B THE
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VOLUME 93, ISSUE 6 APRIL 30, 2020 SCOTTSBURG HIGH SCHOOL
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With school being closed for the rest of the year due to the Coronavirus...
The key moments of almost everyone’s high school experience could be narrowed...
Our community faced its share of hardships in recent years...
One Scottsburg couple’s 15-night paradisaical voyage to...
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Scottsburg High School 500 S. Gardner Scottsburg, IN 47170 812.752.8927 www.theboosteronline.com Volume 93, Issue 6 April 30, 2020
Co-Editor-in-Chiefs Baylee Comer Sadie Fugate Jaiden Herald News Editor Sadie Fugate Opinion Editor Sadie Fugate Features Editor Baylee Comer Sports Editor Baylee Comer Photo Editor Jaiden Herald
In this
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Web Director Rita Nicholson Business Manager Justice LaMaster Copy Editor Rita Nicholson Staff Hailey Christoff Isabela Diaz Abby Doriot Adviser Sara Denhart
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Submitted photos
in-depth
Our Credentials & Awards SISPA Newspaper of the Year 1998-2011, 2013, 2016, 2018 Hoosier Star Award Winner 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016
The Booster is published as a forum by the newspaper students at Scottsburg High School. 900 copies are distributed monthly. The Booster is a member of Quill and Scroll and the Indiana Student Press Association. Letters to the editor must be signed; names will be withheld upon request. The staff reserves the right to edit letters due to length, libel, privacy or copyright laws as long as the meaning remains unchanged. Editorials and reviews are staff opinions and are not the opinions of the faculty, administration or school.
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The Scottsburg Booster
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Letter from the Editors Throughout this issue of The Booster, readers will see the positive and negatives outcomes of the pandemic. My fellow CoEditors-in-Chiefs and I believe that there is one message that is more important than any other during this time. The following editorial was written by Nathan Greear, the associate editor of The Booster, published on Jan. 25, 1939. We believe this message is still relevant to today’s issues, and we hope you, our readers, find value in this.
Egoism is one of the most contemptible traits of character. Yet, despite the fact that it is such, there are very few persons that do not at some time show traces of egoism. Just imagine how much better this world would be if everyone thought more of the happiness of his fellow man than of his own. It does not matter that it is humanly impossible for everyone to give up the thought of self. We can in a small measure achieve
theboosteronline.com
Canceled events
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Missed milestones
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Senior spring athletes
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Businesses need support
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Need for family balance
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Facing pandemic together
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Couple on Corona cruise
this; so let us consider it our duty to do so. Remember, before you display signs of egoism, that no one thinks you’re as good as you do yourself. There is and always will be a few people whose life-work is making others happy and who have little thought for their own happiness. How different are these from the ones whose joy comes from seeing others unhappy? Let us laud the former, and condemn the latter!
Published on Jan. 25, 1939 by Nathan Greear, the associate editor of The Booster
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Sadie Fugate
Baylee Comer
Jaiden Herald
Students grieve canceled activities, events Abby Doriot Staff Writer Isabela Diaz Staff Writer
With school being closed for the rest of the year due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many events have been canceled to ensure people’s safety. However, it leaves many students missing out on important opportunities to showcase their abilities and have fun with their classmates. One big milestone that affects many high school students is prom. Many students have been feeling the loss of one of their favorite events of the year. “Prom, to me, is really fun because I love to dance and just have a great time with my friends. We all get our hair and makeup done and take pictures together; we just really make a whole day out of it, not just the couple hours that prom is,” Ally Justice (12) said. “I will miss all of this excitement that comes with it, especially because it would be our senior prom. I hope there is some way that we could still have it once this mess is all over with.” Many students are also going to miss their sports and other activities. Students were looking forward to making improvements and beating old records. Mason Busick (10) is going to miss out on his sopho-
more track season. “I’m going to miss all the meets and sectionals, regional, and state. This means I lose a year to get better and be able to
of 2020, but it is dependent on if students regularly return back to school next year and gathering sizes increase from the governor’s current mandates.
compete, which also means I lose a year to chase my goal of beating my dad’s record for school. It all really sucks basically,” Busick said. Another big event that students will be missing out on is the SHS Spring Production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The show was rescheduled to the fall or winter
“I am going to miss out on all the fun that our sophomore year still had left. I am also really going to miss performing the musical that our whole cast worked so incredibly hard on,” Johnathon Perkinson (10) said. As many as the functions and events started canceling one by one, winter guard
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was one of the first to officially put an end to their season. The winter guard, Indiana High School Color Guard Association, and Tristate Marching Arts work together. With winter guard competitions being a large gathering of people, the directors decided for the safety and health of the students to cancel. For winter guard members, such as Alyssa Hood (9), this was devastating news. “I think that realizing I’m one step closer to becoming a ‘leader’ in the program is really making me think about how much I love it and how devastated I’d be if anything like this was to happen again,” Hood said. “I miss all of the hard work and effort everyone always put into everything. The dedication was just so real.” With many students being athletes and performers, those events that have been canceled will surely be missed by many. However, most students are going to miss those last few months that would mean stepping up to next year. “Overall, I’m worried about what my future holds now. It all seems uncertain, and that’s scary. I also made some really good friends this year that were seniors, and I feel like I didn’t get to spend as much time with them as I would’ve liked,” Ellie Bryson (10) said. “It was good while it lasted though. I wish them the best, and I hate that they missed out on so much of that high school experience.”
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Major milestones missed by Class of 2020 Baylee Comer Co-Editor-in-Chief
The key moments of almost everyone’s high school experience could be narrowed down to prom and graduation. “Our senior year is supposed to be something we can look back on as happy moments,” Elle Fleenor said. “It is hard to do that if we did not have some of these key moments.” With Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s stayat-home order, schools closed for the rest of the school year, and these include the cancellation and postponement of some of the most important events for the seniors of SHS. It’s definitely taking a toll on the entire class. Though we wish we could’ve had those things, I think we are all just trying to stay positive and look for new things to look forward to,” Abby Colson said. Disappointment and anxiousness are
felt by many members of the Class of 2020. “I’m very disappointed that we didn’t get to have a prom, or possibly even a ‘normal’ graduation,” Macy Funk said. But even with the disappointment, Funk said she has faith in the staff and administration of SHS who are “trying their best to make these things happen for us.” Ally Justice also has hope that the SHS administration will do something to remedy the memories the senior class has missed out on because of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Though there has been no word from administration on graduation, many still hope that students will have graduation and prom. With the last few months of senior year robbed from the Class of 2020, seniors reflect on the things they will miss. “I was looking forward to all of it. The laughs with my friends in our classes, my last track season, the last day of school excitement, reading the letters we wrote to
our freshmen selves, visiting where I went to elementary school, prom, graduation. I was excited about everything,” Justice said. Colson said she was looking forward to saying goodbye. “Every year after the seniors finished their graduation practice, I would see them walk back to their favorite teachers. They would hug them and thank them for everything they have done. I was really looking forward to having the same opportunity and jamming out with Bagwell one last time,” Colson said. The Class of 2020 has lost the key moments of their high school career, but seniors will learn some important life lessons from the pandemic. “I feel that even though we have all had our fair share of heartache for everyone through all of this, the Class of 2020 will come out stronger than ever and always remember to appreciate all of the little things in our life,” Justice said.
Photo submitted by Abby Colson
Abby Colson (12) tries on her prom dress and mourns her lost senior prom. “Yesterday, I decided that if I wasn’t going to be able to have a prom, I was at least going to get the cute pictures,” she said.
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Noel Welch (12) poses with her senior sign provided by Scottsburg High School. Signs were placed in the yards of seniors to help honor the Class of 2020 by a team of SHS staff members.
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Athletes mourn loss of senior season Jaiden Herald Co-Editor-in-Chief
The Class of 2020 face the heartbreak and pain in the light of the recent Coronavirus (COVID-19) circumstances. One of the biggest heartaches for many seniors was the con-
sequential cancellation of the spring senior sports season. Following the announcement of sport and school cancellations, athletes felt devastated and disappointed. For some, it was the loss of their final memories with their teammates; for others, the loss of the
final chance to play on their home turf; and for several, the final chance to compete in a sport they love. In order to most accurately convey the emotional burden of these losses, The Booster wanted to tell the story through the eyes of four of our senior athletes.
Lauren Jeffries
friends during practices and meets. “The biggest impact track has had on me is teaching me the concept of mind over matter. If your mind is telling you that you are tired and that you should give up then you will, but if your mind is telling you that you can do it and to not give up then you can do it. My coach always said, ‘Your mind will give up before your legs do.’ And that is very true,” Jeffries said. Jeffries encourages underclassmen to savor these moments as they go by too fast. “I am coping with having no senior season by telling myself that even though I don’t have a senior season I still have six years of track accomplishments under my belt that I should be more than proud of,” Jeffries said.
Senior Lauren Jeffries competed as a mid-distance runner in the 4x400 meter relay, 800m and long jump for the girls track team. “I’m very bummed about not having a senior season. I planned on breaking the 800m record this year, I was only five seconds away from beating it last year. Though I am bummed about not having a senior season, I am very proud of the accomplishments I made last year, I feel like I left track on a high note,” Jeffries said. Jeffries said the thing she misses most about track is seeing and running with her
Nicholas Sebastiao
Elle Fleenor
Senior Elle Fleenor is a three-year member of the Warriorette tennis team. “It really sucks not getting to have my senior tennis season. I feel like I’ve spent my entire high school career working towards my final season, and now, it’s been ripped away from all the seniors,” Fleenor said. She said she misses spending time with my teammates and her coaches. “The game has allowed me to clear my mind. When I’m on the court, all I think about is the game. It gave my mind a break from stress from homework and other things that were stressing me out,” Fleenor said. To cope with the loss of her senior season, she said she continues to workout. “I’ve been trying to play as much as possible and work out like it was the season. My body is so used to always being active in the springtime, and it just feels weird to not play or exercise,” Fleenor said. She offered advice to other underclassmen athletes about playing sports. “Use your time in the sport to absorb more than just the sport. Make connections, make friendships, and make memories,” Fleenor said.
Riley Pool Senior Riley Pool served as captain and was catcher for the Warriorette Softball team. “I am beyond disappointed that I wasn’t able to play my final year of the sport I have been playing since I was a little girl. It was extremely hard to be told that I would never take the field at Scottsburg again without really having a say in it,” Pool said. “Knowing that I would never be coached by my dad again or play for the school and team that I have grown so close to was so hard.”
Senior Nicholas Sebastiao recently signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his athletic and academic career at Montana State University Billings. Sebastiao signed his NLI via video as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. Sebastiao was also a spring sport athlete as he competed on Scottsburg’s first boys volleyball team. “It was very different because I didn’t
get to take a visit. I didn’t get to sign in front of all my friends and family. It sucked honestly because it’s that moment every athlete chases for years,” Sebastiao said. “We put in so much hard work, blood, sweat and tears just to sign our name on that piece of paper in front of everyone, but I didn’t get to do that. It really sucked. It meant a lot to sign, but you don’t get the whole feeling.”
Pool said the loss of her senior season was extremely sorrowful. “The first few weeks were very rough. I cried nonstop and just didn’t really know what to do with myself,” Pool said. Pool, an 11-year softball player, will continue her academic and athletic career at DePauw University post the Coronavirus (COVID-19). “It has completely shaped me into the person I am today. I would not have the friends I have today if it wasn’t for softball, and I definitely wouldn’t have the future ahead of me that I do if it wasn’t for softball,” Pool said.
Pool said she encourages underclassmen to not take their time in their sport for granted and to enjoy it while they have the opportunity to do so. “I want to thank my dad for teaching me absolutely everything I know from tee ball to college. He has been there for everything,” Pool said. She also appreciates her teammates. “I also want to thank Alyssa Stagnolia for being the best teammate, friend, and basically [a] sister that I’ve ever had. The memories we made together through the five years we played together will be memories I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Pool said. In-depth
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Businesses need support and greet customers with a smile. Local business owners employ residents and students that allow for people to provide for their families and themScott County businesses joined a long list selves. of things being affected by the Coronavirus Local businesses provide income for Scott (COVID-19) pandemic as they have faced hard- County families. For some, it is their livelihood ship in the light of reduced customers. As shelter and passion. Owners and workers put countless in place, social distancing and quarantine re- time and effort into their craft and into the comstrictions have been mandated, local businesses munity. In recent years, local businesses worked have had to respond to a reduced to have an increased presence in customer base and therefore a the Scott County community. decreased profit margin. In addiThey have been essential in growtion, many were forced to close ing and progressing the commuin accordance with government nity. They provide services and regulations. sources of employment while During such times of hardEVERYONE IS continuing to improve our comship, as a community, people munity as a whole. BEING TRIED IN need to come together to work As a community, it is our turn NEW WAYS AS to support the businesses that to support our local businesses. WE ATTEMPT TO sponsor little league teams, buy While residents were restricted NAVIGATE THESE yearbook ads and donate to clubs. to essential travel only, they can still find ways to support local UNPRECEDENT- Everyone is being tried in new businesses still open during the ED TIMES, BUT ways as we attempt to navigate pandemic. Many businesses are WE NEED TO DO these unprecedented times, but offering delivery or curbside SO AS A we need to do so as a communipick up options. Customers are ty. We need to make a conscious COMMUNITY. effort to buy local and look for still able to support local busiJaiden Herald, ness by ordering deliveries, a way to assist local businesses Co-Editor-in-Chief making donations, purchasing during these times. Everyone is gift cards or simply sharing/likcapable of helping. Challenge ing on social media. yourself to purchase lunch from a local restaurant Despite the circumstances, people must or buy a gift for an upcoming birthday from a lomake an effort to remember and support local cal business. Set a goal to merely share their busibusinesses as business owners and employees ness post or give them a shout on social media. struggle during these unprecedented times. LoAs we all struggle during these times of crical businesses are the ones that continuously sis, let us remember to look out for our neighbors donate and sponsor school fundraisers, sports and support them where we can. Furthermore, as teams and extracurricular activities. Local busi- we come out of these challenging times, let us renesses are the ones that remember food orders member to always support our local businesses.
Students’ home life during pandemic by Hailey Christoff
Jaiden Herald
Co-Editor-in-Chief
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I’ve been doing a lot of baking, art [like painting], doing my makeup and tons of chalk art. But, I mostly spend time with my family, and that’s really important with everything going on.”
- Emily Doud (11)
One memorable event that took place during this quarantine is the cancellation — not being able to see friends, family and having a normal graduation at the end of this year.”
- Kelsey Merry (10)
I hang out with my cousin by playing video games, talking and going on drives together. With my immediate family, one thing we do is watch church on the TV on Sunday and eat afterward.”
- Friederich Ostertag (11)
Closed businesses create high unemployment percentage Baylee Comer & Rita Nicholson Co-Editor-in-Chief & Staff Writer
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced many businesses to temporarily close their doors, but some businesses are deemed essential and are allowed to remain open. But what exactly defines a business as essential is not quite clear. According to “Business Insider,” each individual state has the power to decide which businesses are essential and which are not. However, there are some types of businesses that have been widely acknowledged as necessary to everyday life, such as grocery stores, gas stations and health care locations. Most recreational businesses have been determined as nonessential. The aforementioned includes places, such as movie theaters, shopping malls and gyms. Each state may view a business as essential, depending on its location. Some states have kept the liquor stores and some restaurants open, for instance. As many Americans are laid off or furloughed from their nonessential workplaces due to the virus, about 20 million people are filing for unemployment this week as of April 23. Many might think unemployment may only affect the
income flow of the household, but the loss of employment has a deeper impact than that. According to “The New York Times” columnist Binyamin Applebaum, even though one may eventually find a job, there are lasting impacts on the individual, family and health. Applebaum said an individual, who has lost their job, has a risk of developing depression. According to Pew Research Center, 38 percent of people unemployed longer than six months after the recession in 2010 said they felt they lost self-respect. Almost half of the people who were unemployed six months or more said the psychological impact of unemployment stained and impacted their relationships with other people. These numbers are slightly decreased when individuals were unemployed for less than three months or unemployed between three to five months. The longer an individual is unemployed, the more they feel the effects of it. Soon, the country will be reopened, but there will be phases to such reopening. The White House has put forth a reopening guideline which indicates how each phase is defined by the status the state must be, showing a decrease in the number of positive cases seen within the state. The White House assures these guidelines to be effective in reopening the country.
Lessons from the past hold true 100 years later Rita Nicholson Copy Editor
Eerily similar to the present, a pandemic swept through the country more than 100 years ago. The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 killed millions of people worldwide, with 675,000 deaths in the United States, according to the Indianapolis Star’s article, “Here’s how Indianapolis escaped the 1918 Spanish flu with one of the lowest death rates.” Measures were taken in Indiana to prevent the spread of the illness. Some of these preventative measures seem to be mirrored in the present. For instance, according to an article by The Influenza Epidemic, in 1918, the Indianapolis governor ordered that gatherings of more than five people were prohibited. A lot of businesses were forced to close, and schools, colleges and churches were also shut down. Streetcars Rita were required to keep the windows open when operating, and it was recommended that people do the same with the windows at home, no matter the weather. Spitting was also discouraged, and The Influenza Epidemic website said eventually “health inspectors began riding Indianapolis streetcars to check sanitation and
to discourage spitting” on the streets. The 1918 epidemic also hit closer to home. Slight mentions of the flu were prevalent in the SHS yearbook in 1919, which provided coverage of the year prior in 1918. The Junior Notes section says, “Several of the Juniors have the ‘flu’ and are unable to be in school.” According to the school calendar, the “‘Flu’ scare [was] again prevalent.” On Oct. 9, there was an “Enforced vacation, because of the ‘Flu’” that lasted for four weeks, and the SHS athletic season was also cut short due to the pandemic. “The past season has been short, due to the influenza situation, which closed the schools for over a month, thus causing some of the games to be canceled, cutting the schedule of games to be played almost half,” said the staff of The Columbian, Scottsburg High School’s yearbook, in the Nicholson (11) athletics section in 1919. Even though the Spanish flu pandemic happened in 1918, the present is facing a similar situation with COVID-19. Once again, public places have been closed, including SHS. It is almost as if the past is repeating itself, but today, the world can learn from the 1918 pandemic by looking to the past.
IT IS ALMOST AS IF THE PAST IS REPEATING ITSELF, BUT TODAY, THE WORLD CAN LEARN FROM THE 1918 PANDEMIC BY LOOKING TO THE PAST.
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3 Photos from the Influenza Encyclopedia, Indiana State Library
1. A New York city street sweeper goes about his business while wearing a gauze mask to guard against influenza, published Oct. 16, 1918 (from the Influenza Encyclopedia, produced by the University of Michigan Center for the History of Medicine and Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library). 2. An informational poster from the Indiana State Board of Health explaining how to stay safe during the influenza epidemic. The poster was published around 1918 (from the Indiana State Library Digital Collection). 3. Boston Red Cross volunteers assemble gauze influenza masks for use at hard-hit Camp Devens in Massachusetts (from the Influenza Encyclopedia).
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Quarantine creates need for balance at home Hailey Christoff Staff Writer
Recently as of April 19, the nation’s mortality rate has reached more than 42,000 deaths due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). With Indiana reaching its first month of quarantine, families are finding it difficult to remain inside their house. As more days pass on, parents await for work hours at their businesses while students ache for the arrival of August classes. With cabin fever setting into the family environment, people wonder how they will survive for any longer. Being a sister to five siblings, Mattie Busick (10) said she has her hands full but that
does not stop her from having fun. “Managing my siblings has been pretty tough,” Busick said. “They can be annoying because they are younger.” They try to avoid fighting as much as possible, she said. For Mallory McGlothlin (9), she only has to hassle with three. “Some days it is difficult being around each other, but we appreciate being together,” McGlothlin said. On the other hand, their parents seem to enjoy their time together, providing days full of games and other activities. Although they are busy, they find it comforting that their children are around. “Even though both are working, we get
more time together after,” Busick said. Usually, after work, the family plays board and puzzles games. For an hour or more, the Busick children enjoy playing outside each day. As for the McGlothlin clan, they participate together by using technology. Even on Easter, her family joined in a car parade to celebrate. “We have been doing virtual game nights with my outer family over FaceTime to socialize with them,” McGlothlin said. However, with nursing homes prohibiting visitation hours, many people fear for the health of older family members. Concerning health, older generations of people are more susceptible to diseases, making it extremely dangerous if they come in contact
with an infected individual. The immune system would be compromised and could eventually lead to death. In the pandemic, grandchildren either visit behind glass walls or not at all to help reduce the risk of infecting their grandparents. “We are concerned for our grandparents, but we also know that they have been taking the proper precautions to protect themselves from the virus,” McGlothin said. For an individual’s daily schedule, people are finding it quite easy to stick with a routine usually for a “non-quarantine” day. “I get ready for my day like any other,” Busick said. “It gives me a sense of normality whenever I do this.”
Community faces pandemic together despite being apart Jaiden Herald Co-Editor-in-Chief
Our community faced its share of hardships in recent years. Yet, despite trial and adversity, our community continues to overcome and show resilience, growth and a sense of community spirit and pride. As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic reached our community, its members once again stepped up to support one another. In the beginning stages of the pandemic as local schools closed in a preventative act, social media platforms were filled with acts of kindness, generosity and helpfulness. Community members offered to grocery shop for the older citizens and immunocompromised; high school and college-age students offered to babysit for parents without child care options and members volunteered to tutor and assist kids struggling with eLearning. Furthermore, in the face of jobs and school closing, community members offered to feed those left hungry in the circumstances. Our community worked to support, assist and encourage friends and neighbors as our community struggled to adapt to a new reality. In addition, as the situation progressed, community members worked to donate or create personal protective equipment for our frontline. Masks, gowns, headbands and face shields were created and donated to our first responders and healthcare facilities so that they may continue to protect themselves. Members 8
April 2020
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saw a need and worked to meet that need as they have always done. Furthermore, our community continued to uplift, encourage and support each other during these unprecedented times. They have and continue to speak out in support of each other during such trying times. Moreover, local individuals and families joined social media movements to spread cheer such as placing bears in windows for small children to “hunt.” In addition to local families, local businesses joined in to spread happiness for our community’s children. Friends and families decorated driveways and organized car parades to help celebrate birthdays and special days. Our community continues to reach out and find ways to Submitted photo celebrate during these difficult Senior Sydney Middleton wishes Ally Justice (12) a happy birthday by writing in chalk on her driveway. The birthday times. Creative minds in this message is just one example of how out community reaches out to celebrate even in these uncertain times. community continue to work to spread lightness in dark. uncertainty, confusion, worry and pain. Even evolve, our community needs to continue to The aforementioned acts of kindness show in times of despair, our community should step up and show out. We need to continue an unrealistic look at the kindness of our com- be proud. These acts, no matter big or small, to support and encourage one another during munity members as there is no way to list or worked to inspire hope as our community these circumstances. Continue to be the light know everything that happened. Such acts of struggles in the light of the coronavirus pan- in the darkness, help those in need and rekindness, generosity and compassion contin- demic. member that hard times do not last, strong ue to be a breath of fresh air in such times of As the COVID-19 situation continues to communities do.
Stay at home to help others Sadie Fugate Co-Editor-in-Chief
Submitted photo
Jan Watterson, Rachael Mount (9), Dr. Shannon Mount and Ginny Watterson pose for a selfie with masks on when the Wattersons arrived home.
Recent events and developments in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are causing health and government officials to call for the most social and technologically connected generation to back away from social gatherings and stay home for the sake of their health and others. The stay-at-home orders have caused some in younger generations to feel angry and gives a feeling of injustice. Although not likely to die from the virus itself, many young people are still susceptible to contracting the virus and carrying it to those they surround themselves with without knowing it. This is extremely concerning for those who are older, receiving medical treatment or are immunocompromised. As someone who is immunocompromised themselves, I urge
you to please stay in your homes and social distance as much as you possibly can. While the virus may not be life-threatening to you, someone with a compromised immune system due to medical treatment or due to age can face serious complications if the virus is contracted. By still gathering in groups of people and not participating in the social distancing guidelines, you are putting yourself and your loved ones at risk. Someone like myself, who has a weakened immune system, can easily catch the virus from you and the effects can be detrimental to our health. Moreover, the quicker we all follow guidelines administered by our local, state, and federal governments, the quicker this virus will be able to diminish and life can resume as normal. Without following proper guidelines, little advancement can be made in overcoming this pandemic.
Scott Co. couple placed in Corona cruise quarantine Students adapt to eLearning Rachael Mount Contributing Writer
One Scottsburg couple’s 15-night paradisaical voyage to the Hawaiian islands turned into an unexpected month-long stay as their cruise ship became an early hotspot in the United States for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). On Feb. 21, Jan and Ginny Watterson, the grandparents of Scottsburg High School freshman Rachael Mount and parents of SHS staff member Dr. Shannon Mount, were aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship as the ship set sail from San Francisco, Calif. It was destined to sail to the Hawaiian islands and stop in Mexico for a small excursion; however, a cruise ship passenger acquired an unexpected illness that turned it into an isolated, elongated journey. The Wattersons arrived in the Hawaiian islands on Feb. 26, after five days out at sea, and they explored the beautiful nature of Maui, Honolulu, Kauai, and Hawaii. They departed Hawaii and experienced “real rough seas” with level eight waves. The next day, cruise officials announced that the ship passengers were in quarantine because 26 people on the ship had fallen ill with COVID-19.
To quarantine, the passengers stayed in their cabins and had room service available to replace public dining. The Wattersons’ room was similar to any ordinary cruise ship room, meaning the room was designed for sleeping not as an apartment. They had a small bathroom, hallway, and a room with a king-size bed. Luckily, the couple had a balcony, and they spent most of their time outside watching the helicopters and naval boats bring resources to the ship. They felt blessed with their balcony on the boat. “The hardest thing was worrying and wondering about those passengers who were trapped in those inner rooms. At least we could see outside from our balcony and walk around a bit.” Ginny Watterson said. The cruise staff would knock on the door, and they would have to put on their masks to open the door. Their meals would be sitting outside their door on a tray with nobody there. They saw nobody outside the room for six days. If they needed clean towels or bedding, they would put it outside the door. Later, they would hear a knock and fetch the laundry without seeing anyone. While under quarantine, the Wattersons Continue reading ‘Cruise’ on page 10.
Abby Doriot Staff Writer
Each morning of her eLearning classes, Kenley Comer (10) wakes up at 9 a.m. to start her classwork. She works until about noon, and she takes a break for lunch. After lunch, she goes right back to work, finishing up any work she has left. “It’s going pretty well. Most teachers are doing a great job providing new assignments that aren’t super long but are still challenging,” Comer said. “However, I don’t like it because I am a hands-on learner. It is harder to do work when it’s all on a computer.” While some might think eLearning has more complications and difficulty than being in the school building, others find eLearning more freeing and better because they can work at their own pace. Johnny Perkinson (10) enjoys being able to work on different subjects at different times of the day and prioritizing his school work. “It is going pretty well for me. I am get-
ting my stuff done, which is good. And, surprisingly, my internet is holding on to let me do my work,” Perkinson said. Shaye Ritchison (11) finds she enjoys eLearning more than learning in a classroom setting. “[eLearning] is going really well, and I honestly love it. I work so much better when I have control over my environment and my pace. I feel like I’m understanding the material better because I can spend more time on the stuff I don’t get right away. I prefer this style of work,” Ritchison said. For some, eLearning has some downsides. While Rachael Mount (9) likes working from home and the freedom that comes from it, she finds some challenges in eLearning. “The only part I do not like is the fact that sometimes the work that the teachers give exceeds the 20-minute limit, and I end up working on schoolwork for far longer than I should have to,” Mount said. Overall, students work to make the best out of a bad situation and adapt to eLearning’s new style of learning. In-depth
April 2020
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Cruise
new Apple phone to stay in “We felt like we had no control over contact with the announce- what happened, but we just accepted it ments. The couple had a and went on,” said Ginny Watterson, when Continued from page 9 fenced area that they could asked how the quarantine made her feel. walk around in and noticed They both agreed that the flight home said they watched TV, ate, Homeland Security workers from the Air Force base was the worst part read, and did crossword guarding the fenced area. of the experience. The Wattersons were puzzles. They were able to Each passenger from forced to “hurry up and wait” because of watch new movies that they the cruise ship staying at airplane troubles and affairs. They enjoyed would otherwise not have Lackland was asked a se- meeting new people from different places been able to. The pair got ries of medical questions and hearing their interesting stories. The through the quarantine by before they were allowed a couple mentioned that they look forward to dealing with each issue one meal to ensure that no vi- taking another cruise, but a short one with minute, one hour, and one rus was being spread. The other family members. day at a time. room was set up like a small The Wattersons arrived home safely; “I went to the infirmary apartment, and they had ex- however, they were quarantined to their to get Jan something for cellent meals such as steak, home. They were tested for COVID-19 seasickness and met a man fried chicken, roast beef, when they arrived back in Scottsburg, and there whose wife was very hamburgers, and Texas bar- the tests came back negative. ill, but I never saw her face becue, the Wattersons said. “It was just an adventure and that’s the to face,” Ginny Watterson However, the officials were way I look at it. It’s just something that said. very strict about food con- happened, nothing to be mad about,” Jan Their four-hour extamination. Watterson said. cursion to Mexico was “ O n e canceled, and they sailed day, I straight to San Francisco. reached out When they got to San Franto get my cisco, their boat could not wife a Coke, dock — it circled the ocean and they for three days until the slapped my cruise staff decided what to hand, ‘You do. They finally docked at can’t touch Oakland Commercial Port that’,” Jan Submitted photo and started to unload the The Wattersons boarded a flight to an Air Force base in Texas to quarantine for two Wa t t e r s o n passengers. said. weeks before being able to come home. T h e “Out of the 26 that we couple had superb medifound out definitely had the cal services and treatment virus, 24 of them were crew at Lackland. The military members that had been on staff would make runs to the cruise before it, where Walmart to get prescripthe virus started. Only two tions, and they would even passengers were sick with do their laundry for them. it,” Jan Watterson said. “It was an interesting exThe remaining 3,500 perience,” Ginny Watterson people had to be quaran- said. tined for an additional 14 The Centers for Disease days. They got on a gov- Control and Prevention and ernment-chartered jet plane Homeland Security workand ended up at Lackland ers experienced in disaster Air Force Base in San An- relief situations in countonio, Texas. There, they tries, such as going to Puermet Scottsburg alumni, Pat- to Rico in 2019 to help with rick Lincoln, who is grad- extreme hurricane injuries. uating from basic training “They were not acin the spring. Inside of the quainted with handling Submitted photo Submitted photo Air Force base, officials healthy people,” Jan Wat- The Wattersons take a picture of a rainbow seen from their balcony Ginny and Jan Watterson pose for a selfie in masks while quarantining in their cabin on the cruise ship. handed Jan Watterson a terson said. while in quarantine on the Grand Princess cruise ship. 10
April 2020
In-depth
