Indian Health Services, a federal public health agency, and it does not collect or report data in the same manner as the State of Arizona or its counties. At first glance, the data would seem to suggest that tribal areas had less severe pandemic experiences than the rural and urban areas, which was not objectively true. I wanted to offer the unedited data to visitors, allow them to drawn their own conclusions, and invite them to offer their thoughts on what potential misunderstandings might emanate from these reporting differences. Visitors may also choose to review the foundational data from this piece, as well. I used the following two sections to offer submission prompts about the visitor's overall pandemic experience as a function of their location, as well as what they might have done if placed in charge of their city, county, or state during this pandemic. A diverse Search section allows visitors to explore additional topics of interest to them. 23 hyperlinks offer pre-defined search parameters. An Advanced Search link allows self-defined research, and a Join The Staff link connects visitors with opportunities to work within the JOTPY archive. A final section asks visitors to provide feedback on the exhibit, its content, and the pandemic in general. Both surveys within the exhibit will display overall results to visitors who participate in them. Through this process, I found incredible amounts and diversity of data outside the archive that spoke to these generally localized experiences, but not that much yet within the archive explained what Arizonans had experienced outside the state's urban environments. I created a call for submissions and delivered it to fifty rural entities that might help support the effort to collect and preserve more rural Arizona stories. Between all the local libraries, historical societies, museums, small-town mayors, and county health officials to whom I asked for help, I am optimistic the archive will better represent all Arizonans in the coming months and years. Despite the exhibit having been created, I ensured its internal search features would include future submissions and allow the exhibit to remain relevant long after its release.

During March and April 2021, I created an online exhibit from content within Arizona State University's "A Journal of the Plague Year" COVID-19 archive. Entitled "Arizona's COVID-19 Pandemics," the digital exhibit contained images previously submitted to the archive, along with several copyright-free images I found on pexels.com. I have attached all these images. Listed by their order of appearance within the exhibit, their sources are as follows: 1- "Face It" Campaign flyer: Coconino County Health & Human Services ( https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/42998 ) 2- Red Rocks, Sedona: Courtesy of Gregory Whitcoe via Pexels.com 3- Online Learning: Courtesy of August de Richelieu via Pexels.com 4- Tséhootsooí Medical Center staff: Courtesy of FDIHB Marketing Department and Navajo Times newspaper ( https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/41189 ) 5- Arizona's Mask Mandate Map: created by Sarandon Raboin ( https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/26267 ) 6- Arizona COVID-19 Infection Zip Code Map: Courtesy of Arizona Department of Health Services ( https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/42035 ) 7- Woman Shopping: Courtesy of Anna Shvets via Pexels.com 8- Woman on Rural Arizona Road: Courtesy of Taryn Elliot via Pexels.com 9- Masked Woman in Crowd: Courtesy of Redrecords via Pexels.com 10- The Wave: Courtesy of Flickr via Pexels.com (this image is found only in the PDF submission of the exhibit, not in the public-facing exhibit itself due to document formatting technicalities - the PDF version can be found at https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive/item/42998 )

what impact covid 19 has had on my son

Wanting to see the grandkids, my in-laws stopped by. They live about 45 minutes away. Everyone was outside, keeping about 6 ft apart with masks on while the kids played.

My daughter turned five on February 19, 2021. We had no family or friends over to celebrate. We had individual Zoom calls with each set of grandparents & a Zoom birthday cake celebration with all of the aunts, uncle, cousins, a great aunt & grandparents late in the evening. People sent their gifts ahead of time. She opened them throughout the day. We gave our daughter her birthday gifts, too. This particular photo is showing virtual Bingo. One set of grandparents sent over a Bingo card set & they had a copy of the same one. We played the game virtually. My daughter had a lot of fun.

Conversation with Kristina Erickson an Arizona K-12 educator. Ms. Erickson weigh-ins on the March 15th executive order, in-person instruction, COVID protocols and procedures, and the future of education in her community

Dear post-covid world, I dream for people to take science more seriously. I dream for school to realize the pain it gives some people. I dream that the “rulers” of the school have learned that they aren’t better than others. I dream that the teaching of racism dies. I dream that women get equal pay. I dream that people can learn to love mother nature. I dream that people will smile more. I dream that adults would stop acting like babies. I dream that we can trust one another again. I dream that I can go back to the childhood I used to know. The childhood that didn’t care about a thing in the world. The childhood that didn’t have to see and learn the cruelty of the real world. I dream that at least one person reads my letter. I dream that all of this will come true. I know it won’t. But a kid can only dream. Sincerely, One voice

This article comes from the perspective of educators who struggled with teaching students remotely, and includes statistics referring to students who had technology/situational issues that affected their work.

This article addresses the divide between students who had easy access to technology/digital skills during the pandemic, and how it came into play in regards to grades

This link provided showcases the severity of the pandemic's effect on children's mental health and it becoming the next "wave" in the pandemic

This link provided explains how the pandemic is affecting the development of children.

This is an article that provides an inside on taking care of a newborn during the pandemic.

For the past year, my husband has been the only one to do errands to keep the risk low. Anytime he went out, he showered and put his clothes in the laundry. No one has stepped foot inside our house in over a year. It may see extreme, but more than once during COVID, Southern CA was the country’s hotspot. We have been extremely cautious, and with both the death rates and people within our own circle who weren’t cautious getting infected during the winter spike, I do not regret our decision. Now numbers are thankfully declining and, even more significant, my mom (who lives with us) has received both doses of the vaccine and my husband and I should receive our second doses next week. Slowly, our lives will hopefully be able to open up a bit. But the moment captured here reminds me that the shift may not be as easy for our kids. My son, who hasn’t had a play date or left this street in months, flattened himself against the wall and refused to move when my mom came back from a Target curbside pick up. She didn’t even get out of the car but my son was terrified that she’d give him COVID. It’s going to be a long process to make them feel safe again.

The pandemic has created an increasing issue in employment rates, and those with children to care for have continued to struggle. "Black and Brown women have lost the most economically, and women in general have been forced to leave the workforce." These women are forced to sacrifice even more just to have basic child care. Hopefully, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) can help financially support these families and services with "nearly $4Billion in child care funding" headed California's way. These funds are being split into two categories. One is towards the child care industry (including staff salaries, safety practices, and supplies), while the other is towards families and child care providers. The legislators are aiming to provide more equal policies and services to all Californians. It's in no way going to solve everyone's child care problems, but it's a start.

"Gone are family-style meals and snacks where children serve themselves. And no more sharing toys." If it sounds grim to you, it sort of is. Children are having to stay six feet away from one another just like any other person. The difference is that a lot of these children are still far too young to understand why. Safety guidelines have been provided from the California Department of Public Health, county departments of public health, and the California Department of Social Services. This is in a notable and admirable attempt to grab some semblance of normalcy back while remaining cautious. Some other changes include, but are not limited to, having toys be sanitized after use, physical touch (i.e. hugging) are kept to a minimum, and children cannot play outside (such as the playground structures). A big problem seems to be with the touch, though. A lot of these children, as young as 2 years old, start crying and need some physical comfort. Although some of these new guidelines are straightforward and simple, they're not easily implemented as it can easily hinder a child's development and understanding of the world.

One year ago today, Thursday, March 12, 2020, I told my students in my usual snarky tone that they should all come to test corrections after school because they had nothing better to do - all their activities were cancelled. It had been a wild 48 hours - not only had all school activities, sports, and extra curricular been cancelled, the NBA shut down, March Madness was cancelled, and the UC campuses has announced online classes through the rest of the year, which we found like a shocking overreaction - the rest of the school year?! During after school test corrections, Disneyland, within walking distance of our high school, announced they were closing the next day. One of my students yelled out “Mrs. Jue, your birthday!!!!” because my birthday was the next week, and everyone knows I go to Disneyland every year on my birthday. (And once a week, again the park is within walking distance). I replied with “guess you know what my family is doing tonight!” And we did go, for what was the last time. It still wasn’t serious to us, although it should have been. I think we were all in denial. One of my students jokingly said “hey, if we can’t be in groups larger than 30, what about now?” There were 50 kids in the room. Remember that we didn’t know it was airborne yet, so I figured if we just all washed our hands and didn’t touch our faces, it wouldn’t be an issue. I was far more concerned about door handles and papers than I was about the air circulating in the room. Even picking up my daughter from gymnastics that night a year ago, her coaches were not concerned at all that State Championships, which were supposed to happen in three weeks, would be cancelled. That was the last time I saw her coaches and the last time my daughter set foot in the gym. The next day, on March 13, the day started normally - the kids were taking a unit test on World War II. After zero period, I jokingly said “hope to see you all Monday!” By third period, it wasn’t a joke anymore - Los Angeles and San Diego school districts announced they were closing through spring break. I told my third period (not to play favorites, but I LOVED my third period), “they better not close school! Monday is the start of the Cold War!” I had been hyping up the Cold War Era and the domestic movements of the 1960s and 1970s for three months. What can I say? I love teaching that era. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I really somehow couldn’t comprehend that we would close. Exactly three hours later, one minute after school ended, we all received an emergency text. School was closed through the end of March. Everything was a blur. I called my mom who was picking up my kids. She was already driving home and I just kept saying “they’re doing it. We’re closing. They’re closing all the schools.” Somehow we all thought we would be back in two weeks. In retrospect, that seems insane. So, on a rainy Friday March 13, 2020, I left my classroom in a bit of a panic. Not sure what to grab or do, I came home, recorded an Instagram message to reassure my kids, and started planning a virtual schedule. And the rest is history. Today, one year later, on a sunny, turned rainy, Friday, March 12, 2021, I returned to my room. This time, it was a mix of excitement and apprehension. A week from Monday we reopen. Setting up my room, there were moments I almost forgot about the pandemic, I missed being there so much. 16 years of teaching, plus four years of high school means I have literally spent half my life at that school. Then I saw the reminders all around me. No tables (I have always had round tables of four for group work - they’ve been replaced by desks). Plexiglass. Signs warning to wear masks. Hand sanitizers (okay, that one’s a nice addition!) Outside, little circles for kids to stand on to ensure 6 feet of separation. A digital thermometer. Testing my technology, because even though I have to come back in person, 75% of my students have opted to end the year via distance learning. All classes will continue on Zoom. Essentially, I am doing the same thing I have done all year, but instead of logging into Zoom at home, I’m logging in from my desk at school in a mask. There will be some periods that I have TWO kids physically in the room with me, logged into Zoom, and 32 kids logged in from their homes. It is a strange solution, motivated in large part by the governor’s announcement that school districts that don’t open for in person by March 31 lose a huge amount of funding. We’re a low income area, we need the funding, I don’t blame the district for caving. I am also glad our district allowed the community to choose the option for learning that best matched the needs of their families. Still, it is very strange to try and imagine what the last two and a half months of the school year will look like. It’s been a long year. I am hopeful that we are on the trend to having healthy communities again, but if this year has taught us anything, you never know what tomorrow is going to bring.

If there’s anything I learned in the last 8 months, it’s that the world is a very uncertain and chaotic place. A week before quarantine, spending a quiet week alone for Spring break, was all I wanted in life. 9 months later and another quiet week could potentially be lethal. Even though life has been crazy and online school drives people mad, one thing I’ve managed to pick up and get into the habit of is working out. Everyday, no matter what it is, I set aside an hour and a half to at least stand and go on a run or do any form of exercise. Not only is this good for my body, it’s a great stress reliever from a long unstable day of online school, a great time of reflection and a great way to clear my head from the day. Even in the most chaotic of days, and even on days where I have a lot of work to finish, I spend an hour to clear my head, and most times, after a workout and warm shower, I become more productive than ever. I enjoy working out as it is a great way for me to have something to control when the world around me is changing in the blink of an eye. Me four years ago would’ve never expected or predicted that, I would enjoy losing my breath and being sore from my neck down on a daily basis. Not only does it feel like I have control over my life, but working out has become a hobby of mine, acting as a goal I can achieve in the background subtly while dealing with school and life as a 17 year old.

Here lies a photo of my monitor, which I believe represents my current experience as a junior in high school. Pictured on the monitor is classwork, the bane of many students going through distance learning. It connects to the pandemic as most, if not all, students are being forced to go online to complete classwork and connect to Zoom classes as we suffer through our teen years. The internet is where many have come to meet new people, find answers, and much more, which all starts through our electronic devices. Personally, my devices have kept me sane since the pandemic first struck, but also became a major source of anxiety. This miracle holds numerous games in which I can release my stress and anger through, such as Valorant and Minecraft. In addition, it allows me to communicate with my friends through Discord, something that most teens utilize. However, it is where I sit for hours starting from as early as 7:30 am, to as late as 3:00 am, just for school. This may not be the healthiest thing to do, especially since all of this occurs in my bedroom, a place that used to be my haven. What was initially my safe space became a source of a multitude of emotions, such as stress, anger, joy, and much more. There is no longer a true feeling of comfort in any place I can think of, which really is the most disappointing part of it all. But, it’s just part of being a quarantined teen, right? During this quarantine, I believe I have changed for the better in most aspects, though my mental health has reached the lowest point it has ever gone. I’ve made so many new friends, something that I believe is somewhat hard for me, so I consider it a significant accomplishment. Most importantly, I have learned to prioritize myself. Although I’m not quite there yet, big decisions take baby steps, and thanks to it, I feel like I’m slowly getting better mentally. Unfortunately, I have also lost and drifted from friends, and lost a few people in my life due to the virus. As much as I want to feel sorry for myself, to just cry and complain about the unfairness of life, almost everyone is going through something due to the pandemic, so the best I can do is to stay silent and keep on pushing.

It has never occurred to me that my Junior year of high school would turn out the way it is today. From prom to school dances, those expectations disappeared as the year progresses. However, despite the circumstances, Zoom has allowed me to stay connected with my friends, my teachers, and the people that I volunteered with at my church. Every day, my life revolves around waking up at 6:30 a.m., attending classes, and doing homework for the rest of the day, all of which takes place in my own room, through Zoom. Moreover, as a member and an officer for clubs at my school, meetings and online volunteering all take place online, via Zoom. Zoom, therefore, has been a savior for my Junior year of High School as I was able to meet and stay connected with new teachers and friends, of whom I either have never met or talked to in real life. Each week, my friends and I hold a small Zoom meeting in which we shared our experiences and our academic accomplishments during the pandemic, talking on and on about our experiences and laugh at each other’s jokes. In addition, when the holidays rolled around the corner and with the pandemic rising, it is through Zoom that allows me to meet up with the people that I love and care about, wishing them the best of their holidays and enjoying their companies, and share out stories and things that we each have learned throughout the year. Additionally, during the period of unrest that our country experienced, it is through Zoom and being able to talk to people that I know that helped me to stay sane and calm. This year is also the very first year that I choose to volunteer at a program at my church. Despite the circumstances, I was able to meet up with the people that volunteer with me through Zoom, and instantly we bond and created a small family among ourselves, though we have not actually met in real life. In conclusion, Zoom has truly saved 2020 for me, allowing me to build a connection that is invisible!

Having experienced a full semester of Junior year virtually during a pandemic, I can thoroughly say that it was the worst experience of my academic career. Every day of this semester was the same as the last, and I couldn't decide what new hobby to get into or find fun in the hobbies I used to do. Although I had this feeling throughout the semester, one person always stuck by my side, and that person was Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift is the music industry, queen of pop music, and the reason I love music in the first place. And Taylor's album, "1989," helped me get through my first semester of Junior year. Nothing brought me more happiness than listening to "Shake It Off" after feeling I had just failed all my tests for the week and then walking throughout my house as if I were a model while "Style" playing. I know it seems that I have been a die-hard Swiftie for a long time, but this quarantine was the only reason I discovered my infinite love for Taylor. Every song on "1989" makes you experience every emotion in the world, from feeling happy while listening to "How You Get the Girl" to feeling absolute sadness and existentialism during "Clean," my favorite of the album btw. So this rush of emotions felt while I listened to "1989" perfectly summarizes my experience during my first semester of Junior year. :)

Throughout the whole COVID ordeal I have been seperated physically from my friends and family. To compensate the lack of physical interactions with other during this pandemic, we've used Discord an online voice group chat to keep ourselves social. Discord has helped us remember that we aren't alone during this pandemic. We're able to play games, watch videos, and talk to one another one this service. Discord I feel what I feel helped me currently get through this whole ordeal.

During quarantine I’ve had a lot of spare time, but wasn't completely sure how to spend it. Most of the time, when I’m not busy with school work, I’d watch Netflix, but that got pretty boring after a while. Recently, however, I’ve picked up a paint brush, a canvas, and some paint and have started painting. I’ve always loved art but constantly found myself making up excuses and never setting aside time to actually paint. These past months have helped me reflect on myself and realize there are more things to do than just sit around and be sad about the current situations in which I have no control over. It's important during these hard times to find something that makes you happy, even if you are not the best at it, so that life in quarantine is a little easier. Even if I would have never thought in a million years the majority of my junior year in high school would be spent inside my house I consider myself lucky as my family and I are healthy and safe. Despite not being able to see my extended family and celebrate holidays or birthdays with them there's always a way to make the most with the people you have. For my mom's birthday, since I couldn’t go out to buy her anything and don’t own a credit card to buy something online, I had to figure out how to give her a special gift during a pandemic. My new found happiness from painting was that special thing, and so I decided to paint my mom a scene from one of her favorite movies “The Karate Kid”. Finding something I enjoy really helped me cope with the instability and unexpected changes during this pandemic. It gave me both a hobby and goal, as I’m motivated to get better at painting.

The item I chose that best illustrates the past six months in quarantine is a screenshot of my favorite videogame, Valorant. Although I could have chosen any other videogame, I decided to choose Valorant because it is the main game that has brought a lot of happiness to my friends and I when we play it everyday during this quarantine. During this unprecedented time because we must stay safe by isolating ourselves from each other, many people have been experiencing loneliness because they have not had an actual, social interaction in such a long time. Fortunately, through Valorant, I never felt any negative emotions because this game has always allowed my friends and I to play together and build a stronger relationship whenever we were done with our school work. The reason why Valorant connects to the pandemic is because it has been a great way for my friends and I to take a step back and escape from reality. Valorant best represents my current experience as a junior in highschool during a period of unrest in this country because as a junior with many AP classes, high school can feel really stressful and tiring at many times, however I have learned that it is important to focus on my mental health at all times. Thus, playing Valorant with my friends has really helped us relax and forget about all the problems in the world for a brief period of time. Furthermore, I see that a lot of students in highschool complain how this pandemic has stolen a lot of our time that could have been spent making memories, however, I have taken a different approach to this because I found that playing video games such as Valorant is the best way to make memories with friends and it has helped me realize that despite the hardships we face during this pandemic, my friends and I will always have each other’s backs.

For this Thanksgiving it was different from others because this year I couldn't have any friends over or my grandparents either. Usually on a normal Thanksgiving my friends, my parents' friends and my family would come over for dinner but this year because of covid that didn't happen. Something the same from the other years that happen would be the food, we had the same food we had last year, turkey, mashed potatoes, and more. I really didn't have to prep this year because we had no one over but I still had to help buy the supplies. This year was very different it wasn't as fun but I still got to spend time with my family.

This year's thanksgiving was not very different from other years. The only difference was that my mom's sister and her family did not come due to COVID-19. Everything else was the same. We had turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and Martinelli's. It didn't seem all that different this year.

The story is about how COVID-19 has affected the educational system.

Dana Adkins is a Mother that works at a summertime resort. She discusses how the pandemic impacted her job. Also discussed is how her children handled the changes to their routines.

P.E.A.C.E. is an acronym for Partnerships in Education to Avoid Criminal Justice System Entry. The P.E.A.C.E. Afterschool Program, Inc., operates a year-round program consisting of an after school program where children are provided with free homework assistance, social/character development, academic enrichment and community service projects. Ongoing workshops engage cognitive skills that enable the students to say no to gangs. The program is spearheaded by Dr. Fayth Vaughn-Shavuo who sat down with us, and invited 5—which grew to 8!---children to tell their stories. Of particular interest is the words that the children used to talk about COVID. Warren felt it has been boring; Kaymauri was sad that she had to social distance while Fatamata was sad in the beginning of COVID, but is now kind of happy; Jahcai didn’t like that in school there is no more sharing of items/materials; Daniel mentioned being worried and also spending time watching YouTube and eating marshmallows. Jayvien mentioned having to survive and to be careful but not being able to feel anything. Ivrhim felt scared at the beginning of COVID but feels safe now, while Joshua feels annoyed and angry about COVID. Some bright spots: Kaymauri learned how to beat box! In the final interview, Dr. V mentioned the ways in which differences and inequities have been exacerbated by COVID, particularly the dependency upon internet and need to have access for children and everyone in a household. This is particularly a challenge in government housing and situations where there is only 1 device with a parent. Anyone interested in learning more about PEACE, can visit their website: https://www.peaceafterschoolprogram.org/

The Navajo United Way, Inc. received aid from the ASU/Luce Covid-19 Rapid Response project. Community served: Native American (Navajo) Project: Diapers, wipes, water, formula for Navajo children

Our family loves the outdoors. Since the birth of our first child, we have made it a priority to camp at least once each summer. We all look forward to this tradition as a time of togetherness as we disconnect from our busy lives, if even for just a few days. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, camping looks a bit different. But we decided to roll with it and continue our family tradition. Our first camping "trip" was in our backyard. And it was magical. We played and slept outside for 3 straight days. Our second camping "trip" was in our living room. Due the wildfires ravaging Northern California, we have been unable to even go outside for over a week. The kids were thrilled for this new camping experience. Despite the many challenges that 2020 continues to throw our way, the resiliency and positivity of my children remind me that everything will (eventually) be okay. And, yes, we did enjoy s'mores during our camping "trips."

The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked our world. We face new and unprecedented challenges daily. Amidst the chaos, I am doing my best to remind myself to lean into little moments of joy. I am a teacher with 2 elementary school aged children and a baby. Teaching my own classes, while facilitating remote learning for my children, and caring for a baby is difficult to say the least. Did I mentioned that I'm in graduate school? This past week, just when I felt that it was all more than I could handle, I captured the sweetest moment between sisters. While I can't wait to get back to life and school in actual classrooms, I know there are parts of this experience that I will miss. Moments like this are definitely one of them.

Maya's last day of swim class at the Cactus Aquatic center. I can't imagine what it's like to wear a face mask and swim, especially once that mask gets wet. All the lifeguards and instructors wear masks. It's sometimes 117 degrees when we're sitting on the pool deck and sometimes I feel like I can't breathe in the heat. I wish I could get in the pool, but instead the parents are sidelined. Fortunately, if you're actually in the pool you don't have to wear a face mask. The last class basically involved all the kids jumping off the diving board for half an hour. Were they social distanced? No, but I think we're all leveraging some sort of invisible balance where we try to be careful, but try to keep some activities/normalcy going in our kids' lives. Our next class starts in two weeks and I hope it's cooler. Maya graduated from the guppies class to sea turtles.

I was stuck at my grandparents for a month with my two brothers, sister, cousin, and my grandparents during the start of the first wave of COVID-19. We didn't really do anything but stay inside. When we first got there, we had to wipe off my PlayStation 4, PlayStation controller, Headset, and all of my PlayStation games. When we got groceries, we would wipe them off and let them dry overnight. The worst part about the entire thing was that I had to shut my PlayStation off a lot and had to be off at a certain time. It was upstairs so I couldn't try and play on it at night but I also got up at 8:00am or 9:00am for online classes that didn't even count as a grade.

Everything with COVID is different, there is alot that we need to do to prevent the spread of the virus. The spread is vapid, friends are getting it, family members are getting it. We were under quarantine for quite some time, and we were doing virtual learning. The virtual learning was rough, everyone was unprepared for the situation. Not only was the virtual learning hard, but so was maintaining your mental health. Staying home and not having much interaction with people other than your family is a bit rough. You will want to keep yourself occupied, and that can by with anything, drawing, going for a walk/run, watching TV, cooking/baking. Anything to keep you entertained and active in some type of way. This quarantine has been far from easy but it is what needed to be done for the sake of everybody's health. The world is going to be different for quite sometime now, the masks and social distancing seem to be the new normal for a while. But until that's over with everyone has to just do their part so this can all end faster. Washing your hands, not touching your mask unless you've sanitized, putting your mask somewhere clean when you take it off such as a zip lock bag, and getting a new mask everyday. You have to do your part the right way or it won't work, you'll just be cross contaminating germs and you will end up getting sick.

Over the summer I mostly just stayed at home and went over to friends houses. We started sports in June and it only last around 2 weeks and then sports were cancelled until August. Then it was time to go back to school. I picked to do in person classes.

When first in shut down I made this video for my classroom facebook page.

During COVID-19 for me, as a teenager, staying in my room for almost 2 months was extremely hard and seemed unachievable. I had to manage with a ton of stress and anxiety as isolation was not a part of my natural habitat. However, after some period of time, it came to my mind that I have to find a substitution for hanging out with friends and doing outdoor activities. One of my hobbies and new addictions was going to my mom’s bookshelf and picking out books that have caught my eye. On the image above are three books that made me fall in love with literature and made me open my individual thoughts to myself. Through the words of other authors, I was able to not feel alone and get closer with my emotions and inner beliefs. This kind of activity made me devour myself into the stories and lives of the characters that substituted my isolated life and created a safe place for my imagination and conceptions. I am extremely grateful that I was able to explore this new part of my personality and extend my inner world during such a hard time as the pandemic.

The perfect toy for 2020. For kids who want to imitate their parents, here is the toy for them. Note the earbuds, the laptop with Zoom software, the crying baby on the floor, the snacks, and the wine.