Looking Back A Year

I think we can all agree that COVID has changed so much in our lives. The adjustments we as a community have had to make has been more than a challenge in our lives. Masks, social distancing, and the end of many societal norms has put an end to the many things which brought me joy in my life. I miss normal life; a life without all the absences COVID has brought along with it.

I will admit that I’m still having a hell of a junior year, and I know this feeling is shared by many of my other classmates around the rest of the school. Although . . . do you remember all the fun we had without COVID? The Friday night basketball games at McQuaid, taking on Aquinas. The sounds of Simba cheering “rock the port” when hockey took on one of the school’s biggest public rivals. Normal lunches and FLEXes where we could hang out with our buddies without being told to return to your seat. The dances and outside school events where we could enjoy our time, both Mercy and McQuaid. Sports, with a normal-length season and without the mandatory rules of wearing masks. These experiences were moments I cherished, and which I hope will soon return to our lives. They brought an excitement to getting up and going to school in the morning, representing something to which we looked forward as teens. I miss these moments, and I think we can agree that we all miss these moments. These experiences we had in a “normal life” created a wonderful childhood for us, as I feel that time and the arrival of COVID ended our teenage years in a fast and yet subtle way. As the end of the school year approaches, we can only hope that, as we look ahead, the possibility of a normal school year. We are certainly all due for one. 

I think that we can all agree that we hope for some sense of normality in the future. For me, I’m hoping this will arrive in time for senior year. For others, these times may be different, although we all want an end to the pandemic soon. The absence of these precious days of our childhood is really beginning to hurt, so hopefully the vaccine improves our outlook. It is quite obvious that COVID has taken so much from us. Especially as children, it’s fun that we look forward to everyday. We aren’t going to be in high school forever, you know. As the future stands ahead of us, we must try our best to follow the precautions taken to return to a normal year in 2021-2022. If we do this, I have strong faith that we can put an end to all this nonsense. So please, get your vaccine and follow the COVID protocols. I want a normal senior year, with Friday night football games, Halloween parties, and great moments with McQ brothers. I believe you want this too, so—stay safe and be ready for a whole new chapter of our lives.