Emily Roelant ‘20, Layout Director
If you would have asked any senior a few months ago how they will be wrapping up their school year, they would have used words like “spring break,” “Water Wars,” “prom” and “graduation.” And now those words have been replaced with terms like “quarantine,” “flatten the curve,” “social distancing” and “Zoom calls.”
You and many others are most likely quarantined in some way during this time, which means your normal tasks and hobbies of going out, seeing friends, and going to school look very different. At this point, we have probably all had our fair amount of lazy days that consist of binging a new series or going on our phone all day, which is not bad from time to time, but there are many ways to make this temporary pause from normal life a bit more meaningful.
So many places like museums, zoos, and amusement parks are offering free online virtual tours right now, and some colleges are even offering free online courses and virtual campus tours. The Louvre in Paris, the Smithsonian, and The Vatican allow you to see inside their buildings and famous paintings online that you would normally have to pay a lot to see and to get there. Broadway musicals that would usually cost around $100 per ticket are now streaming online for free. So, if you never got the chance to see Cats, Phantom of the Opera, or Les Miserables, this would be the time to do so.
With all this unexpected down time, students can also stay busy academically. Juniors can get a head start on college applications, and seniors can work on scholarships. There are a lot of options on the Class of 2020 Google Classroom page. Senior Natalie Mac has been working on scholarships she has found to help with the costs of college, as she is attending the University of Minnesota next year. Mac thinks “Doing scholarships during this time will benefit you with not only the expenses of college, but it gives you something to do during quarantine.” And when you need a break from school work, this is a great time to catch up on television shows or movies. Senior Drew Sawicki has been able to watch Game of Thrones, Parks and Rec, and Outsider with his free time, and highly recommends these shows to other students.
Something that is really important during this time is self care. That can include taking time for yourself, whether that be reading a book, working out, or doing a DIY project or craft. Cleaning or organizing a space can make you feel more accomplished in your day when it is all finished.
Many of you are probably also missing friends and family so a great way to connect with them is through a video call like FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom. Zoom allows you to play games with your friends while on the call like Bingo, Scattergories, Trivia, Pictionary or Heads up! Or another option if you live near the friend or family member is meeting them outside and socializing from a distance.
This time would be useful to try a new hobby or improve on a skill as well, whether that be cooking, baking a new recipe, or picking up a new instrument. Senior Emily Vitale has been teaching herself guitar with all this free time. Vitale said, “using these weeks as an opportunity to learn new skills is one of the best uses of time.”
Try to set a schedule of tasks you want to accomplish each week, and just imagine coming out of this showing off a new talent or skill to your friends. By staying at home or being isolated as best as you can, you are helping contain the virus. Quarantine is the most effective way to stop the spread as of right now, so if you can, please stay home and keep your distance with people who are not in your household. If you have to go out, wear masks or stay a distance away from others. This time is strange for everyone, but we will get through this. Even in the darkest of times, the sun will rise, and we will try again.
Photo courtesy of twenty20.com
Lyon Life 