Items

• 
  2021-11-28

  JOTPY High School Reflection

  This is the optional extra credit assignment given to students at Garden Grove High School in Orange County, CA to complete over Thanksgiving Break. For context, these students are juniors who experienced school closure during their freshman year, spent their entire sophomore year over Zoom, and did not set foot on campus again until the first day of school this year. Garden Grove High is a Title One school that serves a population where 65% of students are identified as economically disadvantaged. The ethnic/racial breakdown of the student body is: 50% Hispanic, 41% Asian, and 6% White.
• 
  2021-08-11

  Sorry, Not Sorry. Vaccines Are Necessary.

  In two years of everything under the sun becoming political, it’s not a shock that vaccines are yet another unnecessarily politicized topic. Of course, unlike masks, which were not a part of our daily routine prior to 2020, vaccinations and anti-vaxxers are not new. And honestly, if my two elementary aged kids could be vaccinated I would care a lot less about anti-vaxxers. I think they’re selfish, but for the most part, they’d be hurting themselves (and the immuno compromised that cannot be vaccinated.) But my kids can’t be vaccinated and I have been trying to stay positive knowing next week they’re walking into a classroom with only a mask for protection. I asked my mom “what is their teachers are unvaccinated?” I mean, every unvaccinated person poses a risk - what is the adult in charge is an anti-vaxxer and anti-masker? So it was with complete and utter shock and total relief to get the official word that teachers in the state of CA must be vaccinated. It’s a shame that this seals the fate on governor Newsom’s recall. I don’t love the guy, but I sure as heck want him more than a DeSantis and considering the last time CA recalled a governor, we ended up with the Terminator in charge…well. With Florida’s teachers being threatened with losing their pay over mandating masks, I am relieved to live in a state taking the opposite approach. Call us Commiefornia, I don’t care. Like I’ve been saying for a year and a half, this is a public health crisis. This isn’t about politics, it’s about an invisible virus that is continuing to mutate and spread. And as a teacher, I truly believe it’s my responsibility to do anything to help mitigate the spread.
• 
  2021-08-11

  There is No Good Decision

  My daughter is very athletic. I don’t make that statement lightly. I do not lie and I will look you in the eye and tell you my son is not an athlete. But my daughter was born with a natural ability for sports. Anything she tries, even recreationally, she excels at. When she was 3, she began gymnastics and in first grade, she joined the competitive team. It’s not just that she’s athletic, she works extremely hard. So making her sit out an entire season due to COVID was not an easy decision. I do not regret it, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. When this season began in May, we cautiously allowed her to return, fully masked. The cases were down and the coaches wore masks. We decided the risk was worth it for her mental health. Then the COVID restrictions were lifted June 15. My daughter became the only one in the full gym with a mask. We hoped for the best and have been lucky so far. But the cases are exploding. They are higher now than this time last year. What do we do? All her friends are from the gym. Truly. She doesn’t have any close friends at school because most of her time is spent at the gym. Can we take that away from her again? She worked out every single day of quarantine to stay in shape and she did. Can we look at her and basically say her work was for nothing? There is no good choice. What is more important? Protecting her physically or giving her the part of her life that secures her mental health? At the end of last week, I was seriously considering pulling her as the daily cases rose to 1,000+. However, in a move that shocked me knowing the clientele and position of the gym on this entire pandemic, even her gym has reinstated masks for all coaches. This made me feel maybe 5% better. Her one on one session is also from 8 - 9pm, which I was bummed at at first - so late for a kid! But I quickly realized we’re the only ones in the gym that late, which lowers my anxiety a bit. So we’re going to take the risk for now and allow her to continue going. I just hope it’s not a decision we regret.
• 
  2021-07-29

  Restaurant That Probably Spits in People’s Food Says It’ll Only Serve Unvaccinated Customers

  This colorful article by Vanity Fair explores the anti-vax, anti-government Huntington Beach restaurant Basilico’s Pasta e Vino. The writer urges its readers to avoid this restaurant and its "anti science" owner.
• 
  2021-07-29

  Basilico’s Pasta e Vino in Huntington Beach

  After submitting a restaurant's sign promoting their anti-vax stance I was curious as to whether or not they were still in business. It turns out this restaurant has made quite a buzz in California. They unapologetically promote misinformation and publically prefer their customers to be unvaccinated but happily took thousands in PPP funds. They have spent money on controversial billboards and are not at risk of losing their liquor license. I'm so interested to see where else this story goes. The last sentence of this article sums up the ignorance of the restaurant owner - “Our stand is for all Americans,” wrote Roman. “They can thank us later.”
• 
  05/04/2021

  Devyn Nguyen Oral History, 2021/05/04

  Interviewee discussed what life is like graduating during the pandemic, working in a small family-owned business and the pushback against COVID safety in Orange County. She describes how the pandemic has brought her family together along with the tight-knit community with similar social values she has created.
• 
  2021-04-15

  Another Victim of a COVID Economy

  I have anxiety. It’s not uncommon, and I have coping mechanisms. One of the things that helps me not fixate on things out of my control is being active. So I run. And for the past six years, I have been very committed to “barre,” which is similar to Pilates. My barre studio is my respite from the world, one hour to focus just on myself and my muscles. And the supportive community is unlike any other I have been a part of (I’ve done boot camps, kickboxing, etc. and have never found anything like this.) Since exercise is crucial to my mental health, when the pandemic began, I knew I could not stop working out. Especially with a household of five suddenly being at home together 24 hours a day! I was extremely fortunate that my barre studio immediately transitioned online. In fact, all throughout this pandemic, I have held them up as my example of the exact right way to deal with this situation. They made a digital library, offered multiple daily live classes over Zoom, reopened as a hybrid. My barre classes have been the constant throughout this pandemic, especially before I returned to work in person. Up until a few weeks ago, my most consistent live interaction with adult humans not living in this house were my barre instructors and the other women in the classes. So when I opened my email and saw this message, it hit me like a ton of bricks. They couldn’t survive COVID-19. It makes sense - they had two studios before COVID and rent is not cheap in Orange County. I am, of course selfishly sad - where will I find a reasonably priced, low impact but high intensity exercise studio that is five minutes from both my daughter’s gym and our church? But my real sadness is for the small business owner who opened this studio eight years ago. She is truly passionate about physical and mental health and is probably one of the most positive people I have ever met. And in a way that doesn’t annoy you, which honestly is a gift. As people get excited about businesses reopening, it makes me reflect on how many more have had to close their doors permanently.
• 
  2021-03-02

  The 128th Day, aka Day One

  For the first time in 374 days, I taught from my classroom today. It is the 128th day of school, we have only one quarter left. As nervous as we are about our community and the COVID risk level, I feel very positive and relieved to be back. COVID numbers have dropped considerably, and though I haven’t always seen eye to eye with my district in the way this entire pandemic has been handled, at the end of the day, I really feel like the right decisions were made Compared to neighboring districts, I feel our safety standards exceed the norm. It is strange still - the largest in person class I will have is seven students and the smallest is zero! Many families in our community have opted to continue distance learning through the rest of the school year, which I understand. We made the same choice for our two kids! Still, it was nice for the first time in over a year to wake up and have somewhere to go. Even though on one hand it seems ridiculous to Zoom an entire class of kids with two kids in the classroom who are sitting far away from me with headphones on and are logged into also the same Zoom meeting, I did feel re-energized to just be back in my classroom. I don’t think I have a greater prayer right now than for the vaccines to continue to work and for the adolescent and pediatric trials to successfully run their course. Wouldn’t it be incredible to have the kids vaccinated by fall? I know it will not be a reality for all students, but I think that piece of the puzzle will be a big part in mitigating the spread. In the meantime, I’ll continue to follow the pleas of the SOS sign that is taped all over the school. Indeed, let’s save our school year and the next one, too!
• 
  2021-02-17

  Vaccination Blues

  My homeland, Orange County, has not been a place to be very proud of during COVID-19. Between anti-maskers, inept leadership, lack of transparency, and inequity in access to both COVID-19 testing and vaccines, this year has been a roller coaster in our little coastal chunk of CA. The vaccine roll out has been a massive headache. For the past month on Instagram, I see post after post of people younger than I who are getting their vaccinations because they live in another part of the state or country, while locally it's only health care workers I know that have been able to be vaccinated. Although other parts of CA (and the country) have begun to vaccinate teachers and food workers, Orange County is stubbornly (as I was told in a meeting today) waiting until 50% of the over 65 population is vaccinated before they open it up to the next tier. Though this causes me endless anxiety - will I be able to get a vaccine before my high school of 2500 opens for in person instruction - the one relief of the week was that my 65 year old mother was FINALLY able to get a vaccination appointment. The Othena system is a joke - she tried numerous times and couldn't get an appointment for the supposed super pods. Kaiser is still only vaccinating 75+! The Nextdoor app clued us in that a local hospital (where my mom has her insurance) was starting to vaccinate. Despite logging on in the very beginning of February, the earliest appointment she could get is for March 3. She took it, but I wanted to keep searching, because I worry that if the next Tier opens, she may have trouble getting a second shot if she waits until March 3. Nextdoor again clued me in to Rite-Aid, where a friend of my mom's outside OC got her vaccine. Best part - you go directly through Rite Aid, so no Othena! Success! My mom made her appointment on Saturday for tomorrow. We were jubilant! I told both my best friends about the Rite Aid trick, and within three days, they had their elderly family members signed up. Today, an hour after my best friend texted me that her dad got his Rite Aid vaccine, my mom sent me her cancellation message. Apparently the current winter storms have delayed the arrival of vaccines. My mom got lucky again, because it turns out that our school district is vaccinating employees 65+. Though retired, because she is a part time employee, my mom received an invitation today. Once she got the Rite Aid cancellation, she made her an appointment with the school district. Tomorrow is the first day the school district is vaccinating, so we have no idea what to expect, and are a little nervous because her insurance is not one of the carriers of the school district. Fingers crossed that she can still get it! Though I am genuinely happy for everyone getting vaccinated, it is frustrating that it is so much work here to try and get one. Using the Othena site hasn't worked for anyone I know - everyone I know has been vaccinated through their work or somewhere like Rite Aid. Honestly, if I see another post of someone with their vaccination card with a "do your part!" message I am going to throw my phone at the wall. I do want to do my part, if only Orange County would get their act together and manage this whole roll out better. Come on Orange County, you can do better.
• 2021-01-07

  What was Christmas like for you this year, and how was it different?

  My Christmas this year during covid, has some differences from a typical year but not many. We usually have a Christmas party at my grandparents home in Newport with extended family that is pretty old, but this year it was just my cousins and family that I normally see. On Christmas morning nothing changed from a normal year and it was nice.
• 2020-10-18

  The Summer of Stress

  In the days following my graduation from community college in 2015, I fulfilled my lifelong pursuit of procrastination and let my apartment lease run out without securing a new residence. The two weeks of couch surfing and car sleeping which followed surely taught me a lesson in preparedness. I never thought I would be in a situation where I would lose my job and home. in 2015, I still had a job. I had friends who could take me in and help me re-establish; it is easier to continue work and remain healthy when sleeping indoors and enjoying hot showers daily. But in 2020, the story is different. My friends could still take me in; many urged me to. But the pandemic put a weight on my mind that I was not safe to stay with my friends; and I couldn't stay with one friend for a long time (and therefore minimize new contact). I am incredibly afraid that I could harm my friends' families because of the pandemic. Then my job as a cashier at a 7-Eleven by the Orange County Airport was lost because the travel and traffic in the airport area dropped drastically as lockdowns and travel restrictions began; many stores in the area closed. I waited all of summer before I applied for assistance. I kept thinking it would be like the two weeks in 2015; but this was not just my own negligence as a procrastinator, this was my own fault compounded by the pandemic. As the method of my hygiene (24 Hour Fitness) closed, I truly felt the weight of stress on my mind. No more daily hot showers. Luckily my mobile residence, my car, allows me to sleep near the cold showers of the beach. Luckily the YMCA has begun phased re-opening, and I began showering there end of September when I could afford the membership. I am still without a job, and without a permanent residence. It was impossible to manage what money I still have, because eating as a homeless person is not cheap; hot food costs far more money than grocery bought. I had to use my friend's address to even get EBT/food stamps; this is why the homeless folk who are less fortunate than me, who no longer have friends pursuing their safety with them, suffer. There is no address for EBT to send them the food stamps, or they as people in need simply have no friends who can help them shoulder the stress of bad fortune and extreme circumstances.
• 
  09/18/2020

  Daniela Lin Oral History, 2020/09/18

  Daniela gives us an inside look at what it was like to be a high school senior during COVID-19. She also talks about what it was like living in California during the pandemic. Daniela takes us through her experiences with graduation, prom, friends, and just generally what her life has been like living through the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• 
  2020-07-14

  O.C. School Board Announces Return to Class

  Orange County has been one of the cultural battlegrounds in the U.S. over all issues surrounding the coronavirus. As reopening the economy and the mask debate have somewhat receded, the next major issue is how schools will go about returning to classes in the Fall. Despite the existing health concerns, the school board voted to proceed with suggestions concerning health concerns, but no mandates. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #orangecounty. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it highlights the public reaction to the ongoing debate on how to successfully get students back to school. Link to the CBSLA article: (https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/07/13/oc-school-board-classes-fall/)
• 
  2020-06-19

  Orange County doesn't like Masks

  Throughout the country, people have been looking for ways big and small to help fight the coronavirus. One of the simplest ways of helping has been wearing a mask. In Orange County, the populace has reacted aggressively against any mandate to wear a mask. Although various gyms, restaurants, and bars are reopening and suggesting that people wear masks and social distance, most of the time people are willfully ignoring the orders. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #orangecounty. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it shows the response of many individuals in Orange County when forced to wear a mask. Doing so makes one a bit of a pariah.
• 
  2020-06-12

  COVID-19 Skeptics at an Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting

  A video of COVID deniers speaking at a public Board of Supervisors meeting in Orange County.
• 
  2020-05-05

  George Floyd Protest in Orange County

  I live in that area and although we are going through a pandemic, many people were in attendance and not following social distancing rules.
• 
  2020-05-28

  Irvine Ramen Restaurant Reopen with Placing Tables Apart to Practice Social Distancing

  Photo was taken in HiroNori Craft Ramen, one of earliest restaurants open for dine in in Orange County. Tables are placed apart and you need to scan QR code for menu (They also have disposable menus too). The photo was taken on May 28. But as of today, June 4, it is hardly to see any other restaurants open for dine in in the area.
• 
  2020-05-04

  Thank You

  I first saw this picture on Instagram. I remember that day, many OC residents drove by the medical Center with posters, and many medical workers waved to the outside. Then I looked it up in the LA Times. Their smiles are so contagious for me that I have to share them.
• 
  2020-05-14

  Boba Tea Shop's Open Floor

  Tan Cha is a popular boba tea shop chain. This is the newly opened Irvine location. They have prepared tables and seats for indoor seating but are unable to utilize them due to the ban on dining in. To facilitate social distancing, all the tables and chairs have been shoved to the walls, leaving an unusually large open floor in the middle.
• 
  2020-05-31

  Orange County

  The pandemic has not hit my area to hard, I have not experienced much difficulty besides with the food that I eat and the access to the gym. When my family goes to the local store for groceries and supplies it is limited in what I can buy but overall, we manage the necessities. My real hardship comes with access to the gym, I truly miss the gym, there were so many weights and machines, it allowed me to...basically edit my body through time and hard work and I thoroughly enjoyed that feeling of process, that I was reaching my goal. Although due to the COVID-19 situation I cannot go to the local gym and therefore must rely on home workouts with a limited variety of weights, this restriction makes it much harder to keep progress up and get the results I am working towards. This situation of constantly being at home makes me want to sit and laze about but as long as one keeps the mind set on progress, even if slower, they can make it. I encourage others to pursue their goals as much as they can, make the best of a bad situation and start an inner journey, pick up hobbies such as painting, gardening, or reading, I know for sure that this time has allowed me to read and really understand literature more. Pick up upon hobbies that don't pose a threat to others and the time will pass and you will gain much from this as I am doing now. This time is difficult yes, but altogether, pales in comparison to others during this time.
• 
  2020-05-31

  A Time For Reflection

  Like everybody else, I have recently spent the majority of my days at home. I can say that I have had my fair share of ups and downs, some that I never even saw coming, but I think that there is a lot that I can take from my time in isolation. Of course, I really miss some things about my normal life such as talking to my friends every day at school and practicing for my school's track and field team, but in the end, I realize that I have to fix my head onto the present and do what I need to do right now until the whole COVID-19 pandemic blows over. I joined my school's track and field jumps team this year, and as season approached, I was stoked to see where my performance would stand. I actually felt as if I had found a hobby that I genuinely enjoyed doing, and even better, it was productive too. Its hard knowing that something so out of my control impacted my life as well as the lives of those around me so much, but at the same time, I have to remember that there are countless other people that have it way worse than I do. I would say that I am upset about not being able to experience track season this year, but I can always look forward to the next, or at least the possibly of there being a "next season". As for some other student athletes, they have it worse. Many seniors did not get to have their final moments in their athletic career, and worse, they won't get the graduation they looked forward to. It is sad when you realize that so many people have been affected by this pandemic, but it is important to look forward in the face of adversity. I admit that I spent way too much time complaining about what I won't get to experience because of the corona virus, but I recently began to see the lesson that this quarantine is trying to teach me, to teach all of us. For anyone awake during these uncertain times, it seems as if the year somehow gets worse and worse every month. As disaster rears its head, we must act appropriately in order to turn each moment of misfortune into a learning experience. I am grateful for what this quarantine has helped me realize, because with all of this time reflecting, I feel like I was given the time to really think about my past and my regrets. It would have been easy for me to say that this pandemic has made me miserable, but I want to bring light to such a dark time by acknowledging the positives I have been obtaining from this quarantine. Although many of us have lost a lot, there is always hope for new opportunities in the future.
• 
  2020-05-31

  Life in a Macbook

  Ever since school has been cancelled in person, I've been doing all my assignments on my laptop. I never thought that I would be kind of home-schooled but it's just the way it is. It has been a routine of mine to wake up and immediately grab my laptop to see if any of my teachers have assigned any work. I can manage working on my laptop but I miss seeing friends and teachers.
• 
  2020-04-20

  GGHS Replica in Minecraft

  NOTE: The following replica was not created by me but a few friends of mine. They gave me a tour and permission for some of my other friends to use this map for a Spanish Oral. This particular snap of this area is the same area my friends and I hanged out during lunch. Since a month and more has passed in quarantine, it was inevitable that I would dearly miss it. So when I joined my friend's server spawned at the school entrance, I was hit by a wave of pure nostalgia. I tried recreating the routes I got to classes. Not everything was exactly recreated perfectly, though I can still remember those areas by heart. As impressive and nostalgic it was, it showed that there could be potential in using virtual sandboxes to recreate real life facilities. Just imagine if Garden Grove High School required us to run Minecraft in order to go to school.
• 
  2020-05-24

  JOTPY Archive High School Assignment

  This is the assignment given to my high school juniors at GGHS in Southern California to facilitate their interactions with the archive. Assignments with the #gghsapush hashtag should be related to this assignment. GGHS serves approximately 2300 students, and has an approximate demographic breakdown of: 50% Latino, 39% Asian, 7% White, and 4% other. 66% of the student body is identified as socio-economically disadvantaged, and 23% are identified as English Learners. #gghsapush
• 
  2020-05-19

  Six of seven 'high-risk' sex offenders released early in California over coronavirus are back in jail

  Pandemic causes high risk criminals to be released early.
• 
  03/17/2020

  Finding Alternative Ways to Exercise

  As the pandemic first began to spread and garner attention, gyms in Orange remained open. At the beginning of March, I first began to notice that the number of people in the gym during peak hours was beginning to decline. Hours were still the same, but the staff also took up the practice of roaming throughout the gym with disinfectant and paper towels, trying to clean down each machine after it was used. On March 17th Governor Newsom declared a statewide stay at home order, and when I tried to get one last workout in I came across this sign. *Original text in Creator: Fitness-19 posted the sign *Original text in Contributor: Joey Dorion took the photo
• 
  05/14/2020

  Post Office Safety Signs

  Most businesses in Orange, CA closed when the governor first announced the stay at home order in mid-March. One of the businesses to stay open is the post office. It has become all the more important as people try to stay connected and still continue with daily life as best they can. The Post office has a number of safety measures put in place for their customers: signs like the picture above listed in about 8 languages, plexiglass dividers between postal worker and attendant, and signs on the floor to practice social distancing. *Original text in Contributor: Joey Dorion took the photograph
• 
  05/11/2020

  Class of 2020 Graduates at a Distance

  Schools in Orange County closed a few days before the Governor of California declared a mandatory stay at home order. While this action has affected multiple aspects of the educational experience, it has also made it particularly difficult to celebrate those students that are graduating. Everyone is trying to figure out different ways to celebrate, one of which was to hang banners announcing the graduate and their college of choice come the fall.
• 
  2020-04-27

  Protestors Gather to Call for an End to Social Distancing

  Protestors on April 27th in locations across Orange County gathered to call for an end to social distancing, a return to work, and the removal of CA Governor Newsom. The protest was a few hours long, and featured a variety of messages. Some practiced social distancing and wore masks and other protective gear. Most ignored recommendations.
• 
  2020-03-12

  Mr. Atherton's Pandemic Journal

  Semi-daily journal recording the thoughts of a California middle school history teacher in the early days of the pandemic, shared with his students as he wrote it.
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  2020-04-29

  Warning to People Trying to Park in Local Neighborhoods to Use Peter's Canyon

  OC Parks closed the parking lots of their county parks, and encouraged people to stay at home and visit parks within walking distance. However, warm weather has led people to drive to parks such as Peter's Canyon to hike. Police attempt to keep these people away by forbidding parking in the neighborhoods surrounding the canyon.
• 
  2020-04-25

  Checkerboard Notices

  Since the quarantine was declared in California, the local branch of Wells Fargo that I use has been filling up their windows with more signs and announcements. With each new development or health recommendation, a new sign went up. It has reached the point where you cannot look through the doors anymore because of the number of postings.
• 
  2020-04-03

  Sidewalk art from some of the children in my local neighborhood expressing optimism during a time when it is in short supply.

  As children in Orange County have been out of school, they have been putting in time and effort to try and brighten the mood around the neighborhood. This image is but one of many that I have stumbled across walking throughout my neighborhood, each one with inspirational messages about how we will get through this.