March 2020 is when it all began. The pandemic has shown us what to appreciate because the world came to a halt for a lot of people. But, after a year of challenges, things are beginning to look up for us. Companies and government officials have been working hard to get the vaccine out to people as soon as possible. Nonetheless, we’re all hoping things get back to normal by late this year or early next year.

A lot of us had it rough this year but, the roughest transition had to before the class of 2024. They had to go from middle school to high school and not only become a freshman but also change schools. Caitlin Anderson, a freshman who came from LVMS says, “My freshman year has been challenging and stressful in some areas …”. But even with the challenges and stress, Caitlin is staying positive during these tough times and even appreciates her teachers and coaches for making her freshman year enjoyable. Pedro Barraza, a former student from LVMS, has also found the transition from middle school to high school difficult. Pedro makes it clear that “The transition has been more difficult due to the pandemic.”

Time management is very important, especially during this time when you want to make sure to take time for work and yourself. So, when asked about how she manages school work Avery Torres, a former student from LVMS says, “… I’m managing the workload pretty well. I have time to process the information given to me…” She also makes it clear that giving herself time to unwind helps to stay indoors and continue on schoolwork. Avery also says,“ … I make sure to take time to myself by doing things that I enjoy… ”. Our normal activities have been modified to keep us safe from COVID, like sports. Sports have been very different from the previous years and some are flourishing because of and others are sort of sinking. Trysten Rubio is a former student from LVMS and he is one of many people who does Cross Country. He had realized how his regular sports schedule has changed and how different it is. When I asked how things are different in Cross country he Trysten said, “Cross country is different this year because of the amount of time we’ve had to work out and practice… It’s also different because this year we only have two meets, the whole season was shaken by the pandemic.” Not only were sports schedules “shaken by the pandemic”, but everyone’s lives have been affected by it in numerous ways.

The whole world is looking forward to the future and we’re all hoping for a COVID-19 free world next year. During quarantine, a lot of us fell into a slump and couldn’t find the motivation to work. Pedro relates to this and he said, “ The work I feel like it’s not difficult doing it, but the motivation to do it is the more difficult part of it.” So for his sophomore year, he hopes to find motivation and work harder than he did this year. Both Avery and Caitlin hope that they can go back to socializing and interacting with people their sophomore year. Avery says, “ I am looking forward to maybe having some real highschool experiences and being able to be back in school with all my friends.” No matter how alone everyone may feel right now, one thing is for sure. We’re all struggling with the changes and we’re all looking forward to going back to normal.