COVID-19 has affected the world in many ways. One notable example is school closures. Distance learning has been a seemingly lackluster substitute for in-person class, leaving some students disappointed.

Senior students in particular seem disheartened because the final year of their high school experience has been, for the most part, taken from them. Words like unfair, lonely, depressed, and inactive frequently come up when discussing these changes.

However, several seniors have been seeing the bright side of this new flexible learning environment. A few of those positives were being able to choose when to do schoolwork, the ability to sleep in later, and having the comfort of home.

Some seniors, such as Tari Tawk, have been using this time away from school to be together with family who they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. Tawk said one positive of distance learning was “being able to see my family who lives outside of the country” in Columbia.

Senior Logan Rice sees the current situation in a more negative light. “[COVID learning has been] much harder for young people and kids because social separation can cause depression,” Rice said.
Feeling separated from society seems to be a very common feeling because of all of the distance measures being taken to slow and prevent the spread of the virus.

The good thing is that we are slowly inching back towards a semblance of normalcy after a year of lockdowns and restrictions. With all of the vaccines being produced and distributed, the future looks bright.