by Nikitha Kamath
These days there seems to only be one thing in the papers, on the news channels, and on everyone’s minds: COVID-19. From quarantine memes taking over social media to TV show hosts turning to YouTube, we can see how there is a collective effort to bring about a sense of normalcy along with doing the best we can to help people who have been affected by the pandemic. With schools closed and activities cancelled, we decided to turn to our very own Williamsville East students to see what they are up to and hear what they have to say about the situation.
While some might have reached the peak of boredom and may want to groan at the thought of more free time, others have embraced this break as a way to devote time to their passions—something they couldn’t do as much when school was in session. “I’ve been working on shoots for my photography portfolio. Also, I kind of miss school because my routine is off,” shared senior Montana Desabio, whose photographs are displayed above. When asked about his daily activities, Gabe Guo, our Editor-in-Chief, stated, “I work a lot on my music composition and I’m also reading a lot more.”
Having to stay at home the entire day has thrown us off our schedules and being high school students, we all understand the importance of keeping up with assignments and being prepared for upcoming exams. Sophomores Allison Li and Ryan Chou (who is also our Business and Finance Editor) are in agreement that planning is essential in order to be efficient. Speaking from her experiences, Li shared, “I’m starting to realize how much I need structure in my life, so I’m trying to start making a schedule and organizing whenever I do things so I can still be productive during this break.” Chou seemed to have a similar strategy when it came to approaching school work. “I’ve been sleeping in every day and trying to spend a few hours a day doing work so it doesn’t all pile up in the end,” he stated. Senior Puja Shah also gave us a glimpse into her daily routine— “Since we’re out of school, I have the freedom to mix it up and be productive when I feel up to it. On weekdays, I wake up at eight and start doing my homework and AP studying after breakfast. Later in the evening, I take a long break with reading or video games and usually end the night with Netflix,” she explained.
Along with work and productivity, it is crucial that we work on ourselves and take time to enhance our physical and mental health in this period where we are not able to keep up with our regular schedule. Junior Anna Lin and freshman Meghana Cheruvu, for instance, have found that even making a few changes to their day or engaging in simple but meaningful activities can do a lot to boost their spirits. Regarding her new quarantine schedule, Lin shared, “To change things up, I’ve tried going to my room instead of staying downstairs. I’ve been listening to music almost 24/7 as well. But doing little things such as cleaning out old letters, pictures, and decluttering passes time and makes you feel like you’ve been efficient that day.” Cheruvu has also found ways to make the best of this time as she stated, “I read books or walk in my backyard. I also text and call my friends. I get to sleep for longer and do assignments on my own time with a lot of independent study time.”
Taking a step back from routines, we also wanted to know what East students thought about school being closed for an extended period of time. Believing that the actions that have been taken are for the best, junior Henry Su, our Web Master, voiced, “I think school should be closed for as long as necessary. I hope that we can look back at this time and say that we overreacted, rather than regretting that we didn’t do enough. That being said, I’m sad to miss JDD and I miss seeing my friends.” I think we can all agree with Su in that we miss the activities that we enjoyed participating in and most of all, miss our friends. We at the East Side News hope to keep you company by continuing to publish on our website during this time. Stay safe and be well!
