The All-American Check-in
Rebecca Beddingfield
Media Editor
So, the original two week hiatus has evolved into a new way of life for over a month, without a definite ending point as our closure could extend even beyond May 1st, which was announced by FUSD earlier today with a tentative reopening on May 4th. With all of this commotion, it was time to check in on the student body one more time.
The Distance Gets Larger
While there was a spring of excitement as well as dread near the beginning of the quarantine with the prospect of time without school, over time the opinion of some students have shifted.
“i was excited but disappointed at the same time. I’m getting used to the online learning now, but I won’t be able to see my friends or go anywhere for spring break” says Jalen Reyes (9) when she heard the news that the school closure had extended.
Students from every grade at AHS are reacting to the new announcement that extends their time at home for another month, but for many, it was not entirely a surprise.
“I wasn’t really surprised honestly” says Lucy Um (11), “numbers are climbing higher, at a faster rate.” As testing expands, numbers of confirmed cases as well as deaths in the U.S. has also expanded, with over 64,000 confirmed cases in the country.
While people are dealing with the fallout of COVID-19, some juniors are becoming unsure about their future. Maria Aguirre (11) spent a lot of time studying and attending Elite for an SAT test that she does not know when she will get to take, as June is booked everywhere in at least a 10 mile radius and other testing opportunities have not been announced.
“All of winter break I went to excel and did a practice SAT for 5 hours, then I had a class for the next 4 hours. I feel like all [that] work is going down the drain,” says Aguirre (11), “at this point i don’t even want to study it makes me so sad.”
Other juniors like Tanya Chettri (11) are unsure about other questions of the future, including AP testing.
“I was shocked at first. I feel that postponing for an entire month is a little overboard, and brings to light many more questions. For example, would AP students be taking the test at home or school? I’m upset that this pandemic occurred in our junior year, as so many activities have been shut down and it’s hard to understand how to navigate through high school when everything’s virtual” says Chettri (11).
For seniors, their last year at AHS is not quite what they had thought it would be when they started strong with their Friends spirit week and were looking forward toward their last opportunity to go to prom. Some seniors have some strong feelings towards the closure, including one Malissa Abraham, who expressed herself verbally, saying “I’m f*****g pissed.”
“I’m pretty disappointed about all the senior and school stuff cancelled but I’m more concerned about the long term effects of this whole thing,” says Abraham (12). She cited loss of jobs, political agendas, and lack of medical supplies as things she saw as more concerning than missing the big moments of her senior year.
However, some students have tried to take a turn for the positive during an age of a lot of negative information. Many like Reyes are spending time with her family and cooking and engaging in other social distance friendly activities. Others have good wishes for the present and future.
“I hope everyone does take this time to stay safe and healthy and that the virus slows down” says Neliya Ghising, a sophomore at AHS.
“If I’m being honest, I’m pretty clueless on all the news regarding when we would return back to school so I’m not too surprised,” explains Akari Che, another hopefully sophomore at AHS, “though there had been word of students not returning to school until the next year, I’m glad we are able to go back. I hope to see my friends again and learn from my teachers cuz self study is a pain.”
As the distance gets larger, AHS is coming together in this shared experience, as High School Musical puts it, “We’re all in this together.”
Quarantine Photo of the Day
Valeria Sanchez Estrada (11) and Audrey Yu (11) match their friends to specific Barbie movies through socially distant collaboration.
Eagle Era 