It's crazy to me that the end of the year is upon us! Today is our last instructional day with seniors. While they are thrilled and overjoyed by this, I am certainly a bit nostalgic. It's hard not to feel like we've missed out on a lot of quality time together, just getting to know each other as IALCS community members and humans. Last year, Christina and Bianca M. came up with the brilliant idea of capturing student stories, art, and poetry through physical publication as a way to honor senior memories as IALCS students. 

Now it's time to gather submissions, edit, and hopefully publish installation TWO of our Inwood Academy Quarantine Chronicle Series. 

We will be opening our call for submissions this Friday, May 28th with a final deadline set for June 4th. We invite teachers to submit work on behalf of students (poetry, art, creative writing, multimedia entries) AND also invite staff to submit their own work. Our plan is to edit entries as they trickle in, post them online to our blog, and then allow seniors to design a book cover and select final pieces for publication before they graduate. 

Our hope is to create a final product that'll capture some of the stories, heartbreak, and triumphs of this crazy year. As our school's student leaders, the seniors will curate the design and flow of the book. Help us make this a reality by submitting work from your classroom (all grades welcome, and at all stages of the writing process). 


Hugs,

Miguel Garcia
12th Grade ELA Teacher

What is it like, being a teenager in quarantine?

To be honest, it is like hell on Earth.


It is feeling stranded or isolated 

even though you are surrounded by family.

You miss things like the outside world, your friends, and life before the quarantine all the time.

No matter how much you wish for it to be “like the old days,”

you have to realize those times are gone.

But don’t worry, it’ll be alright.


It is feeling stressed 

over things that won’t matter 5 years down the road.


It is constantly feeling bored

because it seems you are living the same day over and over again. 

Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

But don’t worry, it’ll be alright.


It is feeling scared

for your family, for your friends, and your own wellbeing.


Months have passed 

and quarantine is over. 

You survived it,

you survived all the feelings, the hardships, and misfortunes. 

Being a teenager in quarantine was tough, 

but everything did turn out to be alright.

My name is Elijah Nino, and if I'm honest, 2020 has been quite the experience for me. I mean, I'm sure it's been the experience of a lifetime for everybody, good and bad, but for me, it all just seemed to mesh into a storm of horrid. For example, just a month into 2020, I was dealt the hardest blow I think I may ever face, which was the passing of my grandmother that I loved dearly. It hit me like a truck, that's for sure, and while it may be forever in my thoughts, I learned a lesson from it all, and it's one I may never forget. It stems from something she would always tell me whenever I seemed stumped with grief or an immovable obstacle, and that was still to keep pressing on no matter what because at the end of the day, the world will move and progress with or without you. That lesson, coupled with the hardships ahead of me is what keeps me going and brings me to terms with the life I have ahead and the life I leave behind. But as far as tragic happenings go, this was luckily the only real one I had to deal with last year.

 As I said earlier, my grandma's passing away was probably the worst thing that happened to me in 2020, but sadly it certainly was not the last of bad things to come in 2020. To make matters worse, a global pandemic was spreading all over America and specifically New York. It scared me to death, and it was something I've never experienced before. It wasn't so much the fact that a virus was spreading like wildfire, but it was the fact that I'd be in a complete lockdown and isolated from everyone around me. It was a lot to take in at the time, but nowadays, as I type this in the comfort of my home months into the lockdown, I feel at peace and focus on my goals. This wasn't always the case, though, cause, as I said earlier, I was scared for my life when the pandemic first hit in America, and as was everyone else, it was pure silence for the first time in history since Living in Washington Heights

Never before in my life have I ever been in complete silence while there, but when that pandemic hit, all you can hear was a car every few minutes and the birds chirping, all the energy and excitement in the area stripped away within seconds, and I couldn't believe it. With the silence came a steady and constant amount of isolation due to the outbreak's potential spread and ability to spread at the time, but little did we all know that we'd be stuck in a state of isolation for almost a year now with no real signs of it getting better even with the vaccine we have. As for where this plays into my story it left me with a sense of dread and doubt of the future. I lost my way to put it simply and regressed into a slump where nothing was done, not even classwork, and it would have ruined me had I not fixed it up in the final days of the school year. This brings my story full circle and us in 2021: a new president, a working vaccine with minimal side effects, and a fresh start on life ripe with opportunity and progress.

Now while I can't fully say my old habits are all gone, and I'm in a better place, I can say for a fact that I am 100% a better percent than what I was once and am continually trying to move forward no matter the cost. I truly think the only reason I have even slightly changed my view of the world is the isolation of the nationwide pandemic. I can't fully explain it, but it was just all the silence and thinking that I could do while alone. It was cleansing in a way, and it washed my stress away. Nowadays, I spend most of my hours meditating and finding inner peace in Taoism's spirit as it is one of the very few things I believe. To this day, I will always live up to my grandma's words and legacy and push past all my restraints and overcome anything to reach my goals because progress and change will always be inevitable in my world. 

​This year, 2020 has had a very unusual start—first, the U.S-Iran Conflict, then the unexpected death of the former Lakers star Kobe Bryant and now, the quarantine life during the pandemic of the Coronavirus. I've had to get used to this new lifestyle. A strategy that I've been using to manage this life is putting my schedule in order where I finish my responsibilities on time, and I get free time and breaks throughout the day. Before this pandemic, I had a very well organized and rigid schedule where I went to school and then home. Now, I can do things more flawlessly because I have more than enough time to do my assignments, and I don't have to stress while trying to complete my work under a time frame. I either do my homework in the morning or late at night, depending on how I feel. Sometimes I feel like late at night is the best time for me to complete my work because I can concentrate better and think of new ideas while everyone else is sleeping. Hey, maybe it's me practicing and preparing for late-night college work! 

If someone would have told me at the beginning of the year that there was going to be a virus that was going to spread all around the world to such magnitude and cause so much commotion, I would not have believed them. This was completely unexpected, and it caused my plans in preparation for college to make a full 360. No one would have imagined that COVID-19 was going to spread so rapidly and affect so many people. 

This new normal and way of life have affected the relationships in my family positively. I've created a well-knit relationship with my parents since the start of the quarantine, and I even started watching a show together with my mother that we both really enjoy. Now, what I mostly talk about with my mother is about that show! The way I've bonded with my father is through video games where we both challenge each other and spend time together. When it comes to video games, I have no patience. However, my dad does. When I am stuck in a game, trying to complete a level, I give my controller to my dad, and he will finish the challenge for me. Surprisingly, I have even formed a great relationship with my sister. Now, we are watching the same show on Netflix! Overall as a family, we've been spending more quality time together. We have been watching lots of movies and playing games. We look out for each other more than before. I don't want to say that this quarantine is the best thing that has happened to me, but it has helped my family become more united than ever. With all this happening, I've also maintained that strong relationship that I have with my friends. I've been checking up on them, asking them how they've been, and how they are dealing with these tough times. Sometimes I play video games with some of my friends. Also, we've helped each other out with our online work. Being stuck at home does not mean that we can't help each other and stay in contact. We have to find a way around things, especially now. What keeps on going through my mind is how quickly things can change in just an instant, so it's important to appreciate and enjoy life and the people around us every chance we get. 

Some of the challenges that I am facing is not being able to do things outdoors and that I enjoy. I miss playing baseball and spending quality time with my friends and family, and honestly, the change is what's been the biggest struggle for me. This has been one of the most significant changes I have experienced in my life. At the beginning of all this chaos, I felt that social distancing was alright, and I expected it to end very soon. Now, I am feeling very downhearted because this still hasn't ended, and it has affected what I thought would be an amazing senior year experience, and it didn't turn out that way. As I accept this adversity, I have formed a mentality of taking everything slow and not getting ahead of time. Now that I can see that this won't be ending anytime soon, I've decided to do things at my own pace and let time tell when this will be over.

Years after I graduate and I look back at my high school years, I won't think about how great my four years went because the memories of this pandemic will overflow all of the other ones. I will remember all the effects caused by the virus, including not being able to graduate formally; and that some family relatives passed away due to COVID-19, which made my year worse and more disappointing. Despite what we're going through, I always try to find ways to keep myself and my family positive. However, we have to adapt to any unexpected situation. It's the only way that we can learn how to live so, even though I'm disappointed, we need to keep our heads up and move on.

Dear 8th Graders, ​

When I walked into your fifth grade classes in September of 2016, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was 23, it was my second year of full time teaching and I was already teaching a full schedule of 6th grade classes in addition to teaching you all. I don’t think I was able to learn everyone’s name until December! There were so many of you and I only saw you once a week! Little did I know that you all, cohesively as a group, would grow to develop a very special place in my heart.

​Now it’s 2020. Many of you grew a literal foot taller before my eyes. While the physical growth is the most obvious to the naked eye, your growth as people exceeds it twofold. Among you are artists, athletes, gamers, leaders, comedians, and some of the most authentic people I have the privilege of knowing. I love all of my students, but I don’t know if I’ll ever again get to see a group through this way and I’m so thankful it was you that I got to grow alongside.

I feel extraordinary grateful to have had the privilege of spending September through March with you in the classroom. I’m thankful to have seen how many of you were so engaged with the storytelling of S.E. Hinton in The Outsiders. I’m thankful for how much I have seen each and every one of you improve in your writing (in a way that I know will make you more prepared for high school). I’m thankful for how many of you I’ve seen become activists and advocates for change on social media. But, even more, I’m thankful for the small moments: For laughs. For conversations about your lives. For lunches out with groups of you. For every time one of you stole my camera and snapped a selfie or took a funny video. For long days after school helping you with your science fair projects. (And for even longer ones when we pretended to work on science fair projects or quiz revisions, but really just hung out and talked). Even for the time a certain student “accidentally” locked another certain someone in the closet during advisory. (Thank god we got him out before he peed in there). When I think of you all, these are the moments that come to mind, and no virus or shelter in place order can take those away from us.

This is not at all how I pictured the end of our four years together going, and I’m so very sorry about that. Just know that I’m here. I’ll always be your teacher, even if you’re no longer students sitting in my classroom. I’ll be your teacher when you feel alone in this time of social distancing. I’ll be your teacher when you're transitioning to the new world of high school this September (a transition that can, and should, still be very exciting for you). I’ll be your teacher in four years from now when you’re applying to college. And I’ll even be your teacher years after that when you’re starting careers and families. You know where to find me.
Mr. J

Black Lives Matter by Anthony Santana
​Dear Mom,
 
I am writing to tell you that your life matters very much to me. With everything going on in the world, I want to make clear that Black Lives Matter. Our lives matter. The reason your life matters is because you brought me into this world and carry me through it everyday. You've taught me everything I know. You work so hard to pay the bills and put clothes on my back. You're always there when I am sick or hurt. Even when I cause you trouble, you stick by my side and continue teaching me how to be better. 

You push me to see myself beyond the hood. You have dreams for me and I want to make you proud. You've taught me that everything has to be earned through hard work. There's no hand-outs. You've been both a mother and a father to me for my entire life. To honor you, I will go to college and be the successful young man that you want me to be. I will accomplish all the dreams that were out of your reach. I will be the future. I will make it somewhere in life. It will all be because of you. No matter what anyone says, your life matters so much. I love you, mom.
 
Sincerely,
 
Anthony

America has long advertised its commitment to freedom and liberty. We call this place the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” We should certainly be proud of our history of welcoming immigrants and freedom of expression. But as the country erupts with riots over police brutality and stories from many deprived of liberty, we should take a second to ask ourselves some questions.  Who gets this freedom? What justifies taking it away? Some have the freedom to breathe, and others of us have to hold our breaths. We are seen as the enemy. Many of us live in fear of those sworn in to protect and serve. Cops are no longer seen as heroes but as threats to those of us who many seem suspicious for something like a hoodie. There's something deeply wrong with this.     

With the heartless murder of George Floyd, history once again repeats itself, and the anger bursts into riots. This has been a civil war between the country and racists people. And those in power are failing to act. We should recall Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X and their contributions to antiracism in these moments. No doubt, our country would not exist without the contributions of African-Americans and no matter which way you look at, they deserve better than what our society is giving them.  

The death of George Floyd angers me. Of course, not all cops are bad, but recent incidents are calling into question how police activities are routinely carried out. This is not the first case of its kind. What angers me the most is knowing that there’s nothing George could have done to prevent his death. I saw the video from different angles, and those three cops were on him like they meant to do some harm that day. I’m disgusted. The people who are taking to the streets are fed up, and they want change now. They are protesting a system that has failed them time and time again. People like me are seen as disposable. For us, this is not the “land of the free and home of the brave.” No matter how hard we work, what accomplishments we reach, we face the same old systems of prejudice. The media is reporting one-sided stories that seek to tear us apart.

Let me say that the only responsible thing to do right now is fight for justice and fairness.  We need to stand up for what’s right and demand justice for those who’ve died at the hands of police. But, most importantly, we need to bring about some peace. We can accomplish change without having any more blood on our streets. We all bleed the same color, and every death is a death too many. People my age will have to find ways to protest and express their anger, but in ways that actually lead to long term change. I imagine that the satisfaction of lighting up buildings and precincts is immediate and short-lived. We need to spark a change that lasts through the night and leaves room for a brighter tomorrow. ​

​Quarantine for me has gotten to the point where all the days seem to blend together. My sleep schedule has been completely flipped upside down. I sleep only when I see the sun come up and hear the birds chirping and wake up when the sun is gone. If it weren't for the google classroom due dates, I would have no real perception of time or what day it was. 
 
When we first started quarantine, I had no idea that it would be lasting so long or getting so bad, especially in New York, although it makes sense considering how many people rely on public transportation here. Starting, I would've never guessed that it would cost us our graduation, prom, and summer vacation plans. Making the transition from an actual school where I can see my friends and receive help from teachers in-person to online school has been pretty hard because I can spend half my day doing my work because of how slow I work on my own. A plus side to this though, is that I can always call my friends if I need help with something or if I want to talk. Within the days of quarantine, I can spend up to ten hours on FaceTime with them, talking to one person or a whole bunch at once. We talk about the dumbest things, but at this point in the quarantine, talking to friends about silly things for hours is better than sitting alone talking to no one. The idea that feeds my spirit is the conversations I have with my friends. They are genuinely some of the funniest and easy-going people I've ever met. The fact that they are so chill and approachable makes everything a lot easier to deal with. 

Something I've learned from being in quarantine is that having a conversation over phone or FaceTime is never going to be the same thing as seeing them in person and being able to feel them there with you physically. But these talks we have are probably one of the only things keeping me sane during the quarantine. It's funny how our conversations of, "Our Minecraft dog house isn't close enough to our Minecraft mansion" are enough to keep me entertained while under lockdown. Some conversations are a lot more academic, or future-oriented though and follow along the lines of, "I wonder what life will be like for us in college?" or "I hope that I won't struggle with my classes too much without you guys around to help me understand". That being said, quarantine has made things a lot harder for me in terms of academics, not just in high school but for making decisions that will affect my future at college. 
During the beginning of the year, we were all together and were able to talk about things like college and our future careers with our counselors in person who made it seem a lot easier to deal with. 

When you're sitting at home with nothing to do other than think about what life will be like when this ends, my conversations with my friends over FaceTime usually steer to the fact that by the time this is over, we'll be in college or at least about to be. I've also had to accept the fact that the college I choose, whatever it is, will be a huge change that I'll have to adapt to myself, without the friends I've grown up with. Deciding without having someone always available to help you through it isn't easy because at the end of the day, I'm making a choice that will determine what my future may look like, both academically and career-wise. I'm glad that we at least have our emails as a way to communicate with the teachers and counselors. My friends, even though they aren't as qualified, make me feel like whatever I choose, wherever that may be, is perfect because of how supportive they are. These friends are all going to be away from me throughout college which may be the part that sucks the most. Still, somehow they manage to make a 2-hour drive upstate to see them seem exciting because of all the stories we'll have to listen to and tell each other about how the school is going even though we, already have made promises to each other that we'll FaceTime almost every day, even if we have to create a schedule. They help me cope through so much while this is going on, again solidifying the fact that they are one of the only reasons I haven't gone insane during the quarantine. 

This quarantine has also helped me improve a lot personally. Before this, I was already someone who would prefer staying indoors, or maybe going out with a few friends over going out to a party, so this isn't too big of a change for me, but I do miss hanging out with my friends because being around them meant that I would rarely find myself bored. Now, during quarantine, I'm becoming more independent than I already was, which is saying something because I was already pretty independent. I've had no other choice but to find ways to entertain myself, and by doing that, I've been cooking and cleaning a lot more than I would usually be. I've also been taking this free time to make goals both for the time I have now and for after this is over. In a nutshell, quarantine has been both a torturous experience and an enlightening one for me.

My high school years have shaped me in ways I'm still coming to appreciate. Though I did spend most of these years complaining about all the homework and assignments, I can imagine myself sharing these memories and experiences with my kids in the future.

In light of COVID19 and also just from getting older and more mature, I'm starting to understand how dangerous our situation is right now. For the Class of 2020, the news of not being able to attend prom or graduation feels devastating. But just as others are finding ways to cope, I turn to music for comfort. 

I've been obsessed with this song I heard a few months ago. As soon as I listened to this song, memories of my last three years of high school came rushing back to me. It's called To me by an underrated singer, Alina Baraz.This song means everything to me. 

When I was a freshman, I came into high school, thinking that my friends from middle school would still be the same. Man, was I naive? Everyone changed the summer going into 9th grade. I was friends with about two of the people I was close to in middle school. 

It wasn't until sophomore year where I realized that not only had everyone else changed, but I had too. I didn't t realize it. In a way, I grew up that summer entering 10th grade. It was the one where I learned to cut through the bull. Because of that lesson, I lost a few friendships that year, but I gained some new ones too. 

That was the year I became best friends with Madeline. Funny enough, we became friends over a boy we both liked. Instead of arguing and hating each other as other girls would have. We bonded over the experience and the way we both reacted to the situation. Even after the boy was out of the picture, our friendship grew stronger and stronger. It's still growing to this day.

I never thought I'd be so close to a group of girls as I did throughout my sophomore and junior year. As a kid, I always gravitated towards the guys since I grew up knowing that girls were drama and guys were not. I had more guy friends than girlfriends and never thought I needed a female friend group. But during those years, I learned that not all girls live up to the stereotype of drama. Some girls avoid it. Sure we have our secrets and our issues like any other group would, but unlike those other groups we know how to keep stuff in our small circle.

Still, you can't keep one friend group forever. Towards the end of my junior year, my friend group expanded. We all became friends with a few more girls and a few guys. We became super close to one teacher who was like the father of the group. He's the one we all go to for advice. We may be closer to specific people within the group, but there's no jealousy between anyone. We all love each other and know that when we need each other, we'll be there for each other.

Senior year was my place to grow and mature. Though I thought I had already matured during junior year, I realized that you don't stop learning lessons that help you grow as a person. You don't stop meeting people who you begin to create memories with. People grow, people change, and that's okay. I learned that bad things in life are just as good as the good things. They make you stronger, and they teach you lessons so that those bad things don't happen again. 

The number of times I have gotten hurt over the years, whether it be by losing a friendship, because of a guy or just family issues, is a lot. But I don't see those things and ask why they happen to me or do I deserve for these things to happen to me. Instead, I see them and think, "how can I learn from this experience." I've learned a lot of things throughout the years, and I know I'll keep learning just because it's a part of life.

"To me" speaks on these lessons and experiences in life and shows how one can appreciate them. The song raises a glass and proposes a toast to all of these memories, good or bad. Its chorus goes like this: "Here's to: good people, good nights, good highs, good health, some tears, some stress but, I count my blessings. Here's to: good music, great sex, little time to feel alive, little time to get it right."

The reality of it is, the things that happen to us in life are blessings we carry. No matter how much they hurt or make you smile, its lesson is the blessing. In a short life, you'll feel like there wasn't enough time to accomplish anything, but honestly if something were to happen to me right now, god forbid, I'd leave knowing I did the most I could've with the time I had. 

I made amazing memories with amazing people and even some not so amazing people, but they were important at some point in my life nonetheless. I traveled as much of the world as I could've with trips to Paris, Italy, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and some cities in the United States. I live in New York City. The Big Apple! I got to live other people's dreams. I spent so much time with my family. I went through the worst and got myself back up. I lived. 

The best thing you can have in life is the ability to appreciate everything because others might not be as lucky as you have been. The greatest lesson you can take from life is to live it. 

I live in the Dyckman Projects in uptown New York City. While I’ve come to call this place home, it’s not the most nurturing environment for a young man to grow up in. When you add a pandemic to this environment, well then, it’s just all bad. You have to always be on alert and it’s hard to relax. My unit is right next to the stairway. At night, I’m often woken up by loud noises. The projects are setup so that you are always on guard and this is tiresome. The smell of marijuana is constant and sticks to the wall like paint. With COVID-19, I’ve had to find ways to escape mentally just to give myself a break from it all. Even when I have opportunities to leave, my parents often say it’s too dangerous to be out.  My parents are really overprotective which means that we often argue about the smallest things like me leaving the house to buy food. At the end of the day, though, I know that they are doing the best they can with what they got.

Even though COVID-19 has really changed my life, I can appreciate the time I’ve had to focus on what’s next for me. I want to create a better path for my family. I want to disprove stereotypes about people who look like me and grow up in the projects. I want to prove to myself that I have what it takes to take care of my family no matter what obstacles I have to overcome. When I focus on these goals, I often recall my favorite book from English class with Mr. Garcia. In the poem “The Rose that Grew from Concrete,” Tupac Shakur writes “funny, it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned how to breathe.” To me, this metaphor speaks to how something beautiful can come from a tough environment like concrete. In order for this to happen, though. you have to believe in yourself and ignore the haters. Also, you must never take the easy way out. 

To be honest, sometimes I see other guys in my neighborhood who have all the clothes and cars and I get angry about how unfair it is. Even with temptations and the negative stereotypes, I’m determined to hold on to my dream of finishing college and becoming a cop. Though cops are often in the news for bad things these days, I’ve had the opportunity to meet NYPD officers like Mr. Edward Reyes who looks out for people in the community. Officers like Mr. Reyes make this community a better, safer place for all of us. He earns respect the right way and lifts people up. I want to contribute to my community in the same way. Coming from where I'm from, I know that we need to improve some things around here. For example,  recently this guy was shot and killed outside of my building minutes after I entered it. My mom was terrified. This is not the reality that I want for myself or my family. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely good people in the projects that have helped me out and encourage me but I know that I’ll be leaving this place for good soon.

​When I’m posted up in my room for hours because of COVID-19, I reflect on my last four years at Inwood. I’m grateful to my coaches and the teachers who’ve treated me like their son. It’s weird to think about how different these two places are--school and home--and that I've spent most of the past four years going back and forth between these two worlds. But just as COVID-19 has been teaching us a lot about ourselves and how diseases work, I’ve learned important lessons in the projects. From the projects, I learned that the guys who take the easy way out always get caught up in drugs and violence. I’m proud of myself for being staying clear of all of that. I’m proud to be ending my high school career--finishing strong with a 3.0 GPA and a city-wide championship flag football trophy under my belt. At Inwood, participating in team sports taught me many lessons about perseverance, sportsmanship, and hard practice. Staying at practice until 8 or 9 pm became a normal occurrence. From volleyball, basketball, and football I learned how to focus on the end goal in order to get through the tiresome workouts. From my teachers and mentors, I learned that it’s never bad to ask for help and guidance.

Even though I still get mad about not having graduation and being stuck in this building due to COVID-19, I’m proud of all of us who are finishing up at Inwood and moving forward no matter what gets in the way. I know there will be many more challenges for us along the way and that sometimes we may feel like giving up. 

Later on, in the same poem, Tupac writes, “Did you hear about the Rose that Grew from Concrete?” This rare occurrence is remarkable because everything has been set up for it to fail. Sometimes I feel this way as a resident of the Dyckman Projects. Tupac writes that the rose “proved nature’s laws wrong and learned how to walk without feet.” Like Tupac’s metaphor, I plan to prove people wrong and accomplish everything necessary to be the kind of man that protects and serves like Mr. Edward Reyes. I plan to prove all the stereotypes wrong and hopefully pay it forward when I make it. This time in quarantine has allowed me to prioritize my goals and take action.  I'm ready to show the world that there's more to me than just a kid from the Dyckman Projects. I’m the rose that grew from the concrete. Not even COVID-19 can touch me.

If I had to have power during this time, my superpower would be to be invincible. Because it would be really good to be invincible that way you don't get sick. Also, imagine how useful I could be if I couldn't get sick.  Plus, it would be really helpful because I could help people get food and give people masks without worrying about getting sick.  In conclusion, I would be doing a lot for others and I'm helping people. 

Amaraya Herrera, 502 ​

​This year might be the worst one yet. At first, it seemed unbelievable and somewhat funny. I initially enjoyed looking at memes about the COVID-19 and sending them to friends. That was just in the beginning, though. The seriousness of this whole thing took time to sink in. Even when school was canceled as a safety measure, my friends and I celebrated the news. We cheered for our new freedom and independence. We didn't realize at the time what social distancing meant and how it would impact us. We didn't know we'd be losing access to the only place we had to gather and be ourselves: IALCS. We didn't realize that NYC would be the "epicenter" of the virus. 

The hardest part has been not being able to gather with friends. Ever since I can remember, having school canceled was good news. The best news ever. In my younger years, I took it upon myself to cancel school by making up excuses that never seemed believable to my mom. This school cancellation is different, though. This is forced isolation. I mean, I have started learning new ways to manage my time and committed to learning how to cook finally. But it's hard to plan every second of the day. Honestly, sometimes I don't feel like doing much. It seems like motivation is hard to come by these days. The funny thing is that our class was planning a secret prom on the low, but now it's no secret that everything is cancelled. I feel bad for the group of students who put in time and energy to plan this secret prom only to have everything ruined. Another interesting thing is that our year (2020) would always feel superior to underclassmen since we felt like we were the "last of the old generation" at IAL. We felt that we had all the fun memories and experiences that the younger kids did not go through. We took pride in this unique status, but now we have to come to terms with getting dealt a terrible hand. We have to accept online celebrations and alternative events. I know it's no one's fault, and my mom says I shouldn't compare experiences, but I guess I just wanted the whole traditional prom and graduation. I know I can't be angry at anyone and that no one wanted this to happen, but it's still hard to accept. I'm so tired of doing the same thing. All I do is wake up, do my homework then play online because that's the only way my friends and I get to bond aside from studying together.

I want to go back to how things were before. I wonder what it'll feel like when we are finally able to go out again. Will it feel like taking our first steps again? Will we forget what it's like to be social?  For seniors, these first steps back into the world might be after our scheduled graduation or even after our college semester was supposed to start. It's weird not having college tours or orientations before having to decide on your final choice. 

On the positive side, I've connected with my family more due to all the time we spend with one another. I try to remember that this is just a few months out of four years, and I shouldn't let COVID-19 define my high school experience. On that note, I want to thank all my teachers at IAL for supporting me even when things got rough. I especially want to thank my closest friend, Edgar Sanchez. Thanks for showing me how to never back down from anything and for giving me the courage to be social in school. I know that I can sometimes be moody and rude. Even so, you always have my back and bring positivity wherever you go. For some reason, I found myself thinking about how you'd stay with me afterschool in 10th grade when I had to complete missing work. You were there basically every day when you could've just gone straight home. You waited and supported. You kept telling me to keep my head up and try my best at school. Just like brothers, you and I argue, share food, and always find a way to laugh through the hard stuff. You're my brother from another mother. Just as you've been there for me, I'll always have your back. Having friends like you makes this whole thing more manageable. That's all, and also, you're banned from making fun of me because of this shout out. Though we aren't in school physically, I know that these types of friendships were born at IAL. The past two months and the next few weeks will not define my high school career. Inwood Academy will always be the place where I challenged myself and found my own "crew." Prom or no prom, I will always be grateful for the lessons and friends that IAL gave me. 

As the country adjusts to the "new normal" with COVID-19, we've gotten better at this whole social distancing thing. Spectrum News recently reported that Florida, among many other states, has required online learning modules for students of all ages, with some class lectures going as long as forty minutes (Turco). Of course, we can all appreciate the efforts that schools are making to keep youth engaged while also preventing the virus from spreading and infecting more people. Teachers have gotten very creative with their tactics for getting the attention of students. For example, a recent USA Today article spotlighted a teacher named Kalpana Sharma who has taken her lessons to live TV. This is to provide opportunities for students without internet at home to view the class materials.  
​
Without a doubt, the way schools have adapted to our new normal is impressive. The way teachers are using technology is a step in the right direction. Inwood Academy is an excellent example of schools adapting quickly and evolving based on how students respond. We began our online learning phase almost immediately, while many schools in other states took weeks to put something together for kids. Many teachers have sent out surveys to figure out how kids are adjusting and what we need from them. My advice to teachers everywhere is commonsense and straightforward: remember that what is happening right now is not "normal" and many students are facing new challenges with less support. Though I find it easier to concentrate by myself at home, distance learning does not necessarily mean more free time for everyone. As I think about my friends, I realize that we are all reacting to these changes differently. But we all agree that it can be overwhelming to balance house chores, schoolwork, and life in general. Teachers must think carefully about the amount of work being assigned. Sometimes teachers forget that teenagers have real responsibilities outside of homework. 

Through conversations with friends in other schools and my cousins in other states, I've realized that some teachers are merely continuing the plans they had before COVID-19 struck. This will not work for a variety of reasons, including a lack of in-person support and independent learning challenges. All schools across the country should be making adjustments based on the mental health of students. Many of my peers are now caring for sick relatives, exposing themselves through new jobs to make ends meet, or babysitting siblings while parents go to work. ​

I guess my point is that there is no "new normal." There exist only "new" challenges for teenagers to overcome. As we learn to balance the different needs of schools and students, we must remember that health comes first. Don't forget that the best learning happens when students are happy and healthy. Being a teenager is already hard. Shout out to my teachers who try to incorporate my feedback when making new assignments. I'll miss you when I graduate soon! 


​