Amber McKenzie-Lankford - Staff Writer

9/16

Now you may think that the first day of high school would be amazing. You get to see your friends and be with them through the day and eat lunch with them. And it would be that way...If Covid-19 weren’t a thing.

My whole family expected my first day of school to be exciting but in reality it was terrifying. I was shaken with fear throughout the day. The thought of “Will I walk into the wrong classroom and make a fool of myself!” filled my head. That scary thought would have been eased had I had a friend to help. But it just gets worse. I am alone. In every class I have, I'm alone. I have adapted to this and it gets easier to only have your phone to talk to your friends while you're at school. But then again, that's just my first day. There’s 4 more years of excitement and education before I should start to worry about life. So take my not so scary story and make yours better.

9/25

School is very different now, I've been going to school for 10 years. I've even thought about online schooling when I was heading into middle school. Now that I am forced do it 3/5 days a week, I'm not sure how I feel about it.

I get the comfort of my own home but the distance of the teachers. I get to be where I am most comfortable and at a time in my life when that's a dream of most teenagers. However it has it's downs as well. I have to wait for an answer on a question I have until the teachers have a chance. If I wait until the designated time to ask questions I am stuck in a zoom waiting room or on mute until the kids before me to finish their question.

Now in my 10th year school has been more confusing and odd than ever. I have to wear a mask constantly. There are one way halls. I have to pack all my supplies for school and then unpack them after two days. It is difficult to go from being in with the teachers for two days and finally get the hang of how the school works to be put back into my living room the next day. There is a very abnormal switch of learning environments continuously.

I have a baby sister that is a distraction at times. She is very understanding however. Ill whisper to her that I am in a meeting and MOST of the time she'll leave me alone. My Brother is another main distraction. There is a different noise coming out of his mouth every two second. However there aren't any distractions at school, as all my friends are in A group. School has drastically changes a little for the better and a little for the worse.

School has always been the center around our lives as students and with the in school experience being taken away its difficult for us to find our way. We will eventually though. It is very different and scary but the sooner we figure out what works out for us the better. Stay strong readers this is a new experience for all of us!

10/6

School as we know it has been shaped into something no one was prepared for. First off in EARLY 2020 we were told we would only have to go remote for a week or so. That week or so has turned into 7 months of quarantine. This has been a huge emotional deterioration for me. It didn’t help that I had just gotten into my first relationship. But that's a story for another time.

School has been switched to a hybrid and 100% remote option. This seems ideal right? For some people they love being home and being able to work alone in their own space. Well, this isn’t the life of the party for people who need social interaction, but can’t get enough of it due to social distancing. Not to mention the high schoolers that were told high school would be SO fun and it would be the highlight of their teenage years.

This year was supposed to be the year the freshman got their first taste of the real world and the time for seniors to enjoy their last year of being a teenager with no worries. Of course we can still do that, just six feet apart from your best friend and wearing a mask that lets face it smells like your morning breath. But let's be real, you like being by yourself at least a little bit right?

For example, most teenagers and young people have used quarantine to find themselves. I'm still on that journey but I’m getting closer as every good song and every bad vibe comes and goes. Some people have chosen to get fit, with their mind set as “I'm going to have the best glow up when we return to school.” Some people have lost just as many things as they’ve gained.

Moral of the story, quarantine, as bad as it was, did some good for people and the future to come, maybe just as bad and good at the same time. It has shown us what we really need to live, and yes toilet paper was part of that so thank you to all toilet paper companies for getting that worked out.

1/15

2021, people are saying this year is going to be different. After all isn't that what we say every year? "This year will be different" repeated every December 31st into January 1st and are they right? Sometimes they are, yes, because they make the year better for themselves.

This year however is looking up to be the same as last year. Almost as if these next few years are going to be repetitive with everything going on. With Covid-19 and school being shut down. We're hoping for the best and not exactly preparing for the worst.

I think that this year will have a few different tweaks but over all I think there will be the same amount of chaos and craziness. Only now we will have a little bit more of a grasp on the haze. There will be more quarantines its inevitable with the constant changing strains of Covid.

This year will be wrapped around Covid's finger almost as if it will take control. This year is not a clean slate. This year is a consistently changing one. Someday, "This year will be great", "New year new me", "A clean slate 20--" Will be true.