news C O VID-19 A YEAR O N Students and staff continue to feel the effects of COVID-19 one year after the spread of Omicron by Summer Puterbaugh
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the block. I couldn’t even go to the grocery store because everything required so much energy, and I was barely able to do the basics around the house,” Walker said. While her intense fatigue has abated, Walker’s symptoms still have a large impact on her daily life and interactions. “As a society, we’ve all decided that COVID-19 is over, and the world has moved on, but for someone like me, who is still suffering symptoms a year later, it’s a very relevant part of my life,” Walker said. “My family and I don’t go out very often because the last thing I want is to catch COVID-19. It’s been a little isolating and lonely.” Finally receiving a diagnosis relieved some of Walker’s anxieties because it gave her a sense of security. According to Walker, with the help of doctors, she is physically improving and gaining strength; the process, however, is “incredibly slow." “I think it would be easier if I had a timeline. If someone could say to me ‘You’re going to feel okay by this date.’ But no one is able to do that,” Walker said. Despite the numerous anxieties and uncertainties surrounding her condition, Walker finds comfort in her community and environment. “My students are fantastic. They are extremely understanding. All my colleagues are wonderful, too, and they’re always checking in on me,” Walker said. “I try to remind myself that this is not my life forever. Things will change eventually. I will feel better eventually,” Walker said. GRAPHIC ABOVE BY STORYSET VIA FREEPIK; MASK GRAPHIC BY VECTOR_CORP VIA FREEPIK
ith the abandonment of mask and 6-foot distance requirements, it may seem as if the days of COVID-19 are no longer. Yet for the students and teachers struggling with longterm coronavirus symptoms, the ghost of COVID-19 lingers. In November of 2021, junior Reid Kaluger began to lose his sense of taste and smell just as his other symptoms of COVID-19 died down. Presently, over a year after catching the virus, Kaluger has yet to fully regain these senses. “At first, I thought it was cool because I can’t smell bad things. But after a while, I realized my smell was not coming back. That was when I realized it was actually a pretty [unfortunate] thing,” Kaluger said. According to Kaluger, his loss of smell seems random; there are some things he can smell, others he can’t. His reduced taste, however, is a greater “disappointment.” “I eat less of what I used to eat because it’s become harder t o find foods I like. My selections are going down a bit. Certain foods I can’t really taste at all anymore, like cereal and cheese,” Kaluger said. Although losing senses of taste and smell are the most well-known symptoms of COVID-19, effects can extend to injuries and degradations to other parts of the body, such as in the case of English teacher Megan
Walker. Although she contracted the virus from her preschool-aged son nearly a year ago, Walker still struggles with fatigue and muscle weakness, symptoms she noticed were lingering months after her initial sickness. “I couldn’t walk from my couch to my kitchen holding my four-month-old child. It was very, very, difficult. I kept calling my doctor, and they kept saying to just give it time, but it was the beginning of March [two months after contracting the virus]. I started to think, ‘This isn’t normal. I need to go see someone,’” Walker said. After multiple physician appointments and ineffective prescriptions, Walker was referred to a UCLA long COVID-19 clinic. However, the massive influx of patients prevented her from getting an appointment until several months later, forcing her to manage her symptoms with little aid. “It was a really, really rough couple of months. I wasn’t able to play with my kids. I wasn’t able to take my daughter for a walk around
MASKING AROUND While mask requirements have been lifted since March 2022, some students choose to keep them on by Felix (Quentin) Lerch
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lthough so common just a year a mask. wearing masks, there are struggles that ago, mask-wearing students are “I lost my voice, I was sick and I come with their decision. For Lu, the now an anomaly. While the ma- missed a lot of school. I recovered struggle comes from being in band. jority of RUHS students have given up the slowly, but then I just got sick again “With [band], they're nice enough practice, some choose to keep them on for for another week. I thought ‘I am so I don't have to play if I don't various reasons, such as concerns from not dealing with this again.’ So, I want to. But when I do loved ones and fear illness. keep a mask on to stay safe since play, we're spaced out. Senior Carolyn Tran wears a mask due there's still COVID-19 out there So, I pull off my to her parents’ worries about the family’s and it doesn't hurt to wear it,” Lu mask when I play health and a fear of another potential surge. said. and I put it back “[My parents] have been exposed to a Senior Cordelia McKellips on afterwards,” OF R A M UHS ST lot of media about COVID-19 that makes wears a mask due to the awareLu said. ASK UD INS ; DATA ENTS S TAG them worried for me. So, I just wear a mask ness they gained during the AlF T R IL RAM OM R LW EA U SUR to keep them happy,” Tran said. pandemic. Specifically, though VEY HSMED R IA OF 1 97 As a member of band, the nature of they learned a lot about how T r a n playing instruments and being in many diseases are spread and echoes that close contact with othhow far they can reach when there are occaer band members someone isn’t wearing a mask. sionally difficulties with accaused freshman The anxiety that comes with tivities because of her mask-wearing, she is Kiora Lu that knowledge is a key reason overall grateful to have the choice to wear to be hit for their decision. one. A “partic“Even though the mask man“Everyone's pretty supportive and chill. R A WE S ularly date has been lifted, it still makes If my friends are ever wearing masks on ILL IPSO T S NS ROM hard” by me nervous to not wear a mask be- some days I never really notice. I feel like F ICA ER DATA M ; A COVID-19. cause I don’t want to get other people masks have just been normalized at this K F S O MA Due to her sick. It just feels safer, especially since point,” Tran said. “And with [COVID-19] infection, Lu got you don’t always know if you’re sick or dying down already, it’s not like I feel unbronchitis and was ill for not,” McKellips said. safe around [those that don’t decide to roughly three weeks in November Despite the support the students feel wear a mask]. It’s really everyone’s own 2022, inclining her to keep wearing with regards to their decision to keep decision.”
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staff editors-in-chief Katarina (Haven) Beches Ruby Crosthwait Elise Haulund online manager Zelia Lerch news editors Erika Glass Sara Miyake-Singer features editors Mia Dowdell Emilie Takahashi Marley Van Pelt opinion editors Scarlett Mische Romi Riss entertainment editors Allie D'Amato Sydney Lamich sports editors Ethan Chi Ty Soria copy editors Marin Cantrell Cristina Couch Stavyah Naveen Zoe Rossi writing editors Lauren Greene Ethan Lerner Simra Zargar online editors Cristina Couch Lucy Davis Rena Felde Lauren Greene Ria Lopresto Stavyah Naveen Troy Nevil Kat Otey advisor Kerri Eastham staff writers Ariya Anvari Ava Anzivino Luca Artiga Danielle Bellamy Calvin Bonn London Carbone Nicholas Carrozza Lauren Choy NyAire Davis Charlene Elam Izzie Escobar Yasmeen Ford Daniella Gross Scarlett Kindt Isabella Kohler
CaraMia Leal Felix Lerch Valentina Masoni Andrew McKenna Summer Puterbaugh Amina Raïss Priya Ramcharan Avery Rapoport Aaliyah Roberson Victor Simoes Sadie Simmons Aidan Tseng Claudia Turner Sofia Villanueva Malina Young
photographers Marin Cantrell Olivia Flanders Jazmine Jimenez Pete Paguyo Sascha Perdue Lilliana Romero Rebecca Schima Ingrid Sommerer advertising, circulation & distribution manager Nicholas Tomsio illustrators Esperanza Carolipio Allie D’Amato Lola Diehl Kaitlyn Hodac Bella Langa Scarlett Mische