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Oftentimes when we go through a school system with nothing else to compare it to, the experiences can get blurred. Many of the everyday things become boring when we get used to them. This happened to me before I switched from a charter school in New Hampshire to Williamsville East High School this summer. However, with a fresh set of eyes, I’ve been able to see some of the unique and interesting aspects of Williamsville East that makes us all lucky just for being able to attend. Yes, even though we have been forced to pursue online schooling, I still feel that the experience at East is special and noteworthy.

This March, the Williamsville Central School District broke ground on East’s new music wing. Active planning for the project began in 2018, and the music department expects to welcome all chorus and orchestra students into their newly renovated spaces by September 2021. Additionally, the band room will be renovated next summer. Here’s what Dr. Shewan and Ms. Reilly, soon-to-be residents of this beautiful music wing, had to say about this $7.1 million project:

Superintendent Dr. John McKenna explained that the hybrid and remote learning plans are not equitable and need to be reformed immediately, stating, “We need to take a step back in order to take two steps forward.”

As CoronaVirus spread worldwide earlier this year, many people had to change their working styles. I interviewed four people, David Cheon (junior) who attends WEHS, Rachel Rosenthal, senior, who has a part-time job, Mrs. Korn, who teaches chemistry at WEHS, and Yasu who works at UB, and asked them five questions. Let’s hear what they had to say.

Many people have been dealing with both quarantine and coronavirus/ covid-19 respectively in many different ways, shapes, or forms. The few people interviewed about it during quarantine had much to say about it. Plenty of both good and bad have come out of the quarantine.

The past few weeks of quarantine have passed in a flash, and with that, there have been countless, unprecedented changes to our daily lives. As students, we have had to adapt in many different aspects in order to balance online school with the rest of our activities. Just the same, teachers have to manage these changes in their lives. Here’s what a few of our teachers at East have to say about how the current global pandemic has impacted their daily lives and careers.

Rocked by the ongoing COVID-19-pandemic, American communities and businesses struggle to keep afloat financially and adapt to shifting social norms. The many effects of the virus reach far beyond the area of public health, dramatically altering the very way that Americans go about their daily lives.

The sun rises, but few are awake to see it. When the sky is pocketed with pink and gold from the sunset, few observe the beauty, favoring a view of a phone or television screen. The COVID-19 outbreak has diminished what people see of the outside world, and not only because most virtually all restaurants, stores, and movie theaters are closed. Within a few days of quarantine beginning, many abandoned their half-baked schedules and desires to learn something new. Erie County is almost two months into the unexpected lockdown, and few have been able to maintain the productivity from before the outbreak.

All students’ lifestyles and habits have changed greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and seniors are no exception. As classes shift to a remote setting and Zoom classes replace face to face interaction, students will experience a great impact on their education and personal routines. Most students have experienced a shift in their motivation to schoolwork and self studying. Jamie Zhao says, “The biggest change I experienced would be time management. It became harder for me to stay motivated on top of senioritis. The lack of motivation coupled with the combination of classwork, homework, and self-studying is my biggest challenge.”

During this time of the coronavirus and quarantine some are left with a little bit more extra time than they previously would have had. Therefore, for those individuals it allows for an opportunity for them to try new hobbies and activities that they may have always wanted to try but never had the time to. I decided to ask a range of individuals about their free time during this unprecedented time and what they have been doing to fill it. Upon interviewing many different members of the community, I found some similar findings.