June 10, 2020
Grads Reflect Back on Senior Year
It’s a time…
when people should be able to put trust
into the systems that are supposed to take
care of them, but no one, at least no one I’m
around or often exposed to, really trusts the
government right now. People are out of
work, the ones that aren’t are often over-
worked. All of the numbers about cases
reported and percentages of those infected
mean almost nothing, with the lack of test-
ing and the high number of false negatives.
At the same time, it almost feels like
nothing is happening at all. It’s surprising-
ly easy to stay at home and kind of feels
like summer break. The biggest difference
is not being able to go and see my friends
all of the time, but things like FaceTime
make even that easier. The other day I had
a “date” of sorts with my best friend where
we both ordered food and ate together on
FaceTime so that it could feel like we were
eating at the restaurant we like together. I
know that I’m experiencing this differently
from a lot of other people, though.
At the end of the day, the virus will run
its course. It will last as long as it lasts, and
I can’t do anything more than my best to
not contribute to it. It’s easier to immerse
myself in projects and the day by day than
by trying to guess when or how things will
get back to normal, if they do. And so I’ll
keep doing my projects, and learning what
interests me. I’ll text and call my friends
to keep from feeling too lonely. There isn’t
much else to do.
--Ashton Sawyer
Kayla Gulley (left) and Jayliah Joiner examine archived documents with classmates
during a visit to PSU.
The Good and the Bad
Let’s start with the bad parts about
quarantine.
You can’t go anywhere. This means the
mall, movie theater, almost any fast food
place, and the worst for me, the barbers.
Two, you can’t see your friends and fam-
ily. If you don’t already live with them,
you can’t hang out with your friends. Or
at least you’re not supposed to. But even
when you do, there aren’t many places to
go. Three, it’s a bad time to look for em-
ployment. If you’re like me and looking
for work, it’s a lot more difficult than it al-
ready was. Four, graduation. I was really
looking forward to a graduation party be-
cause I worked so hard to pass my classes.
Now, here is the good stuff about quar-
antine. One, it forces you to keep in touch
with your friends. Even though I said you
can’t see your friends and family in person,
you canstill text them and keep in touch
with them. Also, I talk to my parents more.
Two, I have more time to work on my fit-
ness. Three, I get to talk with my grandpar-
ents more and mow their lawns to get paid.
Now that I don’t have to worry about
graduating, I can focus on my plans to at-
tend PCC. I can work on things that I’m
interested in. For example, I have been try-
ing to write song lyrics for myself to sing. I
just try and keep positive during this time.
Now I just hope this thing ends soon.
--Brett Hinsley
Page 9
Alberta Park in Quarantine
While taking pictures it was interesting to
notice how many people were in the park and
sitting far apart from each other, and it was
such a shock to me because Alberta Park is
never that full and it was nice to see people go
outside and enjoy the sun.
During this whole Covid era I myself have
been going outside and spending more time
in nature areas. Last week I went to the De-
schutes state park which is a little past The
Dalles and on the way back we went through
Hood River and up to Timberline lodge which
was pretty empty and they required masks to
go inside. I’ve also been on a lot hikes.
I really like exploring the nature and I think
without this pandemic I wouldn’t have done
all those things.
--AJ Brazile
The Good Times at Jeff
Who would’ve known? Unfortunately our
important and exciting senior year had to be
cut short by COVID-19. It’s been a change in
our lives and turned out to be a strange year. I
miss a lot of my family and friends. I miss all
of the funny moments and good times at Jeff.
I really appreciated how much some of the
teachers and also my SEI coordinator cared
and really put in effort to make sure I was up
to date on schoolwork. This school year was
fun and I’m glad I got to strengthen friend-
ships.
A day in the life of Covid-19 isn’t too ex-
citing. I try to do different things each day,
stay close to the family and continue adapting
to the next things that come my way.
--D’Androse Robinson
c ontinued on P age 16