SENIOR SIGN OFF
I wanted to be a leader because I really enjoyed collaborating with people and I also liked the environment in Triangle. In Triangle I learned how to use Adobe applications and learned how to lead people. My favorite memory was being awarded fifth place at our national convention in Philadelphia. The trip itself was really fun and I got to explore Philly with my friends.
Maia Jamieson Designing Management & Editor-in-Chief
My favorite thing about working on the social media team was being creative and working with different people in the school to help build the platform we have started. Something I have learned in Triangle is how to manage all of the different social media platforms at once. My favorite memory in Triangle would have to be getting to be in the same class with some of my best friends!
Maggie Russell Media Team
My duties in Triangle were to design pages for stories to be placed on and helping the other designers with tech issues and their pages when it came up. Aside from the technical skills I’ve learned, Triangle taught me how to go about solving tech problems. My favorite memory in Triangle is going to distribution in the morning and eating donuts with my friends in the pub room.
Aidan Brown
Assistant Design Editor
My duty on the Triangle is to design the pages our awesome stories get placed on. Something I’ve learned in triangle is that it’s never a bad idea to ask for help, I learned to lean on others when I need to. My favorite memory from Triangle is all the times we had “Forced Family Fun” and we got to play games.
Gabe Carrillo
Designer
SENIOR STAFFERS
design by Caeden Sych
I’m really passionate about journalism, and I wanted to get involved with CNHS Media as much as I could. I’ve really learned how to be a more effective leader. Being on staff and being an EIC has helped me learn a lot about communication, teamwork, organization, and time management. My favorite memory is winning 1st place at the Ball State J-Day awards ceremony.
Nicolas Bowers
In-Depth & Content Editor in Chief
My favorite thing about working on social media has been generating new ideas and letting a part of myself shine through in my work. In Triangle, I have learned a lot of different answers to trivia questions. My favorite memory in Triangle was spending time with my friends planning content.
Greta Schuetz Media Team
My duty on Triangle was to design the pages, and make the Alt Copy assigned to me. I enjoyed getting to expand my creativity on all the pages I worked on. My favorite memory in Triangle is definitely working with different people and helping other designers on their pages.
Caeden Sych
Designer
Mission: Promote Excellence at CNHS for Students, Faculty, and Alumni by providing:
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• Teacher Appreciation Program and Faculty Assistance Grants
• Alumni Communication Channels and School History
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A YEAR TO REMEMBER
Key moments from this past
by Maia Jamieson
photos by Lois Guest, Aldo Ramos, Rue Payne, Allison Hernandez, and Kenzie Carney
school year
WHERE’D ALL THE TIME GO?
US WITHDRAWL FROM AFGANISTAN
2021-2022
On Aug. 30, 2021, the United States completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year war. The rapid collapse of the Afghan government and chaotic evacuation from Kabul sparked global criticism and raised concerns about the future stability of the region.
ERAS TOUR BEGINS
On March 17, 2023, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour began in Glendale, Arizona. The tour became a massive cultural event and was critically renowned for Swift’s performances, showmanship, and for creating a community among fans. The 149 show tour cemented Swift’s name in the industry, and also served as a turning point for the concert industry.
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE
On Feb. 24, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine, escalating the Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine and took control of Crimea. It is the largest and deadliest European conflict since WWII, although exact death numbers vary.
CHATGPT RELEASED
Research organization OpenAI released its large language model (LLM) ChatGPT to the public on Nov. 30, 2022. The release of ChatGPT signaled a new era in how the public views and interacts with AI, and sparked conversations about how AI will play a role in education, artistic settings, the workplace and more.
TITAN SUBMERSIBLE IMPLODES BARBENHEIMER
On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible imploded during a deep-sea expedition to view the Titanic wreck, killing all five people aboard. The tragedy sparked scrutiny over the lack of regulatory oversight for deep-sea tourism.
The simultaneous release of Barbie and Oppenheimer on July 21, 2023 created a viral cultural phenomenon, showcasing themes of both pop feminism and historical drama. It became a global cinematic event, broke box-office records, and served as a symbol for post-pandemic culture.
USC MIND CHALLENGE TRUMP INAUGURATED
On March 31, 2025, students from the University of South Carolina’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club launched the #SpeakYourMIND Ice Bucket Challenge. The campaign, which was inspired by the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, was intended to raise awareness and funds for mental health initiatives. The challenge went viral and raised over $240,000 for Active Minds, a nonprofit dedicated to mental health advocacy.
The Second Inauguration of Donald Trump was on Jan. 20, 2025 after a 226-312 victory in the electoral college. He was elected into office for a second non-consecutive term after a loss in 2020. His inauguration followed a divisive campaign cycle against Kamala Harris, and marked a return to conservatism in the United States.
by
Nicolas Bowers design by Aidan Brown
ROE V. WADE REVERSED WILL SMITH SLAPS CHRIS ROCK
At the 2022 Oscars, Will Smith shocked viewers by slapping comedian Chris Rock onstage after a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. The incident led to a public apology from Smith and a 10-year ban for him from the Academy. It also sparked debate over violence, comedy, and celebrity accountability.
2022-2023
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This ended the federal constitutional right to abortion, leaving the decision up to the states. The decision triggered immediate legal battles and abortion bans across many states.
ELON BUYS TWITTER QUEEN ELIZABETH DIES
On Oct. 27, 2022, Elon Musk finalized a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, taking the company private after months of legal and public drama. His leadership sparked major changes to platform policies, staffing, and content moderation. His ownership of Twitter, renamed by him as X, has seen user numbers and market cap decrease.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, prompting a massive Israeli military response in Gaza. The violence has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties and has heightened international tensions.
PARIS SUMMER OLYMPICS 2024
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, held from July 26 to August 11, brought the games to iconic locations like the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River, and the Palace of Versailles. The games aimed to blend sustainability, innovation, and heritage, and introduced breaking as a new sport.
Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022, at the age of 96, after a 72-year reign as the queen of the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and Northern Ireland. She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, and she reigned during a time of great change for the Royal Family, the UK and the world.
On April 8, 2024, the southern, midwestern and eastern United States experienced a total solar eclipse. The path of totality included portions of Indiana, with Columbus welcoming thousands for the rare celestial event.
BRAT IS RELEASED
Released on June 7, 2024, singer-songwriter charli xcx’s album Brat was hailed for its unique, club-driven sound and candid lyrics reflecting fame and identity. The album quickly became a critical, commercial and cultural success, and spurred many viral online trends, dances, and events of cultural significance.
Queen
THESE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS
by Nicolas Bowers design by Maia Jamieson
“North vs. East football games with my bestie! Specifically senior year.”
senior
Ruthanne Gilroy
“When I first heard Mr. Clark yelling YO YO BULL DOGSSSSSSSSS.”
senior Lindsi Aguilar
“My favorite high school memory is playing guitar in the pep band. We played a lot of amazing songs, and I got to do a lot of solos. Getting a chance to play music that I enjoyed with other cool musicians was a really great experience.”
senior
Gunnar Erickson
“Jamming out to music while loading the semi trailer during my senior year marching band season.”
senior Melissa Tilden
“Conducting the labs in AP Chemistry with my friends.”
senior Yashika Mehta
“Going to Dave’s Hot Chicken to celebrate after a win against Bloomington in tennis.”
senior
Adrian Perez Gonzalez
“Going to Prom and spending time with my friends. Meeting new people and being new to the state made it a fun experience.”
senior Trae Williams
NEW NORMAL?
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Nicolas Bowers
Lois Guest
Maia Jamieson
ASSISTANT DESIGN EDITOR
Aidan Brown
IN-DEPTH TEAM
Sarynel Barbosa Kuilan
Stella Gaylord
Annie Green
Cecilia Gutierrez
SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM
Maggie Russell
Greta Schuetz
STAFF
Colin Amini
Mia Bowers
Gabe Carrilo
Chloe Feliciano
Jaedyn Greenlee
Owen Grimes
Bella Herbert
Brooklyn Hurt
Leo Iorio
Alexa Lanam
Gabe Manning
Gabe Marsh
Audrey Nordman
Cassie Osburn
Addisyn Pulley
Claire Rawlings
Gabby Revell
Caeden Sych
Maddie Williams
ADVISERS
Roth Lovins
Rachel McCarver
GOING THE DISTANCE
Student athletes discuss this year’s track season
USC SPEAK YOUR MIND
#uscspeakyourmind is becoming more about being trendy I MEAN LANA, COME ON Are we ever getting that new Lana Del Rey album? What we know so far
IN-DEPTH PREVIEW ONLINE
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The Triangle is the designated forum for student expression at Columbus North High School. The student staff chooses all content.
Signed columns published in The Triangle express the writer’s personal opinion and not the views of The Triangle, student body, BCSC, administration, board of trustees or faculty of Columbus North.
The Triangle practices ethical journalism by providing balanced and fair coverage as determined by community standards. The Triangle strives to achieve 100 percent accuracy by checking sources, spelling, and quotes and attaining multiple sources.
The Triangle encourages letters to the editor, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Triangle will not edit for content, but reserves the right to edit for grammar and length. Letters should be submitted to room 1507 or sent via e-mail to administrator@ cnhsmedia.com. All Letters much be signed by all persons involved in writing the letter, which the staff will check for validation. A letter sent via e-mail must be validated with a signature from the writer before The Triangle will publish it. If responding to a publication, letters must be turned in within one week of that
New Normal? How has education changed since the COVID-19 pandemic
publication’s distribution.
In the event of death, The Triangle will run a standard obituary. Pertaining to work submitted via social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), The Triangle will only accept written submissions from the original poster and owner and will only publish entries with the permission of the original poster and owner. The Triangle will not edit submissions for content and reserves the right not to publish them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple submissions of the same topic, vulgar or incendiary content. The Triangle will not publish photographs from Facebook. Posts on The Triangle’s social media pages by readers are owned by the readers and do not necessarily express the views or opinions of the staff. The Triangle is not responsible for their content and reserves the right to delete and report any inappropriate and unnecessary posts. By posting on The Triangle’s social media pages, the poster grants The Triangle permission to publish the contents of that post. In cases when a source’s information may bring ridicule or incrimination upon himself or herself, the editorial board reserves the right to cite the source as anonymous. The Triangle will never use composite sources and pass them off as anonymous sources.
AMERICAN PIE
American Pie 2025 Columbus North Highschool
Photos by Lois Guest desgin by Bella Ruiz
1 2 3 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Danni Riley in “Its Oh So Quiet”
Annie Green, Bella Zigler, Alyssa Maddox, Addy Newman, Kate Franklin in “Lovefool”
Allorah Purtlebaugh, Bella Zigler in “Get together”
Claudia Thomas in “Love Potion #9”
Nora Kleinhenz in “Signed Sealed Delivered (Im yours)”
Jerry Mihay, Greg Hedges, ,David Merris (Speech)
Gabe Manning, Rilynn Frankhauser in “Lets Dance”
Ava La Plante, Nora Tame, Natalie Cantu, “Somethings Got A Hold On Me”
Ava La Plante, Nora Tame “Somethings Got A Hold On Me”
LOOKING BETWEEN THE LINES
Catching up with the Unified Track team
by Owen Grimes design by Gabe Marsh
Unified Track brings together athletes who learn from each other and have the opportunity to exercise and experience the fun of working side by side in events. Coach of the Unified Track Team, Elizabeth Dwyer, talks about the most fulfilling part of coaching.
“Coaching the Unified Track team is the most rewarding job. Not only do I get to coach students, but seeing them try something new and getting better each meet is the best,” Dwyer said. “Also, being able to see students, including students with disabilities, in a sport that they haven’t had the opportunity to participate in before, warms my heart.”
Junior Gabby Spurgeon shares what being an athlete on the unified track team has meant to her.
“It’s really special to see the athletes enjoy the sport that they might be able to do otherwise if we didn’t have a unified track,” Spurgeon said. “It’s just really special to help those in need.”
Throughout the season, it
takes a collective effort to make something happen. Dwyer elaborates on the season and its success.
“This season has been the best yet. We have a ton of new faces and strong athletes. We have won every meet so far this season. Not only are we winning, but just about every student is getting a new personal record at each meet,” Dwyer said.
Having fair and generous behavior or treatment of others is what sportsmanship is all about. One of the coaches of the unified track team, John Murphy, gives some details about the atmosphere at practices and some of the proper Unified Track etiquette.
“Everyone cheers for everyone else. Sometimes you have to encourage the cheering a little bit, “ Murphy said. “If you haven’t been to a unified track meet, we just don’t cheer for one team, we cheer for every team, so we make sure we cheer for everybody.”
Spurgeon goes in depth on the topic of atmosphere.
“We have a lot of activities we do, we have a lot of meets and
practice, and I think we really bond together by being a part of the team and interacting with each other. At the beginning of the season, we usually just played games to get to know each other, like kickball or freeze tag, but now we usually practice the events we do.”
Dwyer shares how that same atmosphere of unified track has inspired her.
“Being a part of this team in high school inspired me to become a Special Education teacher. As a Special Education teacher and the coach, I get reminded often that students with disabilities are just like everyone else; they want to be included,” Dwyer said. “Being able to teach coach students without disabilities to include everyone, no matter their ability level, and seeing the positive impact after they graduate inspires
me to keep going. The spark and excitement students get when they get a new fast time in their race or a new distance in their field event is always icing on the cake.”
UNIFIED TRACK AND FIELD
Long Jump Shot put
dash
dash
Relay
Athletes Sophie Robbins, Brooke Schumn, Kaleb Sharpe, Noah Corney, Avery Kleinert, Brendan Barnett and Lyla Rager prepare to run the 100m dash.
photo by Gabe Marsh
OPINION
Over a year ago, April 15 2024, I wrote an opinion article for my beginning publishing class about how it is criminal that Lana Del Rey had never won a Grammy. I ended said article with, “Hopefully 2024 will be her year, and she will win a hard-fought award. Until then, stream Lasso when it comes out this September.”
As we all know, Lasso does not exist. Despite Del Rey’s announcement in her speech during the National Music Publishers’ Awards that she was “going country” and that Lasso would be released September of 2024, as well as her saying in August to Vogue that she would release two singles by the end of the year, Lasso is nothing more than a figment of our imagination.
Fans did not lose hope though, Del Rey is notorious for running on her own time. She announced the day after the release of her album, “Chemtrails over the Country Club” that she would be releasing another album called Rock Candy Sweet June 1 2021. However, on April 27 she said that her next album would be called “Blue Banisters”. “Blue Banisters” did eventually come out on October 22 later that year.
When all hope for Lasso was dead, on November 25 2024, Lana announced that her album “The Right Person Will Stay” would be out in 2025, on May 21. Fans were excited but doubted that it was really going to happen. However, on March 26 Del Rey posted a photo on instagram that was the
I MEAN LANA, COME ON
Are we ever getting that new Lana Del Rey album? What we know so far
by Gabby Revell
cover to her long anticipated single, “Henry, Come On” which had been leaked prior and was a fan favorite. The single came out on April 11, and was over five minutes long.
The day of its release, Del Rey posted a video regarding her album in which she says, “you know it’s not going to come on time, right? Should I even tell you that the name changed again? Should I tell you that now while you’re so happy that you even have a song?” Del Rey joked with her fans over her self acknowledged inconsistency.
In the same video, she announced that another single would be coming out the next week, and on April 18, we had “Bluebird”.
Both “Henry Come On” and “Bluebird” are amazing songs and if they at all reflect the rest of the new album, we are in for quite a treat.
Lana recently performed at the Stagecoach festival, and performed several brand new songs, including 57.5 and Husband of Mine.
So what do we know now? We have two singles so surely this album is real. Was originally titled “Lasso”, then “The Right Person Will Stay”, and now we don’t know the title. It will not be out before May 21, but we don’t have a new release date.
Personally, I don’t care how long it takes,. Lana, 57.5 million listeners on Spotify and I will wait for you to cook up the next best American record.
TUSC SPEAK YOUR MIND
#uscspeakyourmind is becoming more about being trendy
by Brooklynn Hurt
he USC speak your mind ice bucket challenge has taken the internet by storm. The purpose is to raise awareness for the University of South Carolina minds club. They support mental health strugles and suicide prevention tactics. But this has become less of a challenge to raise awareness and more of a trend.
You’ve probably seen various Instagram stories featuring reels of the ice bucket challenge. It’s becoming more common for participants to not even use #uscspeakyourmind or mention the USC minds club. Some use the hashtag #uscminds, but it doesn’t actually lead you to anything when you click on it. Others don’t include either the hashtag or mention and on top of that don’t even say what it’s for, as many have said “thank you blank for nominating me. I nominate blank.” The whole idea of the challenge is to raise awareness and try to encourage people to donate money to the club. The ice bucket challenge itself was inspired by the ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease ice bucket challenge in 2014. The cold water was intended to shock the body displaying the shocking effects of ALS. In this case the ice water is supposed to display the shocking and sudden things mental health issues bring. Some videos do not even feature ice in the water. Others have taken to TikTok posting videos about not using warm water because “no one will know”. What’s the point
of an ice bucket challenge with no ice bucket? At that point I could jump in the pool and claim that it’s “spreading awareness” for something that I don’t even mention.
Those doing it for genuine reasons are what the challenge is about. It’s about raising awareness and money to improve mental health. No one is going to know what you’re doing if you don’t give any credit or information as to why you’re dumping cold water on yourself.
The USC minds ice bucket challenge is not a cool trend. It’s a real genuine cause that needs support and awareness. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a person dies to suicide every 11 minutes. This is not a trend to be taken lightly, for it is for a real cause. This is something important that needs dire support or the numbers will continue to rise. According to the National Insitute of Mental Health suicide rates in the US have been on the rise since at least 2021.
Understand the urgency behind the need for awareness. Know that what you’re doing isn’t just pouring cold water on yourself; It’s about the messages, support, and awareness that you spread with this challenge. It could potentially save a life. So give credit and speak up. Don’t just participate because it’s’ cool or fun, participate because it matters.
5 YEARS LATER
The Triangle Staff discusses how COVID has impacted their schooling experience
Flashback to masks, six feet of distance, and Charli D’Amelio, and more social media trends. According to sensortower.com, TikTok soared to number 1 nongame app to be downloaded in February of 2020. Along with a trending app, there was also a “trending” illness, COVID 19. Beginning in 2019 and taking off in 2020, COVID 19 took the world by storm. Through the fear and uncertainty, COVID caused many issues and changes, among which were the changes in the way school happened. With the five year anniversary of COVID shutting down schools, The Triangle staff reflects on the effects of the COVID era.
2020 to 2021 was plagued by COVID, and it’s been five
years since that time. Five years of trying to get back to normal, and five years since the world (almost) completely shut down. We went through three presidential administrations, multiple phases of music, and multiple social media trends. Along with social media, people started playing multiplayer games in order to garner some bit of a social life among the COVID lockdown, such as the crowd favorites Among Us and Fall Guys. But for students, COVID may be remembered by the way it impacted how students went to school.
According to unicef.org, around 168 million students globally experienced their schools being shut down for a
complete year during COVID. This included BCSC schools. At first, students were told that spring break would be two weeks longer. Then it was an early summer. Then it turned into about an entire year of either online or hybrid. As students began to get used to this new normal, Zoom calls and virtual assignments became the new form of classrooms as both teachers and students learned how to navigate the virtual classroom. Eightly-three percent of The Triangle staff say that COVID has had a noticeable impact on their schooling experience, while 17 percent say they have not noticed any major impact. While there were many lasting impacts, one that
students may notice today is the increase in online assignments. 94 percent of The Triangle say that they’ve noticed an increase in online assignments, while 6 percent say they haven’t noticed this increase. Usually these online assignments do have a paper copy, but most assignments now have an online alternative, usually in the form of a Google Doc.
Overall, COVID brought a lot of unforeseen changes and events. As we venture into a future further from COVID, COVID will always be in the history books as one of the biggest events in our lifetimes.
COMICS BY CLAIRE
Sophomore Claire Rawlings doodles about the effects of COVID in schools 5 years later
NEW NORMAL?
How education has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic
by
Claire Rawlings, Cassie Osburn, Colin Amini design by Maddie Williams, Bella Herbert
6 FEET APART
timeline of important school events since lockdown
2020
COVID-19 pandemic forces closure of school nationwide -Shift to remote learning -Inequalities widened -Canceled Exams (SATs, ACTs, Aps)
2021
Many schools experimented with in-person and remote “hybrid” models -Mask Mandates -Vaccinations begin -Mental health crisis
2022
Return to full in-person learning, though outbreaks reclosed some schools -Academic gaps remain -Teacher shortages -Full reopenings
2023
Post-Pandemic adjustments made around America -Chronic Absenteeism -Tech integration -ESSER funding in use
2024
The new normal; Less masks, less outbreaks -Flexible learning innovations -Permanet online options -Policy shifts
2025
The pandemics longterm impact is studied -AI becomes mainstream -Mental health is still a priority -Education reforms passed
Five years ago, in the spring, schools across the world shut down due to a contagious disease called the Coronavirus. Also known as COVID-19, this virus quickly spread, causing millions of people to be hospitalized and quarantined. During this time, BCSC schools closed their doors and students opened their Chromebooks; e-learning became the main source of education.
When schools closed down, current freshmen were in fourth grade, sophomores were in fifth, juniors were in sixth, and seniors were in seventh. The entire last quarter of the year was spent online, and the following school year was spent switching between in person and online learning. Sophomore Addy Newman recalls the quality of education during the pandemic.
“I really think that it could’ve been a lot better,” Newman said. “It was the first time that elearning really had to be relied on, and so the teachers didn’t really know how to take it, and the students didn’t really know how to take it.”
The pandemic came at a time where many were going to a new school, or a new grade, and the transition was tricky. For many, the excitement of entering middle school was replaced by feelings of anxiety and fear. Sophomore Cayden Chandler found COVID-19 to arrive at an unfortunate moment.
“I feel like it came at a bad time because I was in late elementary school going into middle school, so the way I thought of middle school was really different because I’d been on e-learning for most of sixth grade,” Chandler said. “So when I took that step into middle school, I don’t think I was ready for that.”
While students were struggling to figure out how to learn, teachers were maneuvering their teaching style to figure out how to teach. Without being able to instruct face to face, many resorted to new tactics. Chemistry teacher Denise Briner reflects on how she adapted.
“I had to have a larger range of tolerance because I felt like I just couldn’t expect students to get something remotely that I could’ve made sure they were getting in-person,” Briner said. “Assessment was next to impossible. Lockdown browsers don’t work when there are three or four devices that you can alternately use to communicate with one another.”
Even though quarantine has been over for almost two years, teachers and students continue to feel the impact of the Coronavirus. IGrad coach Joanna Shinn explains how student communication has developed.
“I think for us, in IGrad, we needed to make sure we could find a way to
communicate with students outside of school,” Shinn said. “We would try to email them, but a lot of students didn’t check their email. Now we have ParentSquare and StudentSquare, and that helps a lot, because they get texts to their phones and as long as they get messages that pop up on their phones, typically we can communicate with them. So just realizing we’re not going to see them face to face, whenever we need to and coming up with another option, we learned from that.”
COVID-19 forced BCSC to figure out a different strategy. Education was being rewired, and students adapted to the changes. Now that a lot of the adaptations have continued to stay, education continues to be fine-tuned to fit students’ needs. Briner further explains how the quarantine revealed cracks in the foundation of mental health, both from a teacher’s perspective and a parent’s.
“Now, what I think happened, is that the pandemic exacerbated and caused more concerns, but it also made us better as parents, as students, as school personnel to identify when someone is struggling in that way,” Briner said.
While the pandemic was a time of stress, Briner recognizes that we have become stronger because of it. Freshman Arsema Tewolde admits.
“I definitely learned a lot about myself and how to become better, but it was hard,” Tewolde said, “It was a struggle.”
Considering the struggles, technology became a huge part of education when schools shifted to online learning. For those living out of town, getting an internet connection became an issue.
“I did a little bit of schooling in the morning, but I had really bad internet because we lived way out in the country so it was hard for me to log on if we had Google Meets, and it was hard to even get to the assignments sometimes,” Newman said.
With uncontrollable factors, such as internet connection, working on assignments became a struggle. Additionally, for those who lacked technology skills, assignments on a Chromebook became even harder. Tewolde was forced to use unfamiliar technology to continue her education, much to her detriment, as she explains.
“I really couldn’t access ItsLearning very well,” Tewolde said, “I didn’t have very much knowledge about technology at the time, and my family couldn’t really help me because they didn’t know much about ItsLearning either.”
Tewolde further explains how the technology problems were only exacerbated by a lack of support.
“There was a video, but that itself was on ItsLearning,” Tewolde said. “So it was near impossible to find.
And plus, if there was something to help anyone, it would be on ItsLearning or sent to your parents. And my parents didn’t really comprehend ItsLearning at the time. It was new to all of us. So we really didn’t know how to navigate it. We’d just sit down in the evening and try to sit there and try to figure it out.”
Tewolde, despite having next to no ability to attend class, still attempted to further her education, by any means possible.
“I was really set on figuring this out,” Tewolde said. “I had to learn something. I wasn’t just going to sit there and be useless. So I used IXL, and I really disliked IXL, but it was the only education I could get at the time.”
While the quality of education was difficult to benefit from, not being able to go to school and work became an extra time to learn new hobbies and talents.
“We would do taste tests, and we would make different types of cookies and vote on the best cookies, and practice youtube videos and learn how to line dance, and listen to old 80s music and we watched old movies, and it was just that time that we wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Shinn said.
COVID-19 became a time of renewal, and restarting, as well as a time to be with family and learn new things. Newman also remarks on her new accolades during the quarantine.
“I developed a passion for photography and hiking,” Newman said, “Because we live out in the country, I would go up into the woods and we have a path up there so I would hike and take pictures of stuff, so that was fun. I also started baking cakes, like every week, which wasn’t good for our family, but it was so fun to get to do that. And I still bake today.”
The pandemic has changed not only education, but the people. Briner admits that while our quarantine recovery isn’t perfect, it is still moving along. She recognizes the changes and shifts in her students.
“My students now seem happier to be here,” Briner said. “They seem kinder to one
another. But they are still a little bit behind on skills that I would’ve expected them to have in high school.”
According to Briner, being away from school created a sort of excitement to come back. However, quarantine also tampered with social skills.
“I think it probably gave me social anxiety because you got completely secluded from the world in a time when interaction with
people was very important and so I think a lot of us are a little more enclosed now because of that,” Newman said.
Chandler also sympathizes with that sentiment, both from an educational perspective and a social one.
“I feel like I kind of got farther from [my classmates],” Chandler said. “Educationwise, I don’t know if I learned much over e-learning.”
While social skills seemed to be put on pause, education also appeared to be frozen in time.
“When we came back, the staff members came back to help with diplomas and getting paperwork completed. [We] looked at our dry erase board and saw how the SAT date from March was still up there,” Shinn said, “It just felt like everything was just frozen in time.”
Tewolde explains how when she was younger, she struggled to understand the gravity of the situation.
“Because I was a kid, I was really sheltered, so it really helped me,” Tewolde said. “Being younger, I never fully comprehended the extent of COVID. It was just this thing that we talked about, so I didn’t feel it that much.”
Although the pandemic ended almost two years ago, Tewolde still feels the impact.
“I definitely learned a lot about myself and how to become better, but it was hard,” Tewolde said. “It was a struggle.”
SAMPLES OF STATISTICS
What’s changed in high schools since 2020
photo by Maddie Williams
Mrs. Shinn, iGrad coach, working with students in the iGrad room
VACATION VIBES
VACATION VIBES
Students share what they plan on doing this summer by
Sarynel Barbosa Kuilan
FAR FROM HOME CLOSE TO HOME
CLOSE TO HOME FAR FROM HOME
“Going to Hawaii with family and spending time with cousin from over seas.”
senior Joshua Tiplruy
“Travel to Japan, find a summer job.”
freshman Alisha Singh
Do students plan to stay in or travel over the summer?
“Do something productive with friends” sophomore John David Alvarez
“Work and take a class at Ivy Tech” sophomore Ariana Scott
SUMMER SPOTS
- Downtown - Sno Biz
- Mill Race Park
- Donner Park
- Bowling Alley
- The Commons - AMC
- Yes Cinema
- Parkside
- Target
- Dairy Queen
- Zaharakos
- Skateland
Summer has the longest days of the year
Source Space.com