Items

• 2020-03-06

  The Two Week Break

  My Junior year at Midwood High School took an expected turn as a national emergency was declared on March 13, 2020. I remember watching the news with my mother, excited to see I would have two weeks off from school. My mother and I would both be home as all non-essential businesses moved to remote or closed down indefinitely. I immediately messaged my friends about the two week break, planning to play video games all day long. We spent those two weeks staying up late as if it was an extended spring break. Little did I know that those two weeks would turn into months of isolation, living in fear of going into the outside world. I feared for my father as he was a registered nurse at Woodhull Hospital. Not only did he have to go outside everyday for work, but he would be face to face with patients, many sick and dying from this new virus that took the world by surprise. There was no vaccine for almost an entire year, so all he could rely on were masks, gloves, face shields and hair nets. My father and many other medical workers were needed overtime to deal with the immense amount of patients coming in everyday. As he came home from work my mother would bring his clothes and leave them by our front door. I worried for him at work as I feared he could get this virus that we were still learning about. Thankfully he never got sick with Covid-19 during the early pandemic, and with the new vaccines in development many of our fears were put to rest. After almost two months of not having any classes we were introduced to remote learning through zoom and google classroom. It was a very new experience for my fellow classmates and I, but it was nice not having to leave your bed to go to class for a while. However that relief of not waking up early to go to class turned into yearning to go to school and seeing my friends. Waking up every morning to see a screen filled with blank profile pictures with names made me feel very lonesome. I would never imagine missing going to school, but it was something that I had taken for granted. In my senior year of high school there was the option for hybrid learning which I was very excited about, but I'd later find out that there would only be rows of desks set up in my school gyms we used for physical education. It wouldn't be the everyday schedule of switching classes and seeing my friends in the hallways and library. I ended up doing another year of remote learning which was very draining but I managed to do well in all my classes with nothing else to do. Unfortunately I did not have a prom or senior trip, but I was very lucky to have an in person graduation and see all of the people I once saw everyday again. This story of the pandemic is very significant to me as it taught me to never take things for granted as everything can change in a moments notice. The things I'd known as my everyday routine of school and hanging out became a distant memory for a long time until numbers and fears of the virus fell. Being able to go to campus now and have a regular life again is something I will now cherish forever. It is still somewhat hard to socialize again after being isolated for so long, but I have made some friends along the way and I look forward to all the memories that await me in the future.
• 
  2021-08-21

  State Champions

  Before the shut down my junior year of high school, our soccer team had won the state championship. This memory is one of the best experiences of my entire life, but was drowned out by the pandemic. When we returned to school the following August, we were granted our state championship rings--- with a twist. Everyone was in masks, and due to social distancing each player only got to bring 2 family members. It has been a long school tradition that when a team is honored, the entire school and whole families of the players are in attendance. But because of social distancing, this was no longer a possibility. My four little brothers were unable to come, and they were my biggest supporters, My friends and teachers had to watch from the class room via live stream, and although they still got to "see", it simply wasn't the same. This was one of the most important things to me this far into my life, and for the ones I loved and cared for most not to be there for me hurt a lot.
• 
  2021-10-05

  Nate LeMonnier Oral History, 2021/10/05

  It was fun to ask my son about his experience during the pandemic. He handled the whole thing really well which comes across in the interview. I've transcribed the text in the attached Word doc.
• 2020-06-01

  Covid-19 Reflection [MISSING MEDIA]

  My days during the covid-19 pandemic.
• 
  2021-09-15

  CT and LG Oral History, 2021/09/15

  Two college students recall how their final years of high school were changed by COVID-19, discussing how sports were cancelled and classes went online.
• 
  2020-03

  The long summer break

  I submitted what the start of the pandemic was like from the view of a 16-17 year old and how it started the rapidly changed conditions.
• 
  2021

  APUSH Prospect Ridge Academy Student prompt

  Assignment prompt for APUSH (HS juniors) students of partner institution, Prospect Ridge Academy, taught by Kelly Feinstein-Johnson.
• 
  2021-07-08T16:15:30

  Shaking Off this Pandemic with Style

  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. :)
• 
  2021-01-22

  Slipping and Slipping

  School used to be a place where I would find comfort; a place to escape. Ever since the pandemic started, school has been the root of all of my problems. My mental state has hit an all-time low and I often wonder when I will become the cheery and spirited person again. Learning materials used to come easily to me but now I find it so difficult to retain a small amount of information. Now that I am a junior, I've realized that I only got to experience a year and a half of it. I am afraid that by the time the pandemic gets better I'd leave high school with nothing. As a child, I always envisioned my life to pan out to be like those in shows. That is quite a stretch, isn't it? A selfish part of me wants to be able to go live life like past generations have but that doesn't mean I will go out and risk the safety of others as well myself. The world right now is scary... Fate has a mind of its own and as people of this Earth, we will never know what it will throw at us. With that being said I find that the load of work that teachers hand to us derives my motivation. I knew for a fact that this school year would be hard but I never realized how much of a toll it would take on me. Even though this was enough to discourage me, I tried - believe me - to find something that will spark my drive again. I tried to challenge myself and reward myself to fuel my passion for school but it's proving to be impossible as of lately. Will this ever get better? It's been like hell.
• 
  2021-01-20

  Zoomin' Through High School

  As it almost reaches the 1-year mark since COVID drastically transformed our lives, everything has become a norm. It is normal to go out wearing a mask, it is normal to stay in your house all day, and it is normal to go to school or work online. With schools closed down, Zoom has become a necessity to connect to others. As tiring as it is, we wake up every morning and log in Zoom for hours because it is something we have to do. As high school students, we no longer get the chance to make new friends at school, interact with each other during class, or participate in sports. For most, it is certainly upsetting to not be doing all those things right now, but as time goes by, we can only hope that things will go back to normal soon. For me, I do not mind online-learning and being confined to my room all day. Though it is boring, at least I have technology. Everyday, I communicate and connect with my family and friends through text messages, FaceTime, or Zoom. During a time of unrest, the best thing to have is friends and family, and when we can not come in contact with one another, technology is the only way. Since the start of junior year, my best friends and I talk everyday to compensate for the times we could’ve spent together in person. It is hard to plan safe and fun ways to hang out together, but we find ways to interact, such as, studying together on Zoom or daily FaceTimes. However, as our birthdays and the holidays have passed throughout the year, my friends and I have gone to each other’s houses to surprise each other with gifts. When we do choose to see each other in person, we try our best to ensure that none of us are sick and we are all safe. I hope that soon my friends and I can spend time together without worry and have lots of fun before the end of our high school careers. It is no doubt that we all use technology everyday as it has become an essential part of our lives due to this pandemic. 2020 was arguably the most disastrous year that I have experienced so far, and I have hope that 2021 will be better. As I have been living on the same schedule since March 2020 and the first semester comes to an end, it seems like it has made my junior year go by in a zoom.
• 
  2020-09-07

  American Values Essay, Lesson Plan

  This curriculum was designed for a junior level US History course. Students are asked to identify core American values and to formulate a claim in response to the essential question, "Is America currently living up to its core values?" The curriculum and student essays are being submitted to the JOTPY archive to provide a picture of how teenagers view America as a whole in 2020. They also give insight into the vast array of perspectives teenagers living during the COVID-19 pandemic have based on the diversity of their current life experiences.
• 2020-05-31

  Why My Junior Year Was Ruined

  On March 13, 2020, a sudden news that changed humanity itself. After school we received an email about students not being able to go to public school, switching over to remote learning. In an archive by Sophie Ferrara, she elaborates on the pros and cons of the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains how there are many restrictions in preventing the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing, wearing face masks, and forcing stay-at-home orders. But she realizes that she has the opportunity to spare some time with her family and to have time to look at her dream colleges and research them. In another submission that I least resonated with was where there were many complaints about the class of 2020 in all school levels that are moving on are upset that they are going to miss graduation. In reality, that really doesn't matter to me because I still have one year left and it could possibly be different next year on my senior year, it may sound ignorant but it is the truth and if it were to still continue where I can't surpass to my senior year then, yes it will change my perspective of it. The shift from physical school to online school has made an impact in my Junior year, it has changed the way I am able to learn to make it difficult to understand the work when there is no one there to help me physically. It has ruined the way I can communicate with people, making it difficult to speak after isolated for so long at home. I miss being with my friends not being to create more memories with them and not being to make more inside jokes and making each other laugh at the most random things. And finally, my swim season being canceled, not being able to make it league finals and CIF, missing the feeling of being relaxed in the water, missing my second home and family, miss hearing the beep on the start and diving in. In general, I miss being in my classes, waking up at 4 in the morning to prepare myself for practice, and the entire school day. I miss seeing the smile on my teacher's faces every day (Hi Mrs. Jue I miss you) and miss seeing staff smile every day as well. But I pray that all of this ends and we can have the opportunity to go back and have the normal lives we had before receiving that email on March 13th, I want all of us to be happy and continue living their normal lives. Stay safe and wash your hands. xoxo
• 
  2020-05-31

  A Letter to 2021 Me

  I want to share my personal experience and how I'm dealing with COVID-19 quarantine.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Stay Connected with Friends

  During this quarantine, my friends and I felt sadden that we were not able to see each other day to day anymore. We missed the company and speaking to each other face to face again. In order to stay connected to made several Tik Tok's together to pass the time. It was so fun to see the final product and have fun together again. During this pandemic it is really hard to go without company. Even with my family there seems to be something missing and that is my friends. Friends are everything and you must stay in contact no matter what or friendships are going to be difficult to keep up with.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Transition to Online Classes

  As a Junior in college, the transition to online classes have been what I expected. They started off really difficult but as the semester comes to an end, it seems like we are getting used to them now. We were exactly halfway through our semester when we were told to shift to online format. That was quite the disruption. All my belongings were left in my apartment and I had to drive 6 hours to go and move out, since there were no flights. Along with classes still giving a full workload, this was not easy. I found it quite difficult to focus with online classes since it was so easy to drift off while listening to a zoom lecture. Normally, I don’t use a laptop in lecture halls because it is to distracting. And I was right, it is very distracting. Nevertheless, midterms were also a fiasco. Only one was proctored and that was a mess. It was through zoom and it was quite distracting. The average ended up being in the 50’s leading to a big curve given to us. My exams that weren’t proctored were still difficult since learning the material was a challenge. I am studying computer science so the material in my Junior year is quite challenging. Nevertheless, everyone has made their best effort to the transition. One thing that is the hardest with the transition were projects. My classes had group projects and working online like this with a group is difficult. We often couldn’t get a time to work because we are in different time zones. In addition, we had to screen share and give remote access to each others computers to complete basic tasks. Often I found it better to just work alone and then collaborate for email. Losing the interaction of groups was the most difficult. However, the professor was considerate and gave extensions and a lot of extra credit. He added upward of 40 bonus points to help us. This shows that professors do understand the hardship to transfer to remote learning, because even they must be facing hardships during these times. If this has to continue in the Fall it wont be as bad because I would only be taking electives in my final year. I would miss the interactions that I have on campus but it is unfortunate situation we are all in and we are making the best of this situation.
• 2020-05-04

  A Life in Coronavirus Isolation: The Importance of Human Interaction

  I am currently a rising junior studying at Bates College. This semester has been extremely tough for me, as our school switched to remote learning about halfway through due to the Coronavirus, forcing myself and the entirety of the student body to go home and continue classes online. When the administration announced that we would be required to leave campus on Friday, March 13th, the student body had the opposite reaction of what the faculty had hoped would happen. As opposed to packing up and getting away from campus immediately, the vast majority of the student body, including myself, partied like there was no plague that could kill us all. I began to appreciate how important genuine human interactions were- sober or not- and knew that this switch to strict isolation in my home would certainly act as a stressor for the mental health issues I had been dealing with for most of my life. The move to online learning was particularly tough for me, as whereas some of my peers still had set lecture times with their professors and classmates on Zoom, all of my course's professors made the choice to either just post powerpoints and video lectures, or, in one case have us continue to work through the class material, teaching ourselves the ideas in small groups (which turned out to be particularly ineffective, as the groups were mostly focused on dividing up work amongst ourselves). This setup not only completely threw my sleep schedule off, where I was falling asleep around 4 or 5 in the morning, and sleeping till 2 or 3 in the afternoon, but the lack of human interaction and the inability to put myself in a working environment led the time I had dedicated to getting my assignments done extremely unproductive. As the end of the semester neared, the considerably lighter workload that had been given to us became much heavier, as I planned out a schedule for me to finish all my course assignments in 2 weeks, then 1 week, then 5 days, and then 48 hours. When mapping out that last plan, I knew that I had to follow it to a T, and it will be one of the hardest things I ever had to do. However, much like the first 2 months in isolation, I continued to be extremely unproductive, despite staying up however long it would take for me to finally get to work. The stress had finally got to me, and I hit rock bottom the morning after I had successfully carried out the most important parts of my 48-hour plan. COVID-19 was the stressor for my mental health issues to impact my life like they never had before.
• 
  2020-04-24

  The Life of a College Student During the Pandemic

  his time that we are living it is uncertain and creates fear in a lot of us.