By Gabrielle Ringold, Clarion Copy Editor
On March 13, 2020, many of the present day juniors were young and impressionable freshmen. That was the day that the school shut down because of a virus not many people knew a lot about. The whole world was quarantined and many people did not have access to important resources. Peoples’ mental and physical health went down from there. which was proven when kids came back to school. According to National Public Radio, the percentage of obese children increased from 19% to 22% after the pandemic.
When we talk about mental health during quarantine, it was a touchy subject for some and it was a mind-opening experience for others. Depression levels were on the rise because of the lack of physical communication. Sure, people could talk on the phone and text each other a simple “Hey! How are you?”but people needed more than that: A hug, eye contact, and to just be in each other’s presence. With COVID cases skyrocketing, it's getting harder and harder to keep that type of energy alive.
With this in mind, schools are starting to close down once again. news-updates
Schools and restaurants have restrictions in place that are possibly more strict than before. Yes, people were learning to live with this and they still are but they forget that we are still in a pandemic. Everything is not back to normal. Our country is not okay right now, especially with the economy. Prices in grocery stores are rising, ‘help wanted’ signs in the windows of many restaurants, and people losing their jobs or quitting due to the government giving out money to people who make under $75,000.
Let’s be honest, many of us make less than that.
Distance learning is something that needs to be considered once again for our school district. Like almost everything, it has its pros and cons. As students, we may not like it but it’s something that needs to be done for now. We’re losing teachers due to COVID and many students aren’t coming to school because either they’re sick or they’re scared of catching the virus. This thing may have been dying down but now it looks like it’s not going anywhere. We may have to learn to live with this, but then again we may not. For right now, it looks like distance learning is the best option.
Laptop screen displaying assignments. Debates continue over wether or not school should be transitioned to distance learning. Photos by Gabrielle Ringold Clarion Copy Editor.