School's Out For... Ever? (Yearbook Article)
With every news outlet warning about the coronavirus, people flocked to grocery stores to stock up on essential goods as to later avoid going out in public as often as they normally would. This resulted in people panic buying and stockpiling items such as hand sanitizer, gloves, medical masks, canned goods and toilet paper, leaving grocery shelves practically empty. Since this pandemic had many parallels to past diseases, people have taken a look at the luxuries they have now that they didn't have 100 years ago. First, people certainly have better entertainment in the present than they did in the past, thanks to platforms like Netflix, Instagram, and TikTok, which helped people remain connected, even while apart. Also, people today have greater access to necessities from the sanctity of their own homes through Amazon Prime and Instacart services, which allow groceries and other goods to be delivered straight to their porch.
For students especially, life looked very different. Following the closing of major events such as the N.B.A. season and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, students were notified that schools would be closed through April 6th. Though, exactly nine days later, students received word that class would be canceled for the remainder of the school year. This change prompted many questions: how will students have class? Assignments? Tests? The answer: Zoom, a video conferencing app that was been a godsend for most schools. Once a week, students had an online zoom meeting with their teachers and peers to get the rundown on their assignment for the week. "Online class is good because I still get to see all of my friends," sophomore Jenna King said. "I never thought the year would end this way."
