March 2021

FROM THE EDITORS

By Aishani Srikumar and Crystal Huang

With third-quarter coming to an end and spring break right around the corner, we would like to welcome you to our March Verbatim issue! We hope that you can take this time to relax during this much-needed spring break and enjoy a couple of Shamrock Shakes along the way.

This month, our feature story covers vaccine rollout, and interviews vaccinated BT community members ranging from teachers to parents of students. In our activities section, you can learn about the overwhelming success in our student body as Science Bowl, Academic Decathlon, and Cheerleading all won State; the speech team won Districts and is hoping to win the state speech title too. Our community section embraces spring, asking people what brings them luck and their plans for spring break. This look into days with warmer weather is accompanied by advice on avoiding burnout and accommodating new technology, along with information about Audubon Center and Rowe Sanctuary. Then, in our culture section, we review Carole King’s album Tapestry and March of the Penguins, which might become your favorite album and documentary if you enjoy our description. Verbatim also shares recipes that will surely get you in the spring spirit, such as split pea soup and lemon bread. Finally, if you enjoy writing or drawing, make sure to send a submission to The Ivy and the Ashlar!

FEATURE

A Most Welcome Shot in the Arm

By Verbatim Staff

As we head into spring break this year, it’s worth looking back to just a year ago, when mask wearing, remote learning, quarantine, and lockdowns were just starting to enter our consciousness. After a long year of adjusting to this new reality, and then some, we might finally be entering a moment of optimism. What hope that we have for a less stressful spring, and perhaps even a seemingly normal summer, is owed in large part to the development and deployment of multiple coronavirus vaccines.

According to the New York Times, the current number of adults in the state of Nebraska who have received at least one dose of a vaccine is still below 20%, which puts the state roughly in the middle compared to other states in regard to how much vaccine has been administered. Within Douglas County, the Health Department’s “vaccine dashboard” notes that just over 10% of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated.

Within the Brownell Talbot community, the number of faculty, staff, and family members who have been vaccinated continues to grow. Mia Hatcher and Sidra Miller, Class of 2024, both have family members who were among the first to receive the vaccine in Douglas County. Both of their parents said that the first vaccine dose wasn’t painful and there were very few side effects. The second dose made each of them have headaches, a fever, and muscle soreness.

On campus, one of the first faculty members to be vaccinated was Mrs. Rise, Robotics Coach and Upper School Math Teacher. In an interview with Verbatim, she described her experience being vaccinated for COVID-19: “I went to Christ Community Church and there were probably around 100 people in the waiting area, but it went surprisingly fast. They were running a little bit behind, but it was not bad at all. It took probably 50 minutes, which was fast considering the large amount of people being vaccinated. It really didn’t hurt at all. I’d say the flu shot hurt worse.”

Pictured: Sidra Miller's father and Mia Hatcher's mother receive their first doses of vaccine.

Many students are likely wondering when younger age groups will be eligible for vaccinations. In an interview with Ms. Jane McGinty, M.S.N., R.N., who is a supervisor of clinical operations at the Douglas County Health Department, she reiterated that it may still be some time before the BT student population receives the vaccine: “currently, even though vaccine research is ongoing, the Moderna as well as the J&J vaccines are licensed only for those who are 18 years and older while the Pfizer vaccine is licensed for those who are 16 years of and older. So, students not meeting that age requirement will not be able to receive the vaccine until approval by the FDA.” It doesn’t sound like we’ll be taking our masks off any time soon this school year. However, she did offer some reasons to be optimistic about next year: “depending on the collective… outcome of the vaccination effort reflecting overall herd immunity (85% or >) as well as community infection levels, the next school term possibly could be closer to normal.”

Despite the positive news emerging from places where vaccines have been effectively distributed, there remains a sizable population in the U.S. and elsewhere that is hesitant to receive the vaccine. For some people, there is concern over how quickly the vaccines were developed and questions about whether or not they have been adequately researched. For others the hesitancy stems from worries over possible side effects, beyond the sore arms and fatigue that many recipients have described. And there are also communities who have longstanding distrust of the medical community and are wary of exposing themselves to harmful products. Recent polling suggests, however, that a vast majority of Americans are interested in receiving vaccine, and that number increases with each subsequent survey.

Myriad unknowns remain with the coronavirus and the vaccines. Looking ahead to one year from now, can we hope to look back on this time as one of many challenges and difficulties, but also one that brought communities together and pushed the boundaries of innovation and cooperation to overcome one of the gravest threats our civilization has faced? On campus there is no doubt fatigue over the restrictions and alterations caused by the pandemic, but if you pass someone in the hallway with what looks like a sore arm, be hopeful that patience, hard work, and ingenuity are slowly but steadily improving a difficult situation.

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