South students in quarantine
June 19, 2020
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, WWPRSD transitioned to remote learning on March 16, but the typical high school life became impossible. Clubs no longer meet, sports teams are inactive and field trips are canceled. Free time in quarantine is a unique opportunity for students to pursue new activities.
“I’ve mostly been spending time on my phone, sleeping, going outside a little bit and helping around the house. I’ve definitely had more time to myself.”
“I’ve been cooking and baking a lot and trying to make new types of food. I want to be able to make my own lunch or breakfast once in a while when I go back to school. I like to cook normally but I’ve been short on time this year and quarantine really gave me the chance to just enjoy what I have.”
“There were definitely challenges like becoming comfortable learning online, logging onto Google Classroom for four hours to do all the work and there’s no teacher technically there. Now I can plan better and I feel like this is my daily life now.”
Li explains that she manages her time better than she did at the beginning of quarantine. She also learned how to cook and make sushi during her time in quarantine.
“I bake cookies with my parents sometimes, and we also made dumplings and fried rice.”
Sathish Mohan plays soccer, badminton and video games.
“There’s no routine anymore.”
“I’ve done a lot of art and reading, and I’ve also started exercising. I don’t have clubs anymore and I also don’t have fencing practice so I fill the time with other things. I help my mom and dad make meals and my brother and I study together, play board games and watch movies on the weekend.”
“I’ve been cooking, exercising and playing with my dog. Pre-quarantine I would spend a lot more of my free time hanging out with friends or going to the gym.”
“I’ve been baking and making a lot of Dalgona coffee. I’ve also started a bullet journal, which is weird because it’s the middle of the year, but it helps.”
A bullet journal is a planner method where one can create schedules and to-do lists, or whatever suits the writer’s needs.
“I usually wouldn’t have the time to do all these things, especially since a lot of my work would be increased and my college work would also be piled on top of it. I have to choose classes, schedule multiple calls, research scholarships that still can be applied, check for all the items that have a deadline and such.”
I pretty much never baked during school.
— Ellen Wu, freshman
Free time has allowed students to explore hobbies like cooking and baking.
I can give more time to my family.
— Isha Shrivas, junior
Normally, we would spend our time on schoolwork and extracurricular activities, with no time to eat meals with the whole family. But quarantine has become a time where we can connect with each other.
[I have been] going out into nature and discovering new places. I would never go out and have the time to explore like that.
— Nina Shinder, junior
I have a lot more free time to do things I like and I also get a lot more sleep.
— Naveena Erranki, senior
As high schoolers, we often stay up past midnight, working on homework and studying for tests. For South students, quarantine has become a chance to make up for the hours of sleep we missed.
[I have been] Drawing, binge-watching shows, organizing and learning piano. I usually didn’t have enough time to do these activities and be satisfied.
— Tania Sterling, senior
