Voyager on Eastern during COVID

With almost 35,000 new cases of Omicron, the especially contagious variant of COVID-19, appearing in New Jersey every day according to CNBC, is a high cause of concern for students. Eastern has experienced a surge of positive cases/quarantined students since the new year with 17 positive cases and 22 quarantined students during the week of January 10 to the 14 compared to a meager positive reported cases weeks prior. However, this is just the reported cases. How many cases are going unreported? In response to the recent cases Eastern implemented the halfday schedule for seven days just after three days of virtual learning upon return from winter break. While it worked as a temporary solution, more can be done to include quarantined students more while ensuring every student has a chance to embrace the high school experience. Eventually the effectiveness of the half day schedule will run out as students are forced to rush from class to class without a designated time to even gobble a snack, oftentimes risking exposure for a bite of sustenance across classes. Furthermore, club meetings and make-up work is paused as there is no designated time for meetings or to complete said assignments. It served its job well as a temporary pivot from remote school, but it’s time for a new solution — something new. In other words, Eastern is forced to play their cards in a tense gamble with COVID-19. What are their options? They may have a full house in hand: hybrid learning. Another benefit of the half day schedule was the expansion of extra-help after school. 80 minutes were granted “specifically for extra-help and quarantined students to connect with teachers via email and Zoom.” This doubled the original amount of time (the original was 40 minutes). However, if a student has eight classes to make up work for, this would allow them at most ten minutes per class, assuming all conditions are met (no internet/ technological issues, all teachers available, and the student is healthy enough to focus and pay attention the entire time). Considering the high chances of one of the conditions not being met, the student’s education is automatically compromised. In design, the student is put at an academic disadvantage compared to their classmates. The problem lies in the fact that quarantined students are forcibly removed from class physically and virtually. It’s very difficult to catch up on notes, lectures, and homework in that amount of time, while their classmates have hours. If quarantined students have the opportunity to join Zoom after school, why don’t they have an opportunity to do so during school, just like everyone else? Therefore, implementing a hybrid schedule could allow both

in-person and remote students to engage in class and have equal academic opportunities. Students’ disconnection from school is limited since quarantined students have a chance to participate in class for its duration. Extra help makes quarantined students isolated and they are academically disadvantaged for it. But a hybrid schedule could make students with concerns not feel obligated to attend school but still be able to engage virtually. Students who need to make up tests/quizzes and club meetings can still occur during lunch, in school and on Zoom. In the crux of a critical decision, installing a hybrid schedule provides just the option Eastern wants and needs in Staff Editorial order to maximize on the high school experience while limiting the spread of COVID-19. Now for the first time since the new year, Eastern returned to its normal schedule, encouraging those who don’t feel well to simply stay home. As Eastern navigates a new normal, it’s important teachers and administration enforce students to wear masks properly, especially if they want to avoid remote education. Even if a hybrid schedule is never realized, the future of inperson instruction benefits from conversations like these that seek to include absent students more.

Cartoon by Sophia Gambescia ‘23

Short-e-torials

People haven’t been taking COVID seriously enough

It’s been almost two years since the start of the pandemic, and the United States still has more cases and deaths per day than any other country in the world at over 850,000 deaths. Why you might ask? It’s because COVID-19 was made political. Instead of it being treated as a global disease, it’s treated as a myth. The main cause of the spread and deaths in the United States is the southern states, as the conservative media is mainly based on conspiracy theories and misinformation toward COVID and the vaccine. These “patriots” care more about their “freedoms” than the lives of the people around them. The division created in this country over a scientific global pandemic has been catastrophic. There’s world-renowned scientists that have backed up masks and the vaccine, yet people refuse to take the vaccine and wear masks in stores and schools. Having the option to save the lives of countless people by wearing a mask and taking a vaccine shouldn’t be a difficult one; the severity of this crisis should not be determined by the mistakes of the right-leaning community. COVID-19 is a divider in the United States, and the only way out of the pandemic is together. - Aiden Kremer ‘23

One year after January 6th, justice delayed is justice denied

Eastern Regional High School

1401 Laurel Oak Road Voorhees, NJ 08043 856-784-4441

www.voyager-online.org

YouTube: ehs voyager

Twitter: @ehsvoyager Instagram: @ehsvoyager

Advisors:

Walter Bowne and George Kemery

Editorial Staff:

Andrew Shinkle: Editor-in-Chief Leah Snyderman: Co-Editor-in-Chief Arianna Morales: Co-Editor-in-Chief Jenna Preston: Associate Editor-in-Chief Antonia Zong: Managing Editor Laura Silenzio: Opinion Editor Madison Jolley: News Editor Cassidy Golin: Features Editor

Matt Chowansky: Entertainment Editor Joseph Loverdi: Sports Editor Tiana Cyrelson: Media Editor Alana McLeod: Art Editor Mahawa Bangoura: Arts and Culture Editor

Staff Reporters:

Dawn Betner, Basirah Corbett-Collier, Maya Dunkelman, Kyle Goldstein, Jacob Gollin, Miraal Halim, Shreya Komar, Jordan Kramer, Aiden Kremer, Jules Kurpakus, Olivia Marcantuono, Anna Langan, Lan Anh Nguyen, Rylee Pearlman, Molly Smith, Michael Sorensen, Alanna Stein, Kaitlin Swift, Marcela Torres, Nick Vitale, Mark Wang, Timur Markowitz, Julia Zeidler

Letters to the Editor:

A whole year has passed since the riot at the Capitol, but Congress and the courts continue to discuss it as if it were yesterday. However, instead of reminiscing on the past, they continue to discuss it because the issue remains unresolved. Since the insurrection, more than 725 individuals have been arrested, only 30 of which have been sentenced to incarceration. Hundreds of photographed criminals have been allowed to walk free in the name of “freedom of speech.” In contrast, their black counterparts have been locked up and prosecuted for participating in the peaceful Black Lives Matter protests. This clear hypocrisy has been long overlooked by the media, and thus the judicial systems do not have enough of a push to carry out the trials. COVID is no longer a viable source of blame for this delay, and has become nothing but an excuse for procrastination. On January 6th, 2021, over 725 individuals questioned the very foundation of our democracy, and it is up to our judicial systems to take a stand. - Tiana Cyrelson ‘22

The disconnections between mental health and education

Just three days of remote learning after winter break, Eastern went back to in-person instruction due to the “evident disconnections” present. If last year was any indication, remote learning and obligatory education doesn’t work well. Many students opted for the comfort of turning off their camera as a release of the pressure of responsibility put on them for 12 years. Virtual education emphasizes the robotic aspects of education: productivity and perfection. School becomes associated with stress and exhaustion, among other terms. Reinstalling homeroom could provide the space for students to relax before class, besides a lunch spent running to club meetings and labs. Learning how to cope with stress and find stillness in one’s daily life is essential to success. Students should genuinely want to engage in class and learn about various aspects of life. They should want to feel connected with the school. It starts with providing them a space to cultivate a durable diligence to learn and to care about their mental health. - Arianna Morales ‘22