My priorities and values have changed a lot since March. I definitely have a lot more senritoisis than I expected. Since I can’t really see much of my classmates, and online school gets boring after a while, the senioritis is has been hitting me really hard. My senioritis brought me my attitude that high school really means nothing in the big scheme of life. To some people right now it means the world, because they are “top dawg” and don’t really know what life is like outside the bubble. I was like that for a time last year, but I have matured so much. So my values have changed so much. Like I can vividly see right through anyone’s bullcrap. GET OUT OF YOUR BUBBLE PEOPLE, YOU ARE REALLY NOT THAT AMAZING, calm your ego. 

My life is so much slower than it ever was before. With me constantly playing sports and constantly on the go, when I had free time I wouldn’t stay home, I would go see my friends. And that is what my life consisted of, actually having a social life. But now everything is so stagnant. Now, I just workout and do homeowork. I occasionally see my friends. But the only joy I have in my life right now is the possibility of having a basketball season and working out every day after a long zoom-filled day. 

I think things will be different because of this pandemic. Not only this pandemic but all the political uprising there has been going on the past six months. People will never be happy, and the world will carry on hating each other. Because at what point are we going to realize all this negativity is too much for people to handle. And now people are forced into politics because it seems like it’s in people’s lives nowadays. And the world will forever live in fear in upsetting the wrong people because we will have to go in another lockdown. These are just my opinions, and I respect everyone having their own. But with how the world is going right now, it’s going to be a lot different than how it was run a year ago. 

“Since the pandemic started, I have learned many things. I think I have learned most about myself through this whole self isolation period. I have learned how strong I can be; breakups and friendships fizzling, I persevered through.”

My life is wildly different now than it was a year ago. Back then I would leave for school in the morning and not return home until dinner time. With school and extracurricular activities I spent most of my day on or around campus surrounded by my friends and classmates. Now I spend my days at home sitting in front of my computer. I only talk to a small group of people outside of zoom classes and I see even fewer in person. The majority of my classmates, who I used to talk with often, have become like distant strangers to me who I barely recognize anymore. I spend more time on screens and devices now than I ever did before and I have slowly become more and more dependent on technology to help me with nearly all my work. 

When I think about the future it is hard to imagine things simply going back to normal. I do not think things will ever go back to what they were but I do believe things will get better in time. There are certain practices and policies that I think will stick with us and become the new normal even after the pandemic fades such as wearing a mask and especially enhanced cleaning and sanitizing.

Over the past year, I have gained a new appreciation for schools, sports, restaurants, and even gyms. I think these things were easily overlooked as important pieces of everyone’s life and it was only after all of that got taken away that we realized how much it mattered. Sometimes it is really hard to stay positive and not feel sad or depressed about everything that has happened. I think moping around and feeling sorry for myself would only make things worse and instead I try to look at all the positive things i’ve done, the good experiences I’ve had and the crazy stories that has come out of everything. In the future, I hope kids remember this time and see school as a privilege so that they never have to experience something like this at such an important stage in their youth. I have also gained a new appreciation for my teachers and coaches. They have stuck it out with us through everything and have done so much to help and support us while reassuring each and every one of us that they care for and are here for us.

“Over the past year I have learned many things, like how to play the ukulele. Apart from small skills like that I took a look at my life up until this point and re-evaluated the importance of everyday things that I once took for granted.”

How are things different in your life now? 

Quite obviously, day-to-day life has changed drastically, but the thing that has changed the most is how I view the world. I see each day as an opportunity. Every day holds potential, it could be better than, or worse than the previous day. I aim to make each day better than the last. This outlook of mine has led me to live a very positive life within quarantine.

How will things be different in the future?

I think there will be a lot of relearning needed to be done. As people have become accustomed to the new way of life under quarantine, I believe there will be quite a difficult adjustment back to regular life. I think we will need to have stronger patience for everyone as we all begin to adjust back to our normal lives.

“Since March of 2020, I have become very focused on living in the present.”

What activities, routines, and people do we have a renewed appreciation for in our lives?

I am very thankful for the workers who continue their jobs amidst a pandemic. This includes garbage truck drivers, grocery store employees, teachers, and obviously health care workers. These people are constantly risking their lives by going to work, yet they still serve the public everyday. These frontline workers truly are the foundations of our society; without them, we would crumble. We all rely on these dedicated workers. 

I’m so grateful for sports practices as well. Although practices are very limited and quite different from how they were, they are incredibly fun and uniting. I would give anything to have a typical dance season. Unfortunately, that just isn’t possible. I am having so much fun with my team as we bigin to phase back to in-person practices.  I love my team and spending time with them. It is incredible to be with my teammates as we practice our tricks, technique, and routine together.

How did priorities and values change since March 2020?

Before March, I was not very worried about anything except what I was doing that day. So over the summer, it was weird thinking about how quickly my life will change and how my responsibilities will change. By the time school started again I had to prioritize my future and figure out what school I want to go to.

How are things different in your life now?

There isn’t much that is different now besides online school, which is changing very soon. I am still doing sports and I can see some friends outside of school.

How will things be different in the future?

I am not sure how things will be in the future. All I know is that I will be at college and I won’t get to see my friends and family as often. Maybe things will be normal by then, but I do not know.

Activities, routines, and people

I appreciate all the sports I play now more than ever because I forgot how bonding and how fun they are. Also, with online school, I appreciate the ability to have a routine every morning of eating breakfast and doing chores before my classes start. I am very thankful for my family and friends during this time because they have helped me so much.

“Since the pandemic started, I have learned many new things, but the most important thing is that I have to focus on my own mental health and really take care of myself.”

Lukas Weihrauch

What have you learned? 

One thing I’ve learned that has really stuck out to me is how important your relationships are with other people. When you’re in person, you kind of take it all for granted because you see the same people every day but when that privilege is taken from you, you get the chance to take a step back and you realize how important people really are in your life. The pandemic has really taught me to cherish the time I have with the people I get to see every day.

How priorities and values changed since March 2020?

My priorities have definitely shifted since March 2020 in that I tend to focus on myself and how I’m doing instead of thinking about what others think of me. 

How are things different in your life now? 

Me not being able to go anywhere for a while was obviously different but I’ve learned that people can overcome any obstacles they want to if they do it together.

How will things be different in the future?

Obviously a lot of things will be different for a lot of people but I think the community as a whole has been given the opportunity to grow together and I feel like we can really bond over the things we missed during the pandemic. I feel like people will be more appreciative of each other and that this whole pandemic has been a learning experience for everyone.

What activities, routines and people do we have a renewed appreciation for in our lives?

Literally just going to the store is something many people have missed and I feel like the smallest things are the things people will appreciate the most.

Logan Howerton

I have learned a lot about what I need to do to stay focused during school and how to be efficient and organized while doing homework. 

I have definitely started valuing the time I get to spend with my friends and I appreciate how well my family gets along with each other. Because of covid, interactions with my friends have been very limited. Not seeing them every day makes you appreciate them and the time you get to spend with them even more. I also realized that I value being at school in person much more than I previously thought. Being in a controlled environment with your classmates and a teacher in person is so much better than sitting in front of a computer all day.

Most of my time is spent sitting in a chair in my room instead of being at school. I get up and get ready for school around 8 in the morning instead of 6. After school, I get out of the house as quickly as possible because my eyes hurt from staring at a screen for hours on end.