East

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.”

The science department at East is an essential component of what the school has to offer in terms of both courses, clubs, and events. Not only is it the biggest in terms of real estate, being the only department to occupy space on multiple floors, it offers the most diverse selection of activities that suit any interest a student may have.

This isn’t the way I expected it to end. And I know this isn’t the way you expected it to end, either.

I think it would be an understatement to say that this year has been unusual. When I walked into the first newspaper meeting this year—teeming with writers, bagels, and general excitement—little did I know that our days of brainstorming in the computer lab with the iconic flowchart of editorial positions would be short-lived.