Due to restrictions and limitations imposed by the coronavirus, coverage of sports has been put on hold until the spring semester, at which time we hope to be able to cover the wide range of athletic activities in which BT students participate.

In spite of the whirlwind caused by Covid-19, math competition has smoothly adjusted. The team started off the year with Zoom where we expanded our knowledge through practice problems done in groups. As the year progressed, we were fortunate enough to return to school, but many of the competitions that we were eager to attend got cancelled. As a result, Mrs. Ryan and Mr. Williams looked for other competitions for the team to build experience with.

This led to the team joining Arete Labs where each person spends 30 minutes on 8 math problems. Then, the sum of the scores from the top five people on the team gives us our final score. Over the course of the year, the math competition team has competed in Arete Labs each week against teams from all over the country and are planning on competing in the Final Four round on December 14!

Our experience has not only grown through Arete Labs and practice in class but also through the UNL math competition where we had the opportunity to compete in math bowl and Probe II — an extremely difficult free response test that requires both the correct answer and right work for full credit. Here, in math bowl the recreational team went undefeated while the competitive team placed in the top 10 out of 45 schools.

From practice in class to virtual competitions, the Brownell Talbot Math Competition team has only grown in the face of challenges posed by Covid-19. Junior Josh Randolph remarked, “Despite the lack of in person competitions, we have fortunately been able to compete through virtual competitions against teams throughout the country.” The smooth transition of the math competition team has allowed us to gain many new experiences all while improving our ability to solve unconventional math problems.

As COVID-19 continues to overtake the world, some could say that music is taking the brunt of the hit. From online rehearsals to performances put together by zoom, there have been many instances where musicians compromised their sound to put on a live performance. As a person who has been through these instances myself, I want to elaborate on the ways music is affected by the pandemic.

First off, when taking private lessons online through applications such as FaceTime and Zoom, there is definitely a significant difference between in-person v.s. Online lessons. Since most of these applications are built primarily for online meetings and classes, they struggle to fully capture an instrument’s sound, leading to misconceptions on both the teacher’s and learner’s behalfs.

Moving on to ensemble practice, as many orchestras and chamber groups begin rehearsals this fall, there is a struggle in where and when to practice. The Omaha Area Youth Orchestra began their season alternating online rehearsals via Zoom and in-person rehearsals at Camp Kataki. As winter approaches, there is a looming question on whether or not in-person rehearsals are still possible.

As the first semester comes to a close and a vaccine is on the way, there are hopes that musicians and the world can return to a normal lifestyle and allow everyone to continue making music together.