1,034,240 is the number of people that have died from COVID-19 as of October 4th, 2020. We all know 2020 has been a devastating year many families losing loved ones to this pandemic. But no one has really thought about the toll it’s having on the lives of the busy teens going through school, work and their daily lives in general. When this whole Coronavirus outbreak hit the news headlines not many people took it seriously, until we seen the loss of many lives around the world. But what many people didn’t expect is how many teens would be affected by it in their daily lives, especially in school.  

Schools this year had to take a different approach, and just how did Carbondale community high school plan on having a successful year well I had the opportunity to sit down with Principal Thomas to find out. With him only being Principal  for a few years now this is new to him as well. 

“I was definitely nervous about having students in the building, and about the stress and pressure with the teachers teaching the many groups” he made it very clear that he was worried about how this school year was going to go not for his self but for the students and teachers.

“We know it’s hard and the structure we provide we won’t be able to help as much as we can without that in person connection. So, a lot of school are weighing the good and bad of coming back to school”. The school knows just how hard this online schooling is but they have done a lot to accommodate to help get everyone use to this new school year so far. The administration team along with the counseling team have made it clear that they are here to support the students they have open hours of communication from 8-3pm daily, where they are available for questions and concerns. The schools hoping to be back in session mid-October right after first quarter, but only if it is safe to do so.  

In staying on the topic of teens I had the chance to sit down and chat about the issue at hand with some of my fellow 2021 classmates, Taylor Thames and Jevon Scott. While talking with them they had some similar views on just how they though their senior year was going to go and let me tell you it wasn’t being stuck behind a computer screen. 

“Before the school year started, I honestly thought that we would be able to still be at school in person. I thought now everything would have been back to normal” in other words she didn’t expect her senior to be so different.

“I thought COVID was going to be over by the end of summer and I was going to get to go back to school and enjoy my senior year”. Both had the same expectations has I expect most seniors did. As of now it seems that COVID might be around for a bit longer, and how is that supposed to affect these soon to be freshman’s all over again in a bigger playing field.

“well right now it’s affecting my grades because it’s harder to focus being at home behind a screen all day. With my grades being affected my GPA will be affected too, but I’m working on getting both of those back to where I want them for college.” Jevon’s determined to not let COVID get the best of him or his grades.  

With Taylor I think she actually found a bit of relief out of this pandemic “As a senior COVID-19 is making college application process harder. Since we can’t visit any of the colleges so I can’t see if these colleges fit me as a person. But it has made some colleges more leniently about their requirements and test options which is a bright side”. A lot of colleges have taken into consideration that it won’t be easy for seniors right now, so they are trying to make things less stressful.   

Senior year is about making and enjoying those bittersweet memories. But for the class of 2021 it has been a different year so far. With having to complete the many steps of getting prepared for college at home behind screens, and the hold of on SAT’s and ACT’s this first semester has been stressful. Although there has be chatter about going back to school for the second quarter, which seem very slim as number have risen to 1,048,181 death as of October 7th. Hopefully in January things will start looking up for them with their senior prom in April, then graduation in May, maybe they will get the senior year they were expecting. 

With this pandemic going who knows how long it’ll take for things to get back to normal, but hopefully schools and students can continue to accommodate for the rest of the school year, they might still be able to get a good memory out of it with a little school spirit.