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.
