Academic Articles

MENTAL HEALTH AT CRLS AND HOW DISTANCE LEARNING CAN AFFECT IT

By: Julia Shaw

We all know how much the physical health of CRLS students has deteriorated during this quarantine. Staying inside all day, not getting much exercise, and spending all day on a computer screen can take a toll. But what about students’ mental health? Is CPSD taking the mental health of their students into account with distance learning?

“I feel like it really depends on the type of student and the type of environment they are comfortable learning in,” answered Elena Cooper, ‘21, when asked if distance learning has a positive or negative effect on students’ mental health. “I think it really depends. For a lot of students school was the reason for their bad mental health, but for others school was a distraction,” agreed Valentina Sevilhano Duarte, ‘23. This experience completely varies from student to student. Some are most likely relieved to stay at home every day, while others wish they could go to school. Molly Doran, ‘21, stated, “A school for some people was an escape from their lives at home, and now all they can do is stay at home.” School is a gigantic part of all students’ lives, and therefore greatly impacts their mental health. When that learning environment is completely taken away like this, mental health is going to be affected in some way.

Doing academic work online isn’t where these changes stop. This quarantine has caused everyone to stop seeing friends and stop having face to face interactions with lots of people every day. Although there is nothing the CRLS administration can do to help this, it still impacts everyone’s mental health, and could therefore have an influence on academic work. Margaret Rowe, ‘23, stated, “I think it’s been a difficult transition because we're used to seeing friends and peers every day.” Sami Friedman-Wellisch, ‘23, agreed, “I consider many of my friends a part of my family, and it's been really hard not being able to see them.” Although many people are able to facetime their friends, or do something to talk to them while at home, it isn’t the same. Being stuck in your house all day will matter, even if you stay in contact with your friends.

Although CRLS teachers are continuing to give students work, and possibly having meetings with them, it isn’t the same. Audrey O'Donnell, ‘23, said, “The hardest part is not having the structure and needing to make that structure for yourself and keeping track of the work.” Without the normal structure of a school day, many students have expressed that it is extremely difficult to find the motivation to do their schoolwork, especially if it doesn’t affect their grade. Molly Doran stated, “I have no urge to do any school work and it’s going to have a huge impact on me when I have to go back to school … online learning is making me not want to do anything besides sleep.” Without a physical classroom environment to learn in, it can be difficult to keep track of work and get everything done.

So, what is CRLS doing about this? Is it enough? Sami Friedman-Wellisch expressed, “I think that CRLS is doing a great job thinking about mental health, however, there aren't really ways for us to do our work without screen time, and I don't think CPSD realizes how that might affect us, though I’m not sure how they could change that.” Sitting doing work on a chromebook all day can be draining, both physically and mentally. Charlotte Dale, ‘23, thought, “there’s not a lot that the school can do now, but I think they mainly just need to be more considerate of students and staff and their families.” Most teachers seem to be doing as much as they can, by being flexible with due dates and grading of assignments while school is shut down. No matter what they do, there will still be challenges for people who are dealing with mental health issues in this current situation.

This is a difficult time for everyone, regardless of any mental health issues people may suffer from. School is an enormous part of our lives, and leaving it for such an extended period of time is bound to have some negative effects. Lila Valaskovic, ‘23, said, as almost every student can agree, “I actually miss going to school.”

How the NBA started the shutdown for all sports across the world

By: Mustafa Gudal

COVID-19, better known as Coronavirus, is a deadly virus that has the same symptoms as the flu so someone can't tell if they have the flu or coronavirus. As of today, March 30, 2020, there are over 700,000 cases worldwide, and in the United States there are more than 145,000. This pandemic has impacted every part of American life. One notable area that has dramatically changed is professional sports, particularly the NBA.

So far the NBA has made big changes already. A couple of weeks ago, Adam Silver, the NBA’s commissioner, did not fully cancel the season, but he suspended it. Silver’s decision stemmed from a careless action by the Utah Jazz’s center Rudy Gobert. At a press conference, while answering some questions about how he was doing because he said he was sick, he answered them normally and at the end he made sure to touch all the microphones, making light of the situation surrounding COVID-19. Just a couple of days later he tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, many other players also tested positive for Coronavirus, including Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, and Marcus Smart. With the federal government recommending social distancing, it became impossible for the NBA to continue playing games.

The NBA has a huge fan base. It just hurts me to not have games because I grew up watching basketball and going to multiple Celtics games. Basketball has been one of the things that makes me who I am as an individual. Without the NBA, it's weird because my favorite part about the season is the playoffs. The playoffs were about to start and, for the first time in the last three years, the NBA doesn’t have a superteam like the Golden State Warriors. There were multiple teams that were contenders like the Los Angeles Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe even the Celtics had a chance...maybe.

Some influential people have suggested new ways to start playing games. Mark Cuban, one of the people on Shark Tank and the owner of the Dallas Mavericks said, “Hopefully by the middle of May, we're starting to get back to normal and the NBA is playing games. Maybe not with fans, but we're playing it because sports play such an important role. You know, people want something to cheer for, people want something to rally around, people want something to be excited about.” Honestly, I fully agree with what he’s saying about how the NBA should probably start up again in the middle of May without any fans allowed inside the arenas.

If the NBA season starts again in mid-May then the NBA has two options. First, they could immediately start the playoffs and the brackets will stay how they were before the suspension of the season. This could be good because players would still have an offseason that would be about two months, but it could be bad because some teams that might have made the playoffs won’t get that chance. Second, the NBA could finish the regular season and then start the playoffs in July. This could be good because it would allow the NBA to finish all regular season games, giving all teams on the playoff bubble a chance, but it could be bad because the season would end much later than usual, which could negatively impact players’ health next year.

In reality, I don’t agree with either proposed option. The first idea can have a negative impact on the teams that are currently the ninth seed and under NBA rules the ninth seed doesn’t make the playoffs. If the playoffs were to just start, the Memphis Grizzlies would make the playoffs, and I don’t want to see them play. I’d rather have more games and see if the New Orleans Pelicans can make the playoffs because they have last year’s number one pick Zion Williamson, as well as Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. If the Pelicans were able to get the eighth seed, they would get to play the Los Angeles Lakers, which would be interesting because Anthony Davis, a former New Orleans Pelicans superstar, got traded out for Ball, Ingram, Josh Hart and three first round picks, including the fourth pick, just last year. It would be an intense match-up with a lot of personal emotion on the line.

So, when the NBA comes back, which honestly might not happen this year, then I’m going to be super excited because there are going to be even more good teams like the Brooklyn Nets who have two injured superstars in Kyrie Irving and KD and also the Golden State Warriors who are getting a injured Klay Thompson back and probably have one of the best odds to get the first pick so maybe they can use that to try and get another superstar. There have been some rumors that the Warriors wanted the first pick so they can try and trade for Milwaukee Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. But overall, I will be very excited to see next year's NBA season.

How To Make A DIY Mask At Home

By: Abe Zeger

With COVID-19 spreading quickly throughout the U.S., many have been forced to stay home from school or work in order to slow down the spread of the virus. However, for the unlucky few who still have to go out every day and work around the clock surrounded by dozens of others, like construction workers, it is ideal that you cover up your face in order to protect not only yourself but also those around you.

Now, a good solution to this would just be to wear a face mask; one that you would find in a hospital. But that’s where there’s a problem. Recently, with how fast the virus has been spreading, many people have been panic buying, and medical masks are just one of many items being bought in rapid succession. With the rate that these masks are going, there are barely enough for hospitals to use, let alone, the average person. However, there are ways to get around this. An easy and simple way is to just make your own mask with the materials you have lying around the house.

To start off, if you have a bandana, that is a quick and easy fix to your problem, just tie it around your head so that it covers up your nose and mouth. If you do not have one, don’t worry, there are still other methods. For example, If you have a paper towel and rubber bands or other elastic bands, the video “DIY Homemade Surgical Mask” will show you how to put it together easily and in just three minutes. In addition, the video “How to Make a Surgical Mask out of a T-Shirt” will show how to make a face mask with just a t-shirt, scissors, and a pen, and will do so in about 3 minutes with thorough step by step instructions.

Please take into account though, none of the at-home fixes function as well as a real surgical mask. However, in a situation where you are in a closed environment with others, these homemade masks are better than nothing, and when it comes to a highly contagious virus, like COVID-19, it’s better to be safe than sorry.