Reflections on a Pandemic Thoughts, Considerations, Poems, Philosophies & Understandings

Home , Changed It, Get It Done, I Go Back, Love School, Normal Again, Sometimes I Forget

REFLECTIONS ON A PANDEMIC THOUGHTS, CONSIDERATIONS, POEMS, PHILOSOPHIES & UNDERSTANDINGS

NOELLE BIEHLE

intin awingI

1 Open with

INTRODUCTION

The coronavirus pandemic has changed us all. No one could have predicted the ways in which we would become different, in our outlooks, our physical living conditions, and in the ways we connect (or don’t) with each other.

Towards the end of April, I sent our seventh graders a collection of questions, created by the organization Facing History and Ourselves. The same organization created an activity called “Toolbox for Care,” in which students we asked to put together a collection of items for both self-care and care for others. What follows is their thoughts and ideas during the time of quarantine.

Thank you, Noelle, for your breathtaking art! Frieda Katz At this time where there is a worldwide pandemic spreading fear and anguish across the globe, pain is unavoidable. It can be the mental pain of losing a family member, friends or physical pain where the virus has gotten to you. The pain can also be subtle, such as missing friends who are trapped inside their homes like

2 yourself. This pain is a reflection of how human interaction is vital for people to survive through life. Distress can cause depression or stressing about education, work, sports or health. The corona virus has brought more stress around the world than anything else my generation has seen.

The serenity of isolation, Alone on a hill of daisies, As bright as the sun blinding my eyes, Forcing them to close, and eventually relax under the heat, My feet brushing against the grass, Filled with warmth but at the same time, Swaying to the rhythm of the autumn’s breeze, If only this was real, Such peace, No wars or diseases or death, Coming from behind, And grabbing your loved ones from your shaking arms, Not looking back once too see the pain it's brought, To a broken world, Never perfect, Never will be perfect.

Emily Vidal

I used to play this game with my best friend Zoe. We were at summer camp and it was a game we played in the pool. This is how it went. We would make up our own choreography in the pool and would do 3 backflips and a cartwheel. Those are just examples, but it made me feel like we could do anything. I know it's weird, but that's just how I felt.

I hope people say that I’m a nice person, but overall, I don’t really care what people say about me. I just hope that if anyone is having problems they feel they can come to me.

I am grateful for my friends and family. I will never stop saying this, but my friends, family and cats are the most important things to me. I’m thankful for them always being with me.

I really like the change to remote learning. I’m getting a lot more sleep than I used to and I’m eating breakfast, so I’m not hungry in the morning anymore.

Some positive things that have happened are that I get to have more time with my family. I can focus on my self-esteem more and be more confident in myself.

I’m scared that I’m going to get it, but I’m not scared of dying because everyone dies in the end. I’m more afraid of how I’m going to die. I’m scared that it will be painful and lonely. For example, if I’m out shopping and all of sudden I can’t breathe because of corona, then I don't know if anyone would help me.

The thing I miss most is, obviously, my friends. I miss them so much that sometimes all I want to do is cry, but I don’t because I know that one day I’ll be able to see them. I just have to be patient.

3 I think a lot of people will be more aware of what they have and not take it for granted. We took fresh air for granted or being able to touch the people you love.

Quarantine changed me. I get to hang out with my family more, but then we get into a lot more fights, so it's bad and good.

I’ve noticed that we never really communicate with each other. We don’t really have a lot of conversations. I've noticed that I don’t have a lot of self-confidence. I don’t really know how to be confident, so during quarantine I've been trying to build my confidence up.

I miss my friends, fresh air, bubble tea, freedom, and hugs. I won’t take them for granted by doing them every second of every day.

I have kind of grown apart from some of my friends from school, but there are still a lot of people I’m friends with.

Someone told me that I looked pretty and they made me feel happy. I would like to tell someone else how pretty they are so they can feel as happy as I was.

Beyonce inspires me because she never stops trying, even if everyone is bringing her down. She just keeps going on.

We have been Facetiming and texting our relatives and it's the same with my friends.

Keith Johnson Beyblades was one of my favorite games to play when I was little. One memory I have of playing the game was when I spun them so hard that when they collided with one another they cracked. It made me feel free because I could forget about all my other problems.

I hope people say that I light up a room. The reason why is because it will allow me to make friends easier. I also hope they say I'm good at making people laugh.

Today I feel like I'm trying to survive to see the next. My boredom has grown immensely ever since I haven't been able to see my friends in person and play sports with them.

I’m grateful for the roof over my head and being able to wake up every day.

I think people will be more aware of their health.

I’m always tired for no reason. My family has been a lot more agitated towards me.

At school I used to talk to Callen a lot. Now I rarely speak with him.

Distance learning has been exhausting. A challenge is waking up on time every day. We end early. I have discovered that I am always tired.

I haven’t eaten breakfast in a month.

4 In 50 years, I will say this was a pandemic that stopped our social lives.

During this time, we were very bored. We felt that there was nowhere to go, that every day was no different from the last. We felt that we were going to be unfit if this kept up. Every time we do martial arts, we end up out of breath.

This weekend you sent me a wonderful note. Anybody who makes their dreams a reality I admire.

Thank you, mother, for being there for me. Thank you for waking me up before school started almost every day. If not for you I would be late to school every day.

It has made my family more cautious of other people that may or may not have coronavirus. My community now consists of masks and gloves on the daily.

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Nolia Dorset I hope people say I’m a good friend, someone who is there for others, reliable, and trustworthy. These are the most important things to me.

Today I feel sad because I don’t want camp to be canceled.

I am grateful that all my family and friends are healthy. I am happy that no one has corona, or any other illness.

My daily routine has changed a lot. I now get to wake up at 8:30 instead of 7:15 on the weekdays, which is amazing! School starts later and ends earlier, which I am so happy about! Why can’t it always be like this?! Now we have to be on Zoom, which is kind of weird. It’s not bad, just different. I’m okay with this change, though I’d rather have things back to normal.

I am very bored at home. – there’s my six-word memoir. This is significant because this is how I feel every day. It’s boring to not see people, it’s not fun. This represents my experience because this is all that it is. Being bored all the time, staying home, not getting to do anything. This is how I've felt through the entire quarantine. It sucks and I’m ready for it to be over.

Some positive things about physical distancing is that people are learning to be more independent. They are forced to be alone, so they have to figure out how to cope. Also, everyone's relationships will grow stronger because they realize how much they need each other. Some negative things are that we miss our friends/family a lot. You don’t notice how much you need someone until you can’t see them anymore. Another negative is that when we're sad, it's hard for our friends to comfort us because they’re not here.

The fear I am experiencing right now is the fear that someone I love will get sick. I don’t want anyone to contract the virus, especially people who have had pre-existing conditions.

I miss being able to walk around and go into places normally. Just being able to walk into a shop without a mask and gloves on. I miss that a lot.

5 People will be different after all of this because it is something we have never experienced before, and will never forget, so it will change people. Everyone will feel a different way. Some people may even still be afraid to go out without a mask, even with a vaccine.

When we return to “normal,” the pre-COVID-19 parts of my life that I am going to change is that I won’t take things for granted. I won’t take being able to see and hug my friends for granted, being able to do communal activities, or go to the movies and shop!

This time at home has changed me and made me realize how much I love doing things outside of my house. It has made me want to go out and be more adventurous. It has truly changed me for the better.

I have noticed that I am actually pretty good at being independent. It isn’t that hard for me, because I depend more on myself than others. I have noticed that my family is very close now. We were before, but even more now. Maybe because we are forced to be together, always, it actually helped.

My relationship with my friends has become stronger. We are closer now and it will be so much more special when we get to see each other in real life, not just online. It has stayed the same in that we can still talk to each other about anything and everything and I wouldn’t want that to change.

A compliment that I recently received is that I am really good at staying on top of all my work. It made me feel good that someone noticed that I was good at something. I would like to give someone else a compliment for sticking up for someone who needs it. I want to give this as a compliment because they would deserve the recognition for helping.

Greta Thunberg inspires me because she shows kids/teenagers that they can make a difference. Sometimes adults make it seem like they are the only ones who can do something, but she proves them wrong. Greta also doesn’t just say she is going to do something, she does it. She lives up to her word, which is very admirable.

I am seeing/keeping in touch with my family and friends by Face-timing a lot and social distancing with some of them.

This pandemic hasn’t affected my family that much. No one is sick, but it’s just hard not getting to see other members of our family. Covid-19 has affected our community because a lot of little businesses are being shut down. It is really hard for the store owners because that is their main source of income. That’s why we try to shop local as much as we can.

I want to live in a world where we’re all accepted. No one is looked at differently or called mean names. Were all one. We can achieve this by not seeing people for what they look like, but rather seeing them for how they act.

Jack Sabbagh I hope people fully hear what I say, not mishear me and think I said something that could be offensive to someone or something. It would be annoying to get in trouble for something I didn’t do.

I just kind of feel exhausted from all of this stuff and can’t wait for summer because then it will relieve a lot of stress. Luckily, it is coming soon. I have been having a lot of fun online with friends and stuff.

I’m just grateful to be alive right now, have good Wifi and a good computer to keep me entertained.

When I found out school closed I was kind of excited because I thought online school would be laid back when we had it before spring break. Then, when it really started, I was stressed out so much and couldn’t find a way to get all of my work done. I finished that first week of pure work and work.

I wake up every morning at 8 and try to finish some homework to lessen how much I have to do in the morning. I mainly do the class’s work that I don’t have that day but they assign homework every day anyway. I don’t finish a lot of it, maybe just like the Mandarin that Jia assigns every day in the morning.

Right after school ends and my dad’s work ends, we go outside to the driveway to play basketball. It is not the same, though, because whenever people walk down the sidewalk I go back in towards the house to give them room. I call my friends on the Internet after school a lot but their online school is a lot easier. I see them at about 10 in the morning when they finish their work. Basketball is still a lot of fun and so is playing online with my friends.

I got a virtual reality headset which I am waiting for to arrive. I am really excited about that because I have been waiting a while for them to get back in stock. My friends have them and I have watched them play it and it looks like a lot of fun. That should arrive in a week or so. Every day I finish at 3, play basketball at 4 or 6, do it for 2 hours but sometimes only one. Sometimes I don’t want to play basketball and I stay inside.

Lila Wattenberg March 12, my 13th birthday, things changed. Not because it was my birthday, but because it was the day of the start of being away from my friends and out of school. It was the day we drove to Connecticut, away from my true home. I have been here for almost 2 months and I really want to go home. Things changed so much. I had to adjust to online school and not being able to go places that I wanted to go to. I never expected something like this to happen. It’s crazy how fast everyone’s lives changed. Things won’t ever be the same. We will always have to be extra careful so that nothing like this happens again. I never would have known that something like this would affect me so much. I thought things would quickly get better, but it doesn’t seem like that anymore. I want to go back to school and see my friends, but I can’t until next year, if school goes back. I want things to go back to how they were a few months ago, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen for a while.

Today I feel hopeful. I feel hopeful because the numbers of people who have the virus in New York are going down. I’m also a little bit scared because I think that when New York opens up again the number of people with the virus is going to go back up.

I am grateful that I am healthy and safe and that I have somewhere to be out of the city. Even though I really want to go back to the city, I know it is safer to quarantine where I am.

My daily routine has changed because of the coronavirus a lot. School starts and ends at different times, but I don’t actually go to school, so that is probably the thing that has changed the most for me. Anything that I used to do after school, I can’t do anymore. I feel sad about these changes mostly because I miss my friends a lot and school was where we saw each other the most.

Some positive things that happened were that I found new ways to be with my friends without actually being with them. This will help me in the future because one of my best friends lives kind of far away

7 from me so we can continue to do the things we do when we can’t see each other even after the coronavirus is over. A negative thing that I am experiencing is fighting more with my family. We fight more because we have been stuck in the same place for a few months which is hard.

A fear that I am experiencing is everything getting worse soon after it gets better. I really don’t want that to happen because quarantine is really hard and I don’t want to have to do it again.

I miss my friends the most because I haven’t seen them in a few months and my friends make me happy so I don’t like not getting to see them.

I think that people will be different after this is all over. People can share their experiences with each other and we will be grateful that we survived this and had people to help us get through it.

School is going to be the biggest change because I’m not sure how it’s going to work. It will be strange wearing masks to school and not going full time.

My relationship has changed with one of my friends because we actually talk a lot more now. I’ve noticed with a few of my friends that we realize how close we are when we can’t see each other. One of my friends who I wasn’t super close with moved away and now we are much closer.

Learning has been good for me. The benefits are that I have a lot more time to do my homework and projects and I don’t rush through them, and the teachers are much more understanding if you don’t get something done. A challenge I have is that I procrastinate sometimes when I know that I don’t have to walk into school tomorrow with a project in my hands.

A time like this will be difficult to describe in the future. Once everything is back to normal, people who didn’t go through this pandemic will not understand what it was really like and how challenging it was.

On the good side, first story I found is saying that a lot more animals are being adopted and shelters are being emptied because people want a pet to be with them through this time. Another story says pollution has gone down a lot because fewer people are out of their homes doing things that pollute the Earth. A third story says that TV shows about hospitals (like Grey’s Anatomy), are donating masks, gowns, masks, and other supplies to hospitals.

People who stand up for their rights and do amazing things inspire me because that’s something that I am interested in and want to help with.

Thank you for being there for me. For 11 years, you have been the most trustworthy and caring person in my life. I am so glad we met in preschool because I don’t know what I would do without you. Thank you for keeping my secrets and talking to me when I need someone to talk to.

This pandemic has affected my family because we are together more. Since we can’t leave the house or go to school, I am with them all the time.

A world I want to live in is a peaceful one. I don’t want people burning buildings down when they are upset, I don’t want fighting, and I don’t want things to happen that scare everyone so badly.

Harper Dorr

8 The first time I had heard of the virus was in January. I thought that it would not really affect the U.S, though, but I was wrong. When the virus first started coming to the U.S., I thought we would do a good job of isolating it, and getting rid of it, but I was wrong, again. I never thought that things would get as bad as they are now. Now we have to stay home, and things will never be the same for better and for worse.

The first thing that will never be the same is how much I appreciate doctors and nurses. I have always appreciated them, but now I really see how amazing they are, and how brave they are. Also, something that will never be the same is how I see our president. I have always seen him as a monster, but this is taking it to a new level. He did not take enough caution, and now people are dying. I cannot even believe that anyone would do something like that.

My school will be different. Some of the teachers will do more online things, and we may have more online projects. The world will not be that same after this. Some people will have to take more precautions, and the world, or a lot of it, will start taking more as well to make sure that it is safe in terms of germs. Some places are already making sure that people are more spaced out. My appreciation for others is going to change, because now that we can’t see people it makes us want to spend time with them more. It also makes us appreciate them more. The world might also change and may be greener, because in places where there are a lot of factories, they closed. Because of the virus, things changed.

During this time, in some of the places, the skies began to clear, and those places became more natural. Maybe people will see that, and want a greener planet, so they can have that all the time. This made me see the world differently. This also made me see factories differently, because I always knew they were bad, but this really showed their impact. It also showed how the world can recover.

This pandemic was a thing so terrible and sudden it shocked us and scared us too. It took us from our comforting routine for normalcy, and made us leave our schools, and have to be alone, away from our friends. I hope during this time we can all see how much things mean to us, and realize how much we mean to people. It also showed us how we can still connect and be together. How amazing and brave the healthcare workers are. How perseverant and amazing our teachers are, and how together we can get through this. Even in hard times there is always a way we can make it, and be together, even if we cannot be physically.

When my brother and I were little we would play a game where we would pretend to be fictional characters in our own kingdom. We would play it for hours. We were both a bunch of different characters, and we would play in a made-up candy kingdom where the vegetables would be the evil people trying to take over the candy land. We would always have a new challenge, and we would have to save the world, and we would have fun in our candy world. This made me feel free, because I could be anything. I could be a lollypop princess, or a magical fairy. I could do anything, and I could be and see whatever I wanted to. This world was my perfect place. It was almost like a form of imagination meditation. (That rhymes)

There are many things I hope they say about me From how I treat others To my personality I hope that others say Wow, she’s lovely But I hope they know to be respectful That they see me as smart

9 But know I am not perfect I hope they want to get to know me That I lighten up their day And maybe put a smile on their face I hope that all can think of me a someone to be their friend Someone who would love to be there That they see me as someone who they can rely on But above all, I hope they see me as kind

I am grateful for many things in my life. I am grateful for the people who I can rely on and those who support me. I am grateful to those who reach out to me, and say hi. To those who are working right now to find a cure, even at their own risk. For the many people who are working so that we can get food. I am also grateful for the teachers, because I imagine that it would be so hard to have to move all of your lessons online, but they all did it, and they have been doing so much to make sure that we feel good and comfortable. I am also grateful for my family who is always so kind and supportive, and they are always there to help me, especially right now. I am grateful for that.

My daily routine has changed in a couple of ways. The first is what time I wake up. Since school has been moved later in the day, and I no longer have to actually walk to school, I can wake up later, but not much later. I also now have more time to read, paint, bake, and do things that I never really got the time to do when I was in school. Also, for the past two trimesters I have had sports, so now I feel like I have a lot more time. I also now exercise outside of sports more than I did before the pandemic, because I now have more time to do so. Personally, I do not really mind these changes, although I do really enjoy walking to school on warm spring days, that is always very nice.

There are a couple of positive things that have changed since the pandemic. The first is my connection with my family. I have a lot of family who live on the other side of the country, or in a different one, and I do not usually get to see them much. Now I see them all the time, because we Zoom, and it is nice to see them. The next is that I get to try out more things and that is fun, because I love to do new things. Did you know you can use food scraps to grow new things, and that before you bake the sourdough you have to use a starter, which is alive? There are also some negative things. The first is that I do not get to walk to school, and now is my favorite time to walk to and from school, because it is perfect walking weather, and it just smells like spring. The other negative thing is that I cannot physically be in school, and I love school, and I love actually being there too.

Things will be different after this in a couple of ways. In the beginning when we come out of quarantine things will not go back to normal, but after a while they will. Places will start becoming more cautious, unless they find a cure. Right after we come out of quarantine you will still need to wear masks, and there will still be a lot of places where they give you hand sanitizer. As fewer people get sick we will not have to wear masks as much. We may still have to wear them, though, and then when there is a cure we will probably go back to the old normal.

This experience has changed me in a couple of ways. The first is my appreciation of people. Most of the time I would not think about how nice it is to be in a place with lots of people, like school. I have never really thought about how nice it is to be able to be able to really talk to people. Also, it changed me, because now I see how brave the health care and essential workers are. I have always thought that they had hard jobs, but this really proved how dedicated they are. Also, I now know how to do a lot more things, because during this time I have been trying out a lot of new things, and it is really fun.

I have noticed a lot of things about myself. The first is how much I like doing new things. While at school I would usually skip clubs, because no one would come with me, but now I do not really mind if

10 I do not know anyone, because it is much easier for me to join things on Zoom. Also, now I do not really care, because I am bored, and I want to try something new. I also learned how much I love physically being in school, talking to my classmates, and being able to talk about things with them. I learned how amazing my family really is, because we have been stuck together for a while, but we have not gone crazy.

So far, distance learning has been okay for me, although I do not love everything. I do like that I can sleep in later, and that I now have more time for things that I want to do. For example, I can try out more things, and it is really fun. Also, at school sometimes I do not like lunch, but at home I can choose what I have for lunch. Although everything is not that great, I do miss a lot of things. The first is being able to walk to school. I feel like I have mentioned this many times, but I love the weather in spring, it’s perfect walking weather. Also, I miss being able to be physically there with people. For example, in math class if someone was confused, and I could help them, I would. I loved doing that, but now I usually do most of my work alone. I also found out that I am a person who likes to have hands on learning, because I miss doing things with people, instead of doing things virtually.

As I was looking through the news there were a couple of things that were not sad. The first is that the number of cases have gone down, so that means fewer people are getting sick, and possibly dying. Also, that means hopefully we will in some sort of way be able to go back to school. The second thing is that we are starting to make our way through the phases of reopening. That is exciting, because that means that we are starting to go back to normal-ish. Also, the US approved a plan to build our nation’s largest solar plant in the desert, which is a lot better for the environment, and it will generate a lot of energy, because it is in the sunny desert.

I am disappointed that we did not get to go to DC, because I was really looking forward to doing that. It looked like so much fun, and I love museums. I was really excited to be able to go to our nation’s capital, learn so many things, and go to a lot of amazing museums. I was really sad that it was cancelled, but I hope I can go once this whole thing is over. There are a lot of things that bring me bursts of joy, the first is being able to see my family over zoom, and baking my family things and delivering it to them. Also, the horse team that I’m on – our coach has Zooms where we learn about the horses, and it is really fine and interesting. Also, I am watching videos of horses, goats, sheep, and dogs doing funny things, and that always makes me happy.

Recently someone told me that I was smart, and that made me feel very happy. I love that people call me that, because it means that they think that I know things. It made me feel confident, because it made me feel good. I would like to give my parents a compliment. It is about how great they have been during this time, and how patient and caring they are, because I have been stressed with the online learning, and at the beginning they helped me figure it out. Even though I got stressed and mad at them, they continued to help me, and I really appreciate that.

There are a lot of people who inspire me. The first are the health care workers that are doing too much. They are so brave and caring, and it makes me want to be kinder and more helpful. The second people who inspire me are the teachers. They are also doing a lot. They had to change all of their lesson plans or make new one in two weeks. They had to figure out how to teach remotely. That makes me want to work harder. If they did that much work, the least I can do is put a lot of effort in. Last, but not least, my parents, they are at home, and they are stuck inside with one teenager and an almost teenager, and they are still so calm and caring. That makes me want to be kinder.

This pandemic has affected my family and community in a couple of ways. It has made my family close together, not physically but emotionally. Now we have the time to Zoom with them very often. In terms of my school community, well, it is all online now. We cannot see each other, but I really do miss being

11 physically in class with people. I find that it is more fun. Also, it has affected my building community. Now they are all grumpy. I am not there right now, but I hear everyone is complaining about their neighbors.

One time I was at school and it was a pretty normal day. I was putting my books away in my locker. Getting ready to do some homework before lunch, then I read. Then I heard some banging, and some of the kids in my grade started kicking a boy who was on the floor. They were kicking him really hard, and he looked like he was going to get hurt. I did nothing, and I have been mad at myself for doing that. No one deserves to be treated that way, and it was unfair, and rude the way they were treating him, but I did not speak out and I am upset I did not.

Vella Carter I never thought I would be living in a time where a pandemic takes over. I never thought I would be living a life where I have to stay away from everything and everyone. I can’t go outside and sit in the grass and the only way I can see my friends and teachers is through a screen and now all we can do is wait out the storm.

When I first heard about coronavirus, I was scared. I always get paranoid about the littlest things, but everyone told me that I shouldn’t worry, that CoVid-19 will never come to the United States. I believed they were right, but each week the cases and deaths started to rise and many countries’ populations started to drop. Corona crept up on people like a poisonous spider.

At one point in time, there were very few cases in the United States. About three in California and only a few in Washington. I was so confused and upset that the government wasn’t doing anything about it. I thought that we could have stopped it before it got any worse, but the President still wasn’t doing anything. Schools were not closing and people were still gathering even though they knew what could happen.

Now, April 21, 2020, New York has 242,786 cases and 13,869 deaths. We have it the worst in the world. I will never forget the moment I found out about how many cases were in New York. It almost felt like I was in a horror movie. Sometimes I forget how bad it is, I try to forget, but the more people talk about it the more real it becomes.

Many times, I wonder if my life will ever be the same. Will I ever get to travel again to different countries, or go outside without a mask. Will the virus ever go away? All we can do now is do our part in helping stop the virus from spreading and hope it works.

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When I was little, my sister and I searched for fairies outside. We would climb trees and pretend we could hear them whispering. I remember one day My sister, Mom and I went for a walk and we talked about all the homes and life of fairies. This game makes me feel free because it made me feel so happy and when I was little I felt almost like the queen of the world. I could just look around nature and let my imagination go.

I hope that people say good things about me. I hope that they say I'm dependable and caring because I want to be known as someone who will help my friends, family, and people. I hope people don’t talk about me badly because that's never a good feeling.

I am grateful for my apartment. During this time, I am extremely grateful that I have a safe place to be with a roof over my head. It is the safe place above and away from the world’s drama. I look out my bedroom window at central park west and see the homeless coughing and tired with no place to go, it makes me feel so grateful for what I have.

Corona has changed my daily routine so much. I used to get up, get actually dressed, go to school, then hang out with my friends. Now I get up, wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt (every day), do online school, then walk my dog. Every day of quarantine is the same, it feels like I'm stuck in the same day. I don’t like the change. I miss my regular life.

A positive thing that is happening in the world is that pollution is dropping because there is less gas from traveling. A positive thing that is happening in my life is that because of quarantine I have more time to practice violin, so I skipped a book level! Some negative things that I am experiencing is stress because it is a really stressful time and I can’t go outside (except if I need to take my dog out), but I can’t sit in the grass. I also can’t hug my grandma because of corona.

I fear that I have is that my family might get Corona and pass away. I have always had a fear of my dog running away or my family passing away, but now that there is a deadly virus it is worse.

I miss going outside and having fun with my friends after school. I really miss the times when my friends and I could hang out after school. I think that it will take time before everyone will go back to “normal”. I think that people are going to still carry around masks and stay away from people they don’t know. For me, it will take a little time to get back to what life was before Covid-19

Distance learning has been challenging for me. I don’t enjoy it, although it is nice to be in bed during school. A challenge is that I get bad headaches from the screen. I haven’t really discovered anything about myself, just that I like to learn in an actual school better than online.

To future generations I will describe this time as a hard time where people died from a pandemic, but it also helped our earth, pollution got a lot better and places like India’s air is clearing so much that you can see the distance clearly. I think that the most important aspect to share with future generations is how much work the essential workers did. For artifacts I can save all the masks that we have. I can also save things like this reflection.

Good things: There are much clearer skies in Paris, you can see the Eiffel Tower clearer. There are empty highways is LA The Langtang range is seen from Kathmandu

I am upset that we missed the Calhoun carnival. I am not much of a carnival person, but I liked spending time with my friends. I have done many TikToks with Ava, I have been playing chess a lot with my Dad, and I have been reading a lot of mystery books, like Agatha Christie.

My relationship with my sister has grown. I think we have gotten even closer than we were before, but we get annoyed at each other more than often too because we are always together.

Dear Emily, Thank you for being there for me. There are times, especially during the pandemic, where I feel lonely and kind of sad, but you are always there for me no matter what and I really appreciate that. Sometimes I need someone who I can just rant to, or laugh with and you are that person. Thank you for being my best friend. Love, Vella

The pandemic has affected my family in a positive and sometimes negative ways. Sometimes we get annoyed at each other because we are together ALL THE TIME, but also, we get to do a lot of fun things together that we might not have been able to do before corona. It has affected my community by making it harder to connect with people.

My mom gave me a compliment that I was thoughtful to other people. It made me feel really good. I would like to give my grandma a compliment that she is such a strong person because she is 80 years old, still going strong and during the pandemic we can’t get close to her, so that has been making her very sad.

So many people inspire me, but I am only going to say one. My aunt, India, inspires me. She is a poet and has loved writing that inspires me because ever since I was little I loved to write and she also is an ovarian cancer survivor. She got through cancer and barely even worried about it. She inspires me because she overcame so much and is still and a happy, adventurous person.

Enzo Garcia

The return from this Will be strange We won’t be sure what to do What to say Or where to go This is all so surreal And though I say I’m not stressed There’s always something In the back of my mind When the real world appears again It won’t seem real It’ll probably feel even more strange A senseless sleep That we’re woken up from In the middle of the day And the strange, piercing light of the sun Perplexes us Normal will seem Abnormal And our new normal

14 Of staying inside In a constant state of mild stress Unsure of what’s going to happen next Pissed off at everyone in power All that will seem normal So normal that When normal happens Normal won’t seem normal And it’s strange How something so absurd And unexpected Can After you get used to it Seem like it’s always been like that But we have to accept that Normal isn’t normal anymore And strange isn’t strange Not for awhile

Hopeful

Today I feel hopeful About many things in life music, of love And of an end to this strife This has been going so long But were still not used To the days of nothing The days full of bad news In the beginning we felt scared Nothing could go right But things are getting better The end is in sight So, let’s keep heads high And hearts full Not letting all this Take too much of a toll The sick are getting better Even though many could not Just remember we’re getting closer To a vaccinating shot Today is today Tomorrow is next Take it day by day And don’t get too vexed

Grateful

I’m grateful for doctors and nurses And the people who can’t stay home

15 My mom and dad For them I write this poem They’ve put up with me for so long And seems they’ll have to longer Still being with them every day Seems to make our bond stronger

3 Songs

The first song Is E. Watson by The Decemberists A cynical song Of mostly murder, it consists That one inspired me to write Burke and Hare A song of which I pride myself A song wants so bad to share Second is I’ll Fly Away By the incomparable Gillian Welch Which was in a movie I love A love you can’t squelch She’s gotten me into bluegrass Which I’m so glad I did My writing’s gotten better No more writing of a kid Finally, is Pink Moon By the late Nick Drake A beautiful song One I wish I could make These are the songs The ones inspiring me to make my own Great music is everything to me Even if not well known

Six Word Memoir

Just trying to make this better. The only way I haven’t gone insane lately is through creativity. I’ve been drawing and writing like crazy. I think I’ve written nine songs at least since this started.

People Getting Sick

Grandma and grandpa Nono and nona If they get sick If they get corona It could be deadly They’re all getting old I just hope they’re avoiding people at all costs Because we can’t even afford a cold

16 It’s fine if I’m sick In fact, I don’t feel so well at the moment But it’s never good when they get sick Especially with this new opponent

We’ll Be Different

We’ll probably be different when we come. We’ll probably be more aware of germs, more people will wear masks, and washing hands will be more frequent. When we come back it may be awkward to actually talk to people in person. Our joints will hurt from the activity we’ll get, but we won’t hate it. When we come back, it’ll be strange, yes, but not necessarily bad. It’ll be like starting over, getting a new beginning. I just hope we know what to do with it.

The Outside

This time has changed me. I feel more and more grateful for nature every day, and when I occasionally do encounter nature, whether it be a walk in the park or just a tree on my block, I look at it with more appreciation. This time inside has made me face myself, dig deeper, which has helped me become a better, more sensitive writer. But it’s not all good. Seeing myself on zoom and in the mirror so much has made me quite self-conscious, even more self-conscious than before.

After it’s all over I’ll probably go outside more. Being inside has made me want to go to the park and all even more than usual, so I’ll probably go to the park as much as I can. I’ll probably also wash my hands more often and do other things to keep me from getting sick.

How it’s been . Probably the biggest challenges have been not being able to see people. We were planning on going to Philadelphia to see a friends’ little kid, who I absolutely adore. I haven’t been able to see any of my friends, which sucks. The one good thing is that I’ve been writing so much I’ve gotten a lot better.

50 years later

I remember That spring that never seemed to end When the weather was the same every day For yourself you had to fend It never rained Or snowed Monotony, monotony To monotony, an ode There never was a plan For the day by day You did what you did in the moment From March, well past May

Some Happiness

17 1. South Korea sent 10K masks to Navajo Nation veterans who fought in Korean War 2. Tulane Researchers Find a Switch to Turn Off Aggressive Form of Breast Cancer Growth 3. After Finding His African City Missing from Maps, Zimbabwe Man Creates 2,000 Miles of Google Street Views

A Letter to Me

Dear Enzo,

Never forget about this time. I’m not sure of it, but you will probably be different when this is over. Don’t forget how you felt, because if you ever feel trapped, remembering that even more trapped feeling will help. Whatever you do, don’t forget.

Sincerely, Enzo

My daily routine

Well, first of all, I get to wake up later and stay in bed whilst learning. There isn’t much of a routine anymore, just go to online school, then do homework, dinner, sleep.

Inspirations

People who inspire me are mostly musicians. Listening to music constantly has helped me progress to write better lyrics and melodies. Colin Meloy and Jeff Tweedy, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon are up there.

Keeping in touch

I see my friends when I go to school, and sometimes we video call. I’ve been texting, and posting on Instagram and things like that.

Effects

Little League has been cancelled and almost every night someone’s screaming outside the window. People seem to go quite literally insane in my neighborhood.

Compliments I’ve gotten lots of compliments on my music, and it makes me feel really good. It’s great to know that someone appreciates something you worked so hard on.

Remember

The connections between people and other people, the earth and the universe. Although every human being is different we are linked by one common thing: we are all human.

Gate A-4

The world I want to live is not judgmental and is less superficial than this one. Being kinder every day brings us closer and closer to that.

Kiyan Anthony

This year our country was hit with the biggest pandemic of all time. This is called the CORONAVIRUS. This is an illness caused by a virus that can spread from person to person very quickly. You can become infected by coming into close contact, about 6 feet, with a person who has the virus. You can also get it by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. There is currently no vaccine to protect against the virus. The best way to protect yourself is to stay at home as much as possible and avoid close contact with others.

The coronavirus has completely changed my life. It started with me taking a trip to see my dad in Portland, Oregon for spring break. About five days after I arrived in Portland, I realized I was here to stay for a very long time. New York was hit the hardest and going back home was not the smartest decision.

My school was closed down. After spring break, we started doing online classes. This is the first time I ever had to do that. It was very difficult at first because I’m in Portland so I’m three hours behind. I’m waking up at 5:30am every morning. It’s also different not going to school and seeing my teachers and friends every day. It’s hard to stay focused when you’re staring at a computer for 4 hours at a time. This has been a major adjustment for me.

Since the coronavirus has hit most stores, movie theatres, and gyms have been closed or shut down. People are forced to stay in the house. Many people are not getting paid so they are filing for unemployment. Small businesses are shutting down. The economy is crashing because no one is working.

I feel really bad, but grateful to the frontline health care workers. They are working around the clock and putting themselves at risk to help us fight the virus. Hospitals are overcrowded and supplies are running low.

I don’t think my life will ever be the same. After the quarantine people will still be cautious. It will be a long time before there will be large gatherings of people or fun activities. There’s also a chance that the virus will come back in the winter. This virus will forever change the way people move around and interact with each other.

Ben Elsberg Coronavirus. A global pandemic that began on December 31, 2019, the last day of the 2010s decade. Everyone heard about it at first, and didn’t think it was very serious so nothing changed. But alas, things did change. Eventually it got so bad that we had to go into quarantine. I have been in quarantine since the thirteenth of March. I feel I’ve had it better than many, since I am at my country house in upstate NY, so I can go outside whenever I like, and I’m grateful for that since many people are trapped inside their houses. People say the world will never return back to normal after this, I don’t think the world was ever normal to begin with. All we can do is wait. It’s just a matter of when it will end.

Alya Lyne The Grocery Store

My sister and I want bagel bites and ice cream. I’m hungry and so is she. We feel like eating that kind of stuff. She goes and asks our dad. He says yes and gives us the money. We get dressed in outside clothes and head out. We talk and laugh in the elevator. When we open the door, we don’t use our hands, but still sanitize after. While we’re walking Theo tells me a story about how she almost lost an earbud headphone and we laugh. She doesn’t know where the store is so I pretend to go one way, then go the other way as a joke. When we get to the store everybody is wearing masks. The corona virus is not as serious right now and it is not yet required to wear a mask. I am freaked out. I try to stay away from people, but it is a squishy store and it proves difficult. My sister and I go find the bagel bites.

We get to the frozen section and find what we came for. However, I realize we forgot a basket. I am more familiar with the store, so I tell my sister to stay there and I go get a basket. I come back with it and she lays out our options. We pick what we want and go to the line. There are signs on the registers, but I don’t get time to read them right away. My sister pulls me back into an aisle and then I read what the signs say. They say to form a line and come when called. My sister and I go to the back of the line and wait. We don’t have masks on so I feel out of place, like I’m being watched. When we go up to pay, the cashiers have gloves on and big full-face masks. My sister pays and we leave. On the walk home, I contemplate what just happened and from then forth am scared to go to the grocery store.

Tackle ball was a game I played when I was in 1st grade I think. There were 2 teams and you would run around with a basketball and try to get it from the other team. Sometimes we would end up in piles of people and it was so fun. Adrenaline would run through me and I felt like no one could stop me. I felt like if I could out run a bunch of people then I could do anything. Each time I made a smart turn or just escaped being tackled I felt unbeatable. It is one of the best feelings ever.

I hope people say I’m nice. I try to be nice, but sometimes I can be really, really mean. I don’t mean on purpose, but then I look back on some of my actions and I realize how terribly I acted. I try to avoid things like that and learn lessons from my previous actions. I try so hard sometimes to be a nice person and it’s a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Every time I do something I overthink it a thousand times. Sometimes I even want to be mean. Not really, but I get annoyed with trying to be super nice because it’s a lot of effort. I don’t do it very well sometimes, but I try so hard to be kind that I hope people see me as that.

I am grateful for many things in my life, but one of them is my baking supplies and ingredients. I get a lot of my anger out while baking which is one of the reasons that if you ask my family and they respond honestly, they will say that I am sometimes not the best to bake with. I used to think it’s because I want the thing I bake to turn out perfect, (which I do) but I’ve realized that after I bake I am much calmer and in a better mood. I take out my anger and frustration when I bake and it makes me a lot happier. I have been baking a lot more in quarantine which has something to do with my extra free time, but also to do with my added anger and frustration. Without baking I would be less pleasant.

I have been waking up later which makes me feel less productive. I have also been napping a lot which puts me in a pretty bad mood. I don’t have motivation in the morning like I used to because all I have

20 to do is open my computer and start working. I used to wake up and not eat breakfast, but I’ve started eating it. I stopped now because it gave me a stomachache since I wasn’t used to it. However, now I have to get used to not eating breakfast since I get a stomachache from that as well. I don’t like the change in my schedule because though some of them seem positive and may be positive, it still overall has made me a crabby person who is in a bad mood more than not.

“I’m always tired but forever sleeping.” What I mean is I’m constantly tired, but I have been sleeping longer. I go to sleep like I did on school nights but wake up an hour later. Then I take a nap around every other day. I always thought that getting more sleep makes you less tired. However, all this extra sleep I’ve been getting just increased my tiredness.

Some positive things that are happening is that I am learning how to amuse myself and do things on my own. I used to constantly complain about being bored, but I am learning to not be. I also have a much cleaner room since a lot of the time during this quarantine I have cleaned and organized to help myself process this. Some negative things that have accrued from being physically apart from people is the feeling of loneliness. I am lucky to live with people and therefore not be fully alone, but even then, it’s hard sometimes.

A fear I’m experiencing is the fear of having seen someone I know for the last time without even knowing it. I guess I always had this fear, but never really knew it. I can’t go and see any of the people I’m worried about. It also scares me that I don’t think they care as much as I do, or they don’t show it. My grandparents on my mom’s side are having people over and going to other people’s houses. They even went to a salon. They’re not being as safe as they should be and it really worries me.

I miss hanging out with friends and after school and weekend sport things. I used to hang out with Harper a lot after school. Even if it was just for like 15 minutes, it still was nice. We would get food and talk and then go home. I also miss my after-school sports things. The sports stuff I did right before all of this was twice a week late night volleyball, and volleyball and basketball on Saturdays. I miss all of it.

I think everyone will be different. I think it is impossible to return back to old normal. It will take time to get to a new normal which I believe will consist of a lot more wariness. I also think everyone will be more grateful for their friends and the people around them. It’s a commonly said thing that you don’t realize how important something is until you don’t have it. We currently don’t have our friends and are realizing now just how important they are. We already knew our friends were important, but this whole situation just put it in perspective.

My relationship with my sister has changed. During this quarantine we have spent more time together and have become closer. We spend more time with each other and that has really improved our relationship. We still fight sometimes but not more than usual. Our relationship as sisters has definitely changed for the better. I hope it stays the same after this is over, but I can’t be sure. When we start going back to actual school we will have less time to spend together, but I think we will still have some of what we have now.

Distance learning is not my preferred way of learning. I feel a lot less motivated since it is easier to slack off and do less. I don’t have an actual place to be and just have to turn on a computer so I don’t have the same drive I may have had before. The benefits of distance learning are that I have a lot of time during the day to finish my work. During actual school I only really had lunch time, but now I have a lot of time. This goes along with school ending earlier which is good I guess. My fellow students can’t distract me as much since they’re just through a screen so I guess I’m focusing better. Overall, I’m managing, but do miss actual school.

21 Things I miss are: 1. Seeing my friends in person. I took for granted that time I spent face to face with my friends and I’ve learned now to cherish that time and make the most of it. 2. Going to in person school. I always thought school was fine, but I would rather sit at home and do it. I thought it would be a lot easier. Now that that’s what I’m doing I see that it is in fact not easier and a lot more difficult. 3. I miss after school sports and weekend sports. The season did end before this quarantine and I did not sign up for a spring sport because none of them interested me, but I miss the extra sports things during the week and on the weekend. It gave me something to do besides just sitting around and made me appreciate my rest time.

I miss waking up at 7:00, emptying the dishwasher, washing my face, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, checking the trains, packing my bag, getting to the train station, and going to school. I didn’t realize how important my everyday schedule was to me. Without it I feel lost and bleh.

I miss opening my locker and getting stuff out. I miss it so much that I made my own locker at home. It doesn’t look like a locker or have a door, but it resembles the inside of a locker. Opening my locker makes me feel like I’m really in school. It makes everything seem normal again.

I am upset because I just missed the catapult competition. We were let out of school the day before it and I put so much work into that catapult that it really made me upset. I also don’t get to do the real egg drop and can only drop it from my ceiling. I started 2 new shows over quarantine and am almost done with the second. These shows have now become my favorite shows ever. My family has also been playing Sorry and Spy Alley a lot. I really like those two board games.

A compliment I have received recently is when I baked banana muffins with my sister. I get a lot of compliments from my family when I bake because it usually turns out well. A compliment I’d give is to all the teachers because they’re doing a very good job of teaching us during this and trying to keep things as normal as possible.

My best friend, Harper, inspires me. She’s always getting involved in stuff and it makes me want to be involved and inspires me to push myself. I wasn’t going to originally join the basketball team, but then she joined and I thought, hey I should get more involved in stuff. It turned out to be really fun. She also always has great ideas that help inspire me to have great ideas.

Dear Snowball, Thank you for always being there for me. Even though we got you a bit over a year ago it seems like we’ve always had you. When I’m sick, you sit in my room even though you usually don’t like my room. Probably because it’s pretty close to the bathroom and you don’t like baths. Whenever I feel stressed or don’t feel good I can always count on you to be there. You are a great friend.

I am Face-Timing my best friend usually twice a week which really helps. Once a week we FaceTime my dad’s parents, and we’ve only done it twice so far but we’re having full family FaceTimes with my mom’s parents, my mom’s sister and her family, and my mom’s brother and his family.

This pandemic has made my family spend a lot more time together, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It has brought my sister and me closer. My dad always worked from home and we were able to bring my mom’s stuff from her office that is within walking distance, luckily.

Elias Yahya

A childhood game that makes me feel free is when I used to play is Lava. Basically, you have to climb somewhere within a couple of seconds and if you’re still on the ground you lose. My brother and I used to play it when I was like four years old during the summer. It was a fun game and we would play it for hours; it kept us entertained.

I hope people say I am brave and strong because I survived quarantine and Covid19. Most people are struggling because of Covid. If there was no Covid I would be in school right now and I will also be going on field trips and, most importantly, people wouldn’t lose their lives and jobs and doctors wouldn’t have to go through risking their lives as much. I hope everyone living in this time will be looked at as a hero in the future because no matter how much you’re going through, we’re all facing this together and these are tough times.

I feel bored because I have nothing to do. Video games become boring, I read all the books I have at home, and I’ve played all the games there are to play in quarantine. I’ve done most things I can do now. That’s why today I feel bored.

My daily routine is very different now. First, I wake up at 5 and do homework if I have any to do. Then I watch T.V. I go back to sleep until it is around 8. Once it is 8 I make some waffles, make my bed, turn the computer on and it should be around 8:30 now. I get dressed and get on Zoom. At around 12:10-12:20 I eat lunch. And If I have left over time, my family and I play a fast round of Uno. Then I go back to school and after school I do my homework. I go for a walk to the park, and when I come home, I watch a show with my parents (right now we are watching “Lost” and “All American”).

Some good things are global warming is getting better and pollution is decreasing. I am having more family time and we watch more T.V. shows together.

I am afraid of getting CoVid or giving it to someone. I am afraid that CoVid can get my parents and they die. I am afraid that I will never see my friends again.

I miss my friends and hanging out with them. I miss seeing people in real life, not on Zoom. I also miss seeing my teachers and cousins. But what I miss the most is soccer. I miss playing on the field, competing and winning.

I think some people will be more conscious and more germaphobic, but other people will be back to normal. The only thing that will be different is that when someone sneezes they will not say bless you. Instead they will just look at you like you have two heads.

I think A LOT of stores are going to close for good and the stock market will recuperate slowly. It will take time until everyone who lost their jobs gets to find a new one.

Time at home had made me eat more and I definitely got fatter, but on the bright side I have healed all soccer injuries and I’m ready to play in the fall. Another good thing about staying at home is that I get to know things about my parents that I never knew about. Basically, I can only talk to my parents and brother. I learn things about them, like fun facts.

23 I noticed that my family likes to watch T.V and we like to play competitive games. Once we played Kahoot together and that has been my favorite memory yet in this whole quarantine thing. Another thing my family does is every two weeks or so we have a live Zoom call with our aunts, uncles, and cousins! It is fun to see them.

I learned that I concentrate more by myself (in quarantine) than with others (in school). Before I did not get as much homework in and done because I was distracted, but now almost all assignments get turned in.

Monte Greene A childhood game that makes me feel free is chess. I used to love playing chess with my dad almost every night. I took the chess program in ASP at Calhoun and I just fell in love with it. I don’t know what happened to my love for chess. I haven’t played in around 2 years but it’s still one of my favorite games to play with my dad and grandpa. It makes me feel free because it’s a relaxing game and there isn’t a lot of talking involved, unless you’re playing my dad who likes to talk trash but it’s a great time to let your thoughts out.

I hope people say I’m a nice person with a big personality and a sense of humor. That is something that has always stressed me out when it comes to socializing. I’ve always strived to make sure nobody has negative thoughts about me, but obviously you can only hope. There are always going to be those people who try to drag you down.

Today I feel proud of myself. One of my biggest insecurities is my weight and height but I am proud because both are starting to go up. I have gained 4 pounds and I’ve grown half an inch and I’m really happy.

My daily routine has changed so much. I have been doing a certain number of pushups every week and after every week ends, I add five more to do. I have been sleeping in more because I would usually wake up at 7:00am to get to school by 8:30 but instead I’m waking up at 8:55 to get to school by 9:00. I’ve been relaxing more as well because I have all this extra time on my hands and I take advantage of every second.

Here is my six-word memoir: I feel closer to my family. That pretty much sums up how my quarantine is going! A positive thing is I officially turned 13 during this outbreak. Another positive is that I’m becoming closer to my family because I know we are all we have and we have to stick together. Also, I created a rap and rapped it in the talent show and got great feedback from my peers. A negative is I still have negative people in my life. I thought since we were separated by at least 4 miles I wouldn’t hear any of it, but I forgot about social media, I guess. I also haven’t been able to see my friends in almost 4 months and I’m not going to see them for another 3.

I have a fear of losing someone close to me. I also have a fear of running out of food for my lizard because they only make so much waxworms in a time like this. My biggest focus is my lizard right now. He’s like my best friend and it would tear me apart to lose him.

I miss seeing my friends. I haven’t seen them in almost 4 months and still have 3 to go. I also miss going on a basketball court and shooting around. I haven’t shot a basketball in maybe 5 months and it’s really starting to get to me.

I do think people will be different when this is all over because they will have experienced things that nobody will know unless they share. People are also going to be more careful with everything they do. Everyone will be more mature, and that’s including teachers as well. I definitely believe things will be different and it will be for the better.

My trust is going to change for sure. I have always been a germaphobe when it comes to people and now that I see what can happen if we aren’t careful, I won’t trust a lot of people that I usually would’ve in the past.

This time at home has changed for the better. Usually, we come home, argue with each other, eat dinner, and go to bed. Now we wake up, give each other hugs, do our schoolwork and regular work, cook as a family, eat a homemade dinner, watch a movie or show, and go to bed at like midnight in a good mood. This pandemic is kind of like a therapy for my family because we are trapped with each other. We never had any serious issues but we aren’t as stressed with work and school and that makes us happier and more open to new things.

I have noticed about myself the fact that I finish more. I would usually just work on something really hard and then just be done with it and not really have a proper ending but I have become more dedicated to my work. I have written two raps and they are both completed. I’m actually thinking about publishing one of them. My family has changed because none of them have experienced anything like this so they are just as new to it as I am and it’s fun to get to learn about this kind of stuff together.

Distance learning has been pretty chill for me. No real struggles. I have been taking advantage of all my free time and I haven’t been using my time wisely and that’s why I have done a lot better work then I usually would have.

Someone recently told me that I’m nice and humble. That really made me happy because I never want to be known as the conceited brat. I would like to tell someone that they are perfect and they are amazing just the way they are, because people forget that about themselves since they are comparing themselves to supermodels and things like that.

My dad inspires me because he pushes me to be my best self and I want to have that trait with my kids and family when I grow as well. The things my dad does are just underrated if you ask me. Dear Karen and Walter Greene,

Thank you, guys. For always being there for me no matter what. I know you will always have my back. You guys are the greatest thing to ever happen to me and I love you guys with all my heart. I hope someday we grow old together and travel the world as a family. You guys say I’m the best son to have, but you guys are the real MVP. Thank you for answering all my questions, never making fun of me, always accepting who I am and more. I could never ask for better parents in this world.

Love you forever, Monte

This Pandemic has affected my family in a lot of ways. My family has grown stronger together. We check in on each other all the time and we remember to put family first. I think my community has grown stronger together as well. Every day at 7pm, you can hear my neighbors screaming and beating pots and pans to show love to the essential workers. I think that shows the love my neighborhood has.

25 Recently, I have been communicating with my grandparents more often because they fit the description for this virus and I want to make sure they know they are in my thoughts. I have been communicating more with my friends through social media and multiplayer video games.

Abigail Keller

A childhood game that makes me feel free is a game called “Chubby Bunny”. If you do not know what this game is it is a game where you have to shove as many marshmallows as you can into your mouth while saying Chubby Bunny. How to win is whoever says Chubby Bunny with the most marshmallows in your mouth. I used to play this at my day camp and it was always so much fun. It reminds me of a time with no cares in the world. That made me feel free.

Today I feel accomplished. I got lots of work done today and I am very happy about that. This proves that you can still get things done during quarantine.

Here are the three songs I have chosen that make me feel better. Of course, I could choose a million but here are my top three. Not that these are not in order.

Alaska- Maggie Rogers How to Save A Life- The Fray Chasing Cars- The Fray

I chose these songs as my top three because they all have good connected memories that take my mind off the hard times.

The first song I listened to all last summer when I went to the beach. I flew ALL BY MYSELF just to go see my cousins in Colorado. My mom and dad were working and they finally let me go by myself. Then my dad came to pick me up. I listened to that song the whole way there.

How to Save A Life- reminds me of my commute from school to home and back again. I love this song. I remember putting on my headphones and walking the three avenues and six blocks all the way to school and home. It is one of the best parts of my day. Well, it was before corona.

Chasing Cars- is a song that reminds me of one of my best friends. She goes to Poly Prep but went to Calhoun from 1st grade to 5th grade. I have known her since birth and she has always been there for me. We listened to this song in the park on the last day of her time at Calhoun. We stayed there for hours knowing that the chances of us going to school together again are very low unless we somehow go to the same college. Our parents are best friends so they let us stay there until 8pm, which is really cool for a 10 year-old. We just looked up at the stars and it is one of my best memories.

I have been able to wake up a lot later which is great, but there are many struggles. Most of the time it feels like why even try to get ready anymore. Why even get out of pj’s to just stare at a computer screen all day, so most of the time I just put on a hoodie over my pj’s. It was nice for a while, but now I wish I had to get up.

26 A positive thing that has happened during social distancing is now I appreciate everything so much more than I did before, because everything was taken away so quickly with no time for a goodbye. A negative thing that has happened is that I miss my friends and extended family.

My fear is that I will get Covid-19. I know people who have it and it’s terrifying to see that happen.

Not seeing my friends in school is one of the hardest things to deal with, but also missing the DC trip. I have been waiting to go since 6th grade and the second I heard about it, I was ecstatic. Now I’m sad I will never get to go with my grade, I didn’t care about going too much. It was about going with my friends from school.

No one will just be able to return to normal because everyone will be on edge and it will be scary being around people.

I want to be more productive in my time. I want to accomplish more and be more with the moment. I will never take my friends for granted.

This time at home has changed me for the better because now I am more grateful.

I have noticed how lazy I am. I always knew I was a little lazy but this is just crazy. I am not lazy with school but if I have no reason to get up in the morning, you can count on the fact that I will be in my bed watching TV or sleeping with my dog.

I am very close with my dogs, but now that I am home most of all day, besides walks (with my dogs) they are kind of annoying and clingy. We always go on walks that have stayed the same, but during the school day is my break. Now that I don’t have that break they are NEEDY and it’s annoying. You would think I could get some space by just closing my bedroom door, but no. They cry and cry until they can come in. Space is key to any relationship.

Distancing learning is difficult. It is hard to actually learn while just staring at Zoom or getting stuff assigned. Worksheets and stuff like that are okay, but learning itself is hard. I have discovered that I am a very visual learner. If the topic isn’t there in front of me, why even have it. If I can’t see it, I can’t learn it. The benefit is that I can sleep until 8:15-8:30 How will you describe this time to future generations? What important aspects of this experience should be remembered and shared? What artifacts can you save to help you remember this time?

To the future generations I will say this time sucked. An important aspect is that everyone is still finding ways to connect through this. An artifact I can save is every document I have written during this time period.

Here are five things I will always be grateful for when this is over:

Friends- I will always try to hang out with them more and be more in the moment.

School- I always thought of school as an annoying thing, but now I miss it. I will always try to be grateful I am there.

Field Trips- I never took these for granted, but I miss them so much.

Extended Family- I will never call my little cousins annoying again, even though they are all under the age of 9.

27 My Apartment- I always felt cooped up in an apartment, but now I miss it more than ever. My room, kitchen, living room – I miss it all.

I have gotten a compliment that I am a hard worker even in these tough times. I don’t really know how I feel about that. They only mean well but I have heard that too many times for it to mean a lot. I would just like to say how thankful I am for everyone who has had to do anything risky during this time.

Who inspires me is everyone who cares for me. This can be family, doctors, friends, teachers. I am someone who loves to care for others, especially when they are in need so that is what makes me want to be a doctor of some sort.

Keeping in touch with my friends is easy because we can just Facetime or Zoom. However, it’s hard emotionally because I miss hanging out with them in person. My family is okay because we just Facetime as well and I wouldn’t be seeing them at this time anyway because they all live far away.

This has affected my family because my brother is a senior, so now he can’t have a graduation until he is already in college. His school is planning to do one virtually and then around winter break they will do a real one. They also are doing a drive-in 6 feet apart in your cars, even if some people are not in the city or state. It has also affected my dad because he runs a law firm and the courts are closed. There are other ways to make money from a law firm but it is a disadvantage for sure.

I just want to live in a peaceful world like a kind out of a storybook. No wars, no fighting, no drama, just kindness being spread throughout the world. It is harder than you think though. The things I can do to help make this happen is just being kind and it is contagious.

Kali Hageman

When I was younger I loved Candyland. Candy has always been one of my favorite things. I think it reminds me of when I was still in preschool and I always got picked up by my great aunt. She bought me a watermelon lollipop almost every day after school. It gave me comfort. When I played the game, I liked to imagine I was really in it. All the buildings and lakes made out of candy. Swimming in a chocolate lake sounded like the best thing ever to me. I used to play it with my brother all the time. I don’t know where that game went, but I hope I find it one day.

I hope people say I’m funny. I like my humor. Even though it’s offensive sometimes, I think I’m pretty funny. People with a good sense of humor are the best type of people and if I could be described in one word, I would want someone to describe me as funny.

Today I feel weird. Not good, not bad, just in the middle. I’m upset and worried about some things and excited and happy about some things.

I don’t really do anything. I eat, do stuff for school, go on my phone, read, then eat, go on my phone, then work out, then eat, watch TV, then read, and then go to bed. I don’t like this change at all. It sucks. I can’t see my friends who I love dearly. They annoy me 90% of the time but the 10% of the time they’re not annoying is great. I miss them. And I miss school.

I don’t follow the path. Lost. (My 6-word life story)

Now that I don’t get home at 10:00 pm I have the option to go to bed at a reasonable time. Do I still go to bed at 2:00 am? Yes. But it’s nice to have the option of going to bed at 10:00. There is much more negative than positive for me. I don’t get any break from my mom, who I love, but she is just too much sometimes. I don’t get to see my friends, and I miss New York City. So much. This is the longest I’ve been away from New York City. New York City may be chaotic and dirty, but I felt at home there.

I don’t have any fears when it comes to times like these. Someone I love is going under a serious surgical procedure? I’m not worried. My 63- year-old father has the coronavirus? I’m not worried. I don’t know if I would call it denial, but I just don’t believe that people I love are going to die. Yes, they’re going to die eventually from old age but other than that I almost feel like it’s impossible for them to die right now. Let’s say my mom was getting a serious, deathly surgery. I would be 100% sure that she would come out alive. I would have absolutely zero worries of her dying.

New York City. That’s all I have to say. New York City. I miss it.

I think people will be different when this is over. It won’t go back to completely normal for a really long time so people are going to change. They may be more careful with the things they touch, they may wash their hands more often, I’m not sure. Maybe their personalities will change. There really is no way to know in what way people are going to be different – they just are.

My parents aren’t getting along that well, but that makes sense. When school was still in session I spent the night in Brooklyn 2-3 times a week and when we went home we got there late so they didn’t do much talking. Now they’re around each other all the time so it’s different. Besides that, home life is the same.

I think my personality is changing. Saying that sounds really stupid, but that’s how I feel. Only minor changes though. I’m still basically the same.

My relationships with literally all my friends have changed. There are some people I don’t even talk to anymore and it really bothers me. The only person I’m still kind of talking to is Beatrice. It’s not like I don’t say things to them once in a while but we aren’t having full blown conversations like we used to.

I don’t like distance learning. If I’m being honest, the only thing I liked about school was socializing with my friends and now that it’s just work, it’s much different.

One of my friends recently called me pretty. A lot of girls call their friends pretty as a habit. It’s not a bad thing, but they just say it so much it starts to not mean anything. My friends and I are not like that. So, when one of my friends says I look pretty it means something. It felt good being called pretty by someone other than your family. I’d like to give someone a compliment on their personality. I think everyone says they care about personality more than looks, but that’s not always true. I, on the other hand, really do care about someone’s personality much more, so when I say I love someone’s personality they should take it as a huge compliment.

Timothee Chalamet. When I was younger I wanted to be an actor. Eventually I gave up on that dream because if I was too scared to talk to people in real life, how am I supposed to be an actor? My mindset changed when I learned about Timothee Chalamet. He is an amazing actor. I’ve watched 10 movies just for him and in all of them he’s great. Especially Beautiful Boy. After watching a few of his movies I decided that I wanted to see what he was like in real life. When I looked at his interviews he

29 was a completely different person. He was really awkward and he laughed out of nervousness. Timothee Chalamet trying to have a conversation with someone he’s not friends or family with reminds me of myself trying to have a conversation with someone I’m not friends or family with. If he can be shy in real life and be an amazing actor, so can I.

Where I live there are a lot of farmers, so their business has changed a lot. Some farmers have less business and other farmers have more. My brother and parents have different political beliefs so they argue quite a bit about the corona virus.

I want a world with no discrimination towards the color of a person’s skin, the gender of someone, a person’s sexuality, a person’s religious beliefs, or how someone identifies. As long as there are people like Donald Trump in the world there will continue to be discrimination against people of color, gay people, transgender people, and others. There will always be people like Donald Trump, so there’s not much we can do to achieve that world.

Zoe Stahl

I remember when I was a lot younger, I’d always love to make little marble races. I would organize the marbles based on their designs and have them race on little obstacle races that I made. That made me feel free because I felt like when I was 8 again, without any responsibilities.

I hope that when people mention me, they say that I’m kind and chirpy, and (hopefully) has good advice… I would want people to see me like that because it’s a pretty nice description.

Today I feel tired, but excited! I’m going to bake with my mom and then set up some flower beds for the summer.

I am beyond grateful for my parents. They have willingly given me food, water, a roof to live under, and unconditional love. Even when I was whining or crying, they always loved me and supported me and I am forever in their debt.

When I feeling down or upset, I listen to the Beetlejuice album. My favorite songs on it are: “Say My Name,” “Dead Mom,” and “That Beautiful Sound.”

My daily routine has changed A TON!! Normally I’d go on a long commute to school, but now I just wake up and go on the computer! Every time I go outside, I have to wear a mask. I don’t know how I feel about the second one, but I’m loving the first one!

A positive thing about social distancing is that (This might sound mean) I don’t have to talk to people I don’t like anymore! A negative thing is that I miss my friends…

My grandparents like to go on walks, obviously wearing masks, but they are getting a bit old) no offense to them) and I’m afraid that they’ll get it and won’t be able to recover.

I definitely miss being with my friends and hanging out, and I do not like wearing masks.

I was actually speaking to my family about this, and they mentioned that after 9/11 everyone was super nice to each other. I asked if it would be the same after COVID and they said no, because at 9/11 we all had a common enemy, but now we’re each other’s enemies.

I’m changing schools so my whole social life will be different, and I’m going to try to be my best self I can be.

I have been spending a lot of time on screens and I think I’m grumpy from being trapped inside for so long. My family and I haven’t quite killed each other yet, but we’re all grouchy.

My best friend and I have been more distant, but my cousin and I play Minecraft a lot together, so that’s fun!

Online school is 100% not for me. I was doing well until online school came up and I’m upset about it.

To future generations, I will say that it was an awful time with a virus that could kill millions. And there were riots and lots of burning buildings and our corrupt government.

Always wear a mask, don’t touch your face, keep your distance.

Hanging with friends, being outdoors, and going to places to have fun. Definitely won’t take advantage in the future.

I missed my Bat Mitzvah, my trip to Thailand, my trip to Hawaii after Thailand was canceled, and more. I don’t really do Tiktok trends but I like watching them.

The worst injustice during quarantine so far would be the horrible fate of George Floyd. People are blaming others for the virus even though they did nothing wrong. Instead of a law, I think police officers should be trained differently. In the US they are trained to always resort to violence first thing. That should change. Violence isn’t the answer.

A compliment I got recently was when my mom told me I looked good in a hat, haha. I want to give the compliment, “Wow, you look so pretty,” because it makes others feel good, and it makes you feel good.

My mom inspires me because she is such a hard worker and never rests until she gets what she deserves.

Dear Mom and Dad, Thank you so much for being here with me through thick and thin, although I can be annoying. I love you and cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me.

A lollipop moment I’ve had would be when I hug my sister whenever she is sad. For example, when she didn’t get chosen to be a peer leader, she cried and I hugged her. I admire the efforts of the peaceful protesters out in the world right now.

I have been Facetiming my friends and my cousin to play Minecraft and to keep in touch.

I’ve disagreed with my family in our dinner conversations many times, but no one cares to listen about what I think.

I want to live in a world of peace and health, where global warming is gone, racism is gone, all the bad things in life are gone. Of course, it would be almost impossible to reach that level of peace, but we can try. Starting with allying with protesters.

Ethan Weinstock Today I feel tired, hungry, and sad. I am tired because I went to bed at 12:00 PM last night, due to

31 reading and finishing the Book Thief. I am hungry because my dad made really good pancakes, but they were really small. I am sad because my dog has to go to the vet today.

I am grateful for my dog, Ash, because he helps me get through the day. He is essentially a joker, he makes me laugh every single day. He acts really silly and he plays really rough, but more importantly, he really acts silly. When he plays tug of war, he makes a really silly face.

My perspective on the entire world will have changed when this is over. Everything I know will be different, because of the things I have experienced, the things we all have experienced.

This time has made me play a lot more video games, due to the fact that in order to talk to people, I need to use a screen. I have also grown closer to my family. We now eat dinner, lunch, and breakfast together.

I am scared that my mother is in danger because she is currently in the city. I am also scared that my dad, grandfather, and grandmother might get sick. My parents and I talk every single day, to make sure we are all okay.

I miss the ability to be with my friends. I wish I could hang out with them, but because of COVID-19, I can’t. I can’t wait till COVID-19 is over so that I can hang out with my friends more.

Distance learning has been okay. One of the challenges is that you miss the human interaction. Another one is that if we have some big event that I forgot about, I can’t see everyone go to it. The only way I know is if I have a reminder. I haven’t discovered anything new except for the fact that when I struggle with something, I get really mad. The benefits are that we get up later, and you know what you are going to do before the class starts.

I have noticed that I play a lot of video games and watch a lot of TV and YouTube now. I have also noticed when I play with my dog, he bites a lot. I have noticed that my dad works really hard for us.

I am upset that I can’t go outside with my friends to the park, or hang out with them at lunch. I enjoy walking up this large hill across the street from my country house with one of my parents and Ash. I enjoy it because it is peaceful and long until some car comes and spews dust in our faces.

My dog, Ash, and I have grown closer and further away. We are close when he is calm and sleeping. But when he gets excited while playing, he starts to bite. Hard. His bites can really hurt, so when he gets like that, I move away.

Here are five things I won’t take for granted when this is over:

1. My friends

I can’t really meet up with my friends anymore. When this pandemic is over, I am going to spend a ton of time with them. I would love to just hang out and catch up with them.

2. Restaurant food

One thing I am never going to take for granted is restaurant food. My parents know how to cook well, but nothing beats restaurant food. I plan to eat a ton of restaurant food and enjoy going out for food.

3. Gym and Park

32 I miss Gym and Park because now I can’t play or run with other people. Now I am forced to play and run by myself and that makes me sad. I am going to enjoy Gym and go to Park whenever I can next year.

4. Real-life classes

There is something about Quarantine Learning that is different from regular learning. It is different because you don’t get any real human interaction that you get in a classroom. I am going to enjoy my classes next year, so long that we aren’t still in quarantine.

5. Meeting new people

One thing you can’t really do in quarantine is meet new people. So, when I get out of quarantine, I am going to try and make a new friend immediately.

I don’t think everyone will return to their “old normal”. Right now, we are all living in a very strange, interesting, and horrible time. I don’t think anything is going to be the same, because everyone now has this new experience with what is happening in the world. Everyone is now scared that their friends or family are going to be hurt.

This pandemic has forced my family to split up because my mother is a doctor and my father isn’t one. She can only visit for about 5/7 days of a week at a time. As for the community I am a part of, I haven’t seen my first best friend who lives in my building since the Coronavirus started.

I recently received a compliment on my Egg-Drop which was, “a really interesting way to hold the egg! - Enzo”. It made me feel very happy that people liked what I had done. I would like to compliment my father on his cooking because he works so hard to make dinner for us.

In Cooperative Gaming Club, I wanted to petition for a modification to our world called Witchery. I kept trying to talk, but the entire club kept talking over me. I wound up not deciding to continue my petition, and I wasn’t happy for the rest of the day. I was also supposed to be put in creative mode, so I could build whatever I wanted, but they still wouldn’t let me go into it. That day was not a good day for me.

We are connected to other people because we are all the same things. We are all the Earth’s skin, we are all part of the Universe, and we are all in motion through life.

Selin Ongoren

I hope people say that I’m a good friend, because I think my friends are really good people.

Today I feel like it’s still the middle of March.

I am grateful for my family and getting to stay with them, since I trust them the most out of everyone and some people can’t stay with them.

I wake up earlier and sleep later. I also have to wake people up more, exercise at home, and use my phone more.

33 I hate life – it really sucks. This is somewhat about Covid, but more about what else is going on.

Positive: I spend more time with my family. Negative: Spend less time with my friends..

People will be different, there’s no argument there.

I’m probably going to wash my hands more often when this is over.

I actually am a kind of responsible person. I’ve noticed that my family can’t seem to get enough sleep.

Su and I are still close, but we’ve grown apart over the break.

Mostly Anime characters and my family inspire me because they are kind and can get things done.

Hi Mom,

Thanks for listening to me at 10pm while I was ranting, most people just go to sleep.

Selin.

They are getting a lot more paranoid and scared because of the pandemic.

Once some people thought Su had spread a rumor when she didn’t. I was friends with these people, and Su is my sis, so I believed her instead. I eventually had to shout at these people for her because her eyes started to get watery.

I received a compliment that I’m good at math, which made me feel nice because some people act like I’m really not. I would tell Su that I think she’s really resourceful, because that’s something she prides herself on.

Gibson Hope A childhood game that makes me feel free is probably beach soccer. I like soccer a lot and I love how my friends and I can play in the summer. We can ride our bikes down to the beach and play. I can be sitting in my house one moment, then out the door and to the beach in five minutes. I think it makes me feel so free because I can run as far down the beach as I want with the wind on my face as I run. It feels really nice. I think that feeling of freedom makes me feel wonderful.

Today I feel the same. My life had just gotten into this quarantine routine, I do the same things every day. I don’t know if I like it or not. I like the fact that I know everything that’s happening and I can be prepared, but I don’t like how I can’t go anywhere.

I am grateful for having a pool. I can’t tell you how many times I have had nothing to do, and I just go outside and swim with my siblings. We all like to swim and have fun playing pool games together.

My daily life has changed because I cannot go to any of the activities I would usually go to. I used to have chess classes, coding, and sports. But now chess and coding are online, and I don’t have sports, although my dad and I are starting to play a lot of golf together.

34 My life has changed now. Six-word memoirs are significant because if you write a good one, it can be very powerful to the reader and really connect with him or her. My six-word memoir reflects my thoughts. My life has changed, but I am hopeful things will start to go back sometime around September.

Some positive things about the coronavirus is it came at a good time. What I mean by that is I just had surgery at the beginning of the whole outbreak and I needed time to recover and quarantining was great because it meant my family was here to help me. Also, I wouldn’t have been able to go to some school if we had to physically go, but I was able to go to some classes I wouldn’t have been able to. Some negative things are I haven’t been able to see my school friends since school let out. I have been able to talk to them, but I haven’t been able to go to Starbucks with them or anything like that.

One fear I have during this pandemic is my mom is trying to make my family have a family movie night. Since we are all together, she said the family should watch one movie together a month. We are almost never together because my dad is always traveling, so my mom said we should take advantage of that and have a family movie night. It’s not that bad, though, although the movies are bad because they have to be appropriate for my eight-year-old sister.

I miss most being able to hang out with my friends. After school, we could go to Chipotle or Starbucks or wherever we wanted to go, but we cannot do that now.

I think everyone will more or less return to their old normal, but we will all value it a little bit more. This experience has caused us to realize how much we liked doing whatever we wanted outside.

This time at home has been good and bad. It has been good because it means I can spend more time with my dad because he used to be going all over the world. But it has been bad because my mom is going a bit crazy and she is not liking it as much.

I have noticed that I am independent. I don’t need that much help with my schoolwork, I can get it done by myself. I have noticed as a family that we all kind of do our own things, but we do have a family movie night.

The relationship with my brother is still the same because we still play together in basketball and the pool. But it has changed because we see each other so often we know what the other person has going on. That did not happen before all of this.

Distance learning has been okay, I guess. I’d much rather be in an actual school, but I think Calhoun has done a good job organizing all of it. I have noticed that I pay more attention in class than I do on a computer because there is an actual teacher in the room.

A compliment I have received recently was from my mom because I cleaned the dishwasher. It made me feel good. I would like to give my brother a compliment for walking the dog because it would make him happy.

My dad inspires me because he is a good role model and I want to be like him when I am older.

One time I wanted to have mac and cheese for lunch, but my brother and sister wanted pasta. We resolved the conflict by letting us have mac and cheese the next day and pasta today. I spoke up and proposed a compromise.

35 Sam Gevert I hope people say that they like me, not because I need to be liked by everyone, but it is just simpler if I am liked.

Nothing new is happening which means nothing bad is happening, but nothing good is happening either, so it is rather neutral.

I am grateful for my family. Without them there is no way I would have made it to this point. They guided me through almost every path up and down in my life so far. I think it makes me less dependent because the next time I will have a better Idea of how to go about it.

My daily routine has changed in the way of me only waking up at 8:15, getting up at 8:30, and not leaving the house till after 2. I also always have my parents around to talk to and ask for help

Some positive things are that I am with my family a lot more. A downside is I can't get away from my family and I can't see my friends. At least I found a group of on-line friends from the UK, but it is not the same as being with each other.

I miss being able to hang out with my friends the most. One thing that is a little tough online is not seeing their faces but it is a minor problem.

I think social norms will change a bit. There might be more spaced lines at grocery shops and less bumping into each other on the streets. Handshakes will occur less but wrestling and shoving between friends will not change.

During this time at home I have started liking board games more, which I think is for the better.

I noticed that I am probably not worried enough about things that are going on. I noticed my mom got spooked pretty easily in the beginning, but now she is much calmer. My dad also sometimes gets annoyed but it does not last for long and happens rarely.

Distance learning is alright. I miss being able to talk to my friends face to face and I often stress about missing things, but aside from that it is fine. I am also sitting on a very soft sofa during school which is very nice.

I miss being able to hang out with my friends, being able to go out with my family, The virus also cut the ski season short so I miss that. Another thing that is impossible is traveling, so I can’t see my relatives in Germany. Also, we never got to play a game with the baseball team. A way to make sure that I don’t take those things for granted is by enjoying them while they last. If I am not sure if I will meet someone again soon I better focus all my attention on him or her when we meet.

Good things:

1. A little bit ago a one-hundred-year-old survived the Coronavirus infection. 2. People are protesting all over the US because of police brutality. 3. An amusement park put some big teddy bears on a rollercoaster.

I am a little sad that we never played a game on the baseball team. In the evening my family and I watch a series called “The Last Kingdom,” which is really good and recently we also started watching a comedy series called “Space Force.” I go out almost every day with one of my parents to play baseball and on many evenings, we go to Pinkberry for desert. I also found a group of on-line friends. We meet digitally every afternoon after school to play video games.

This pandemic has affected my family in the sense where we are closer now than in normal times, but aside from that nothing really changed. It has affected my community because poor people are losing jobs and homes and rich people are going to summer houses. In our building more than half of all tenants left, but our doormen have to come to work each day. Inequality is now very noticeable.

36 I want to live in a world where you don't need to worry about things. On most basic level, I am greeting people politely and I try to smile when I greet them. Holding the door for people or picking up dropped things and other small acts of kindness can also help to make the world nicer.

Toolboxes for Care In this activity, seventh graders created a tangible toolbox with items inside that represent the different ways in which they can take care of themselves and others during and after this pandemic.

Beatrice Barnsely 1. My first item would be my cat. Since I can’t see my friends it is an important tool to form or keep companionship with others. It is always important to have a social outlet.

2. My second tool would be a face mask. In this time, it is overwhelmingly important to have the tools to practice social responsibility. A face mask could be one of those tools.

3. My third item and tool is my computer. Right now, I heavily rely on the Internet as a tool to stay connected. I use my computer for school as well as connecting with others.

4. My fourth item would be headphones to block out the noise. So much is going on in the news and in politics right now. Although it is important to stay informed it's not always the best for your mental health to be watching constantly.

5.My fifth tool would be music. This time can be very stressful and overwhelming, I use music as a tool to stay focused and think clearly. It eases the stress.

Su Ongoren

Here are my items: Flute, a book, phone, duple (board game), Sketchbook, and a pencil.

My flute since music is fun and something I have been practicing. I have played flute since 5th grade and I love it. I don't need sheet music to play which is why it's not included. My playing has been consistently improving since I started and I would like it to keep improving so I have to practice.

A book since I like reading and have been reading a lot more than if I was in school. I read a lot more since there is less to do in other activities. I like reading a lot anyway so in any scenario a book would be in the box. The book is the clockwork angel which is one of my favorites in the series The Infernal Devices. The series is by Cassandra Clare.

I put my phone in since it is how I have been communicating with my friends and I talk to them a lot. I can’t see my friends in real life so I talk to them virtually instead like facetime or texting. I need my phone to do that since it is easier to call from my phone instead of other devices like my computer.

37 Duple is a board game my mom, my sister and I started playing together and we really like it. Duple is a word game that you can play with 2-6 people making it ideal for my mom, my sister and I since we can play together and separately.

My Sketchbook since I have been drawing and my pencil so I can draw in the sketchbook. I also do art classes so having a sketchbook on hand is very important, especially for having one space for your work. I draw in my sketchbook a good amount and it wards off boredom.

These are the pictures:

Vella Carter The first object in my toolbox is a flower. This object helps me take care of myself. It symbolizes positivity and the beauty in the world. No matter how ugly everything is right now there will always be beauty. When I look at this item in the toolbox it reminds me of nature and happiness.

The second object in my toolbox is a cupcake liner. This object helps spread kindness, it symbolizes kindness and happiness. At this time, it is hard to stay happy and it is hard to spread kindness when you can’t leave your house, but I bake for my family and that always makes them happy.

The third object is a dog toy. This object helps take care of the people, things, and animals around you. It symbolizes love and care. Because of coronavirus you need to make sure that you are healthy, but you also need to think about others. For example, I still need to make sure my dog is getting the resources she needs. Dogs need to be outside for at least an hour a day and my dog gets sad when she doesn't get to go outside, so even when this virus is happening we need to play with her outside.

38 My fourth object in my toolbox is an antique head scarf that used to be my great great grandma’s. This can help me stay connected with people no matter how far away they are. This item in my toolbox symbolizes connection. After my great great grandma died my whole family went to LA for her memorial and her close family to pick out items in her house that reminded them of her. I picked out three scarves with butterflies and polka dots on them. When I look at the scarves they remind me of her. No matter how far away you are from someone you will always be connected.

My fifth object in my toolbox is a seaglass necklace. This object can help me remember the good memories that I have during this bad time. It symbolized looking back. Ava, Leila, and I all have the same handmade seaglass necklace. We all got them in Maui from a friend of our grandma’s. We wear them almost always. When I look at the necklace it reminds me of Maui and my family. It reminds me of how much fun we had there.

Lydia Bayko The first of five things that have kept me alive during quarantine- bold of you to assume I’m alive during quarantine- is probably my iPad because I’ve been listening to music nonstop for the past 3 months. I’ve played way too many video games and now I’ve been reduced to staring at the ceiling because I finished all of my books and video games. My iPad has been instrumental to my sanity up till this point in quarantine.

The second thing is, to summarize, an empty cup of coffee from the place my mother and I go every day after school. (God knows I need caffeine injected into my bloodstream every twenty seconds) I’ve really enjoyed our walks because I like hearing my mom’s sarcastic narration of what’s going on. It makes me feel like everything is normal in some way.

The third thing is my reading light, because I’ve probably reread all three bookshelves that take up all the room in my bedroom. It was fun for me to revisit some books that I haven’t read in a while, but it also leads me to believe that I didn’t use to google parent guides for new series’ because some of them are pretty advanced for me, so I definitely shouldn’t have been reading 13 Reasons Why in fifth grade.

The fourth thing is my art supplies. I really have been trying to figure out which art style I like and feels natural to me, and the one I like the most is just kind of cartoonish and cute. Doodling is a stressless thing for me because I can zone out and listen to music while using my metallic sharpies, which are apparently the best thing in the world. The fifth thing is my mask that I use to go outside, because without it I wouldn’t be able to go on any walks, which would make me even more depressed. I looked at ones online for a long time before ordering a pink one. I really think it’s cute and was super excited to wear it when it arrived.

Keith Johnson

One of my items is antibiotics, which be used whenever someone gets sick in hopes to cure them. I can use these pills to cure others. I don't really think many people thought of this one, since it's so specific. I feel that so many people die from sickness because they don't have the resources. I plan to bring these to people in need whether it be friends of someone random of the street.

The next item inside my tool box for care is food. It may just be candy in the box but it represents all types of food. I can use this tool to help many on the streets in need of food. I know food may be a simple but hard thing to obtain for some people. I would add a lot more types of food to my tool box.

I also have brought my controller to symbolize playing on the Xbox. During these times it is important to meet up and have fun with friends virtually. I know for some people this may be a hard thing for them to be able to have. If you do have a console you will be able to have fun and play games with anyone you want! My fourth item is water. I know it seems like a simple thing, but it can really help others and is essential for living. If someone is in need I could easily give them some water. Water is easy to come by, but for people who have no home or money, they could drink some filter guaranteed water. Everybody can enjoy a nice drink of water after an activity.

For the last item in my tool box for care is a phone. It really doesn't matter what phone you have as long as you are able to call and text. You can use your phone to talk to others and encourage them from

40 far away. You can't give people your phone but it can help you locate places and make your way around the world to know where you are. To use your phone for kindness you can text others and make them feel better, give them someone to talk to.

Lila Wattenberg

Tools:

My phone: I put my phone in the box because I use it to facetime my friends. This is important

To me because I haven’t seen my friends in a while so I like to facetime them to keep in touch.

My headphones: I put my headphones in the box because I use them to listen to music. Music always helps me feel better and I love music.

My Kindle: I put my Kindle in the box because I read on it every night to help me sleep. When I read a good book, I can’t put it down, and it is like a distraction from all the bad things happening in the world.

41 Seashells: I put seashells in the box because I go for walks on the beach sometimes. I like getting outside and being on the beach because it’s really pretty there and the weather is good.

Pictures of friends: I put pictures of my friends and me in the box because I miss my friends a lot and talking to them makes me feel better.

Tafari Gil

I have attempted to share quotes of people around me and close to me, to get a perspective on me.

Hopefully, this will show how I’ve developed tools for caring about myself, my family and my community in this tough time.

The first thing in my toolbox is my scooter. I chose my scooter for small acts of kindness because my scooter represents the small acts of kindness of taking care of Elijah. Elijah is my little brother. He's 10 years old and since he can’t go too far from the house alone. I go with him and we scoot around the neighborhood together and do things from tricks to races. I asked him about how my scooter represents small acts of kindness. He said, “it helps that you can take me out by myself and give mom and dad a break”, he also mentioned that I can go to the grocery store and get things if our family needs them.

The second thing in my toolbox is a fork which symbolizes cooking. I think that cooking is a big act of kindness because eating is essential to human survival and to support someone’s life in this way is a big act of kindness. My mom says that “when I’m out of the house I’m confident that you will feed yourself and your little brother, and not burn down the house because you know how to cook.” She also mentions that she appreciates that she doesn’t always have to cook for me. She then added that in our family, “cooking for others is a way of showing love,” and that “your uncle, father and grandfather love to cook.”

For the third thing in my toolbox I chose a Buddha statue which symbolizes meditation and I think that when you meditate your mind becomes clear of wanting for self and you become encouraged to give to others. My dad says that it helps me “clear my head” and in a way encourages me to be more kind. He also says it helps me focus on the task at hand and clear my brain from distractions. He then added “In this tough time as an adolescent, becoming 13 and then at this exact moment where we're all in quarantine because of coronavirus, it's tough for the whole world to focus and have compassion. Whenever you meditate, you find kindness for your true self. Things turn out the best for people who make the best of how things turn out.”

The fourth thing in my toolbox is my Metrocard. My school Metrocard helps me build independence in myself by helping me transport myself by myself. I don't mean the Metrocard. I mean the subway it represents; a place that can be dangerous, but is essential to growing up in New York. I asked my old babysitter who’s more like a brother to me, who picked me up every day and took me home on the subway for 4 years from Calhoun to my home in the Bronx. He said that “Your school Metrocard helps you understand how the metro system works, Because of your Metrocard, now you know how to use

42 the metro system, and it allows you to travel to and from school without needing financial assistance from someone older.”

The fifth item is a basketball to represent my connections to friends in all walks of life. I value my ability to be able to relate to Calhoun kids as well as kids from different worlds. Like my uncle Oscar from the Bronx, who happens to be a top AAU basketball coach in the nation says, “When Tafari started playing basketball he was very shy and timid.” But eventually I started making friends. Oscar noticed, “as time went on he learned how to play and better communicate with the kids around him. He since opened up and became communicative with his teammates and other kids from different walks of life.” To add to that, I also feel an immense amount of cultural pride when playing basketball and it doesn’t matter what language you speak or how rich you are you can still have fun playing basketball with anyone, and that's what makes basketball such a great way to find a community.

Last, but not least, I included a soccer ball. I selected one because soccer is a big part of my community and a soccer ball symbolizes being a part of a community, kind of like basketball. My uncle Sylla who was a soccer coach for the Senegalese national team from Senegal came to America through the sport of soccer, and he built a community around it. He says, “Soccer gave me a community. All my best friends I got to know, were through soccer.” I feel the same way about the sport. A lot of my best friends I've made through soccer. I’ve also found that soccer is like basketball in the ways that you cannot have anything in common with someone but play soccer and end up coming together. All of these things are as Sylla said “all the hexagons on a soccer ball are like places and things that help you be better as a person.” So, to finish this part of my toolbox is the idea of the hexagons on a soccer ball.

Esteban Ramos

In this box, I have 9 items. I am going to explain why I would need these things especially in a pandemic.

I need a mask to protect myself from the virus. I also need gloves to help me spread less germs and to avoid touching my face with my bare hands. I need a toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash to maintain good oral hygiene. That is a necessity for me since I have braces. I also need disinfectant wipes to clean things before I touch them to once again spread less germs. I need water because I must maintain hydration. I am prone to headaches and me being dehydrated would not help that at all. Febreze is also very important because I don’t need my room smelling horrible, especially since I am supposed to be spending a lot of time in it. The last thing that I need has to be deodorant. If I smell horrible, then my clothes will start to smell bad, and then my room will start to smell bad (which is very bad).

Kiyan Anthony

A box of tools, With all you need, In a time of need,

A stretch band So you can stay ripped And be the man

A pen and pad To write down your thoughts When your happy or sad

Don't forget your mask Germs are floating everywhere and moving fast

You’ll also need water so bring your flask

Bring your wipes So your house doesn’t smell bad all night

You need some gloves Protect your hands Don't infect your loved ones

Take your vitamins and stay healthy Watch what you put in your belly

Don't get sick This virus isn't quick

I'll also keep some flowers For those who have lost family and friends Every day, every hour

Febreze is key So your bathroom can smell good when you poop or pee

Some things you can find in my toolbox are flowers for all the people that are sick and those who passed away. I included hand sanitizer so you can lower your risk of contracting the coronavirus. Also gloves and a mask so you are not exposed to the virus in the air. There’s water in there so you can stay hydrated at all times. I added a multi vitamin called Alive so you can have the energy and essential vitamins to get through your day. You will see Clorox wipes to wipe down any surfaces you are about to touch or eat on. To help you stay in shape, I included a stretch band so you can stay active. Lastly, I have a pen and pad in there. It's important to be able to write down your thoughts and feelings during this unpredictable time.

Many people would choose stuff like video games and TV’s in their tool boxes. I feel like in the current state of the world, health and safety should be our #1 priority, which is why I choose my items.

Everything in my toolbox can help you take care of yourself mentally and stay in shape physically until this is over.

Harper Dorr

In my tool box there are a lot of things that can help fuel small acts of kindness on a daily basis. The first one is the painting supplies. Painting someone something can be very meaningful. It can show that you are still thinking about them, and that you care about them. You can also make so many things with just the brushes and the paint, you do not always need a canvas. You can also paint people cards. Also, the book can be used to do every day acts of kindness, such as reading to someone. Also, you and someone else in your family can read the same book, and talk about it. This is something that is really fun to do.

I have one thing in my toolbox that can change these things to be more impactful, but there are some things that you can just make differently that will be significant too. The first thing that can help these things be more impactful is the phone, but you can really use any electronic device. There are many places where you can write, post, and support people on it. You can also make art that says something, or is making a stand and post it there. Also, you can turn your art into bigger acts of kindness by sending the essential workers cards, or things like that.

For me, the phones and the notebook will help me choose kindness. The phone helps me choose kindness, because I can stay connected with my friends and family, and that helps me want to be a better person. It also helps me see what is going on and all that people are doing, which makes me feel truly grateful and makes me want to be kind. Also, the notebook helps me to be kind, because it lets me write down my feelings, and reflect on myself. By reflecting, I see how I can be kinder and how it makes me feel when others are kind to me.

In my tool box I have lots of things that will help me take care of myself. The first is the journal, which lets me write down things like how I am feeling, and that is good for my emotional health. The next is the knitting, because I find knitting calming and relaxing and you get something in the end. The next is the book, because sometimes when I get stressed out, or I need a break, it is always nice to go to somewhere new or learn something new. Painting is good for my health, because it is another way to express myself and it is also calming. Finally, my phone is good for my health, because it lets me keep in touch and stay connected. There are also comedy TV shows that make me laugh and smile.

There are lots of things that will help me stay connected. The first is the Jenga, or really any game, because those are always really fun to play with my family. The next is the phone, because that also helps me keep in touch with my family, since I cannot be around them right now. Something else that will help me is the book, because sometimes my mom and I will read a book, and then talk about it, almost like a book club. There are painting things, because that lets me make things for people, and lets them know I care about them. Also, knitting helps me stay connected, because it lets me make more things for others.

For me, all of the tools are in reach but for some the knitting, and painting may be out of reach. However, you do not have to have the things for knitting, or painting to have the feeling you get from it. You could just have almost any hobby that calms you and do it. For the box, I would have liked to add some envelopes or something to send things in, because that is another way of staying in touch.

46 Mac McGrath

Above you can see my very organized and refined Toolbox for Care. The items included are as follows:

1. First-Aid Kit 2. Clothes 3. Bread Flour 4. Headphones 5. The Lumineers 6. My Saxophone 7. Oof 8. A tangle, my personal favorite fidget 9. The magical notebook

Starting at the top, with a first-aid kit, this one is sort of obvious. Our kit has been used on several occasions already, the most severe of which was when my youngest brother sliced his thumb open when whittling. My hands were caked in his blood. First-aid kits, and training, for that matter are essential for existence in the modern world. Especially now, when getting to a doctor is difficult for a lot of people (or more than normal), first-aid can be a literal lifesaver. Clothes! Clothes are important. In the picture is my favorite jumper. I got it at a shop in London with my Nana and mum. That trip was wonderful. Just me, my mum, my nana, and a hell of a lot of sweets (in my humble (and correct) opinion, British sweets are far superior to American candy. That jumper, aside from being glorious, reminds me of that trip, and how much fun I had. Though I have always loved baking, I have recently discovered I have a “gift” of sorts for making bread. I’m oddly good at it. It’s become the highlight of every week, making bread on Saturday, devouring most of it with my family, then enjoying a small bit for breakfast on Sunday. You can use virtually any flour to make bread, but bread flour is the best because of its higher protein content (around 12% compared to All-Purpose flour’s 9-11%).

47 I listen to a lot of music. I’d say I average around three hours of listening per day, give or take. Music is both the ultimate focus-aid and the epitome of distraction. Thankfully, more often it is the former. I listen to all kinds of music. Jazz, folk, indie-folk, folk-rock (yeah, I like folk), “just” plain indie, the occasional pop tune (unless it’s from the seventies or eighties, in which case, more than occasional), classical, classic rock. Headphones are my boat and music is the ocean. Most of my family, while they also like music, don’t like the kind of music I listen to often. I also share an office space with my brother, so headphones are just common decency (although he apparently didn’t get that memo). III is my favorite album of all time. There’s no doubt about it. I have listened to it, top to bottom, at least a dozen times. It is just everything I want from anything and more. It does things to my feelings that only it can explain, and trust me, it doesn’t have the time. It’s too busy turning the hell that is this earth into a soothing utopia, the kind only dreamt of. You might notice that there is a recurring theme of music here. If you’ve ever had a conversation with me (and I most certainly don’t blame you if you haven’t) you probably know that music is everything to me. Well, music and Ben and Jerry’s if we’re being perfectly candid. Along with listening to music, I also adore playing it. The saxophone makes me happy, that’s really all it needs to do, and by god does it do it well. Oof (pronounced: uff) is my most prized teddy. I got him when I was two from a family friend, and he’s been by my side ever since. Now, a lot of people my age might think, Eww, gross, that’s so uncool. I disagree. There is nothing wrong with something that gives you comfort, as long as it isn’t hurting anyone. Teddies bring about a sense of vulnerability that they simultaneously comfort, which is sometimes exactly what you need. I fidget. Like a lot. I have an anxiety disorder (specifically Generalized Anxiety Disorder), which often can make me on edge. FIdgeting is my way of dealing with that, at least subconsciously. I also am just a very fidgety person. For example, I do this thing where I squeeze my hands, typically while smushing/rubbing them up against my face. I’ve always done it, and my palms have little calluses where my nails dig in. I sometimes do it so much that something goes funny in my wrist and I can’t squeeze my hand without pretty significant pain for a while. This is where fidgets come in. The tangle is wonderful for me. It can twist, you can pull it apart and put it back together again, and it’s quiet, which is perfect for class and tests. The magical notebook is a little, navy blue notebook that I write ideas in for my book. I’m (extremely slowly) compiling personal essays which I one day hope to combine into a memoir about my experiences as a gay, trans dude in this extremely confusing world full of even more confused people.

Ethan Weinstock

I put these items in my Toolbox for Care for these reasons:

Gaming device: The thing that currently connects us all to each other is the Internet. It makes us feel like an actual community.

Water: To remind us to stay flexible with what is happening. We have to be ready for anything that comes our way, and we must keep an open mind.

Tape: Tape can help us bind things together, just like how a family is bound to one another. It keeps us in close contact with those we care about.

Pencil: To inspire the creativity to write about this bad time. People everywhere are writing about their experiences in quarantine, and what is going through their head.

Measuring Tape: To measure our progress during this time. The tape will get longer and longer until this quarantine ends, and maybe then, it might just extend.

______

Selin Ongoren

Items • Phone: To contact people, since I can’t see people in person anymore unless it’s my family. • Earplugs: So that people don’t have to hear my excessive and long conversations, and so that what the other person says is private.

49 • Pencil: I have a sketchbook on this list and I need a pencil to use the sketchbook. • Playing cards: To take my mind off things, and because I can’t always use electronics.

Anonymous

Items inside of the box:

• Phone and Computer

• Mask and Soap

• Face Masks and Face Wash

• Books

• Skateboard and Shoes

Why did I put these things in my toolbox?

Phone and Computer: In times like these, it is important to keep in touch with friends and family, using your phone and computer to contact them. This may keep your spirits up in tough times. When using just your computer you can do many things: play games, Facetime with your friends, and especially school work!

Mask and Soap: With Covid-19 going around it is very important to stay safe and to keep yourself and others healthy. You can do these things by wearing a mask, social distancing, and washing your hands with soap regularly.

Face masks and Face soap: Because we are stuck inside, many people have started taking better care of themselves. However, for many people, this is not the case. These objects are just a reminder to take care of yourself.

Books/Shoes and Skateboard: Nowadays it’s important to get off your phone and computer and to go outside or read! Phones and computers are essential in today’s life but it’s still very important to get off them every once in a while.

Hudson Lundy

My Tools Poem In a time of crisis there isn’t a lot we can do We can play our part which isn’t very big If we all wear masks We protect the ones around us If we all use hand sanitizer We cleanse our hands of the virus We wipe all the germs clean The power of a pencil in a dark time is powerful The ability to write down our emotions Every laugh to every tear It’s important to express that Because while scientists find statistics that will never go away Our unique emotion slowly fades away as life moves on In all of this We have family Whether we like it or not Our family is all we have right now Sometimes a game of cards can bring a family together Playing cards for our family makes the stress and weight of this virus leave Though it always comes back, that's inevitable A phone A way to connect with your friends To distract yourself Put a smile on your face A powerful communication Along with other technology like video games Whether you play because you are bored and want to past time Or you want to talk to your friends and play together Maybe you want to talk about the virus Maybe you want to try and remember what life was before this sudden change Whether you are taking care of yourself Family and friends Or society as a whole A little bit of care goes a long way.

Zoe Stahl

Nolia Dorset

53 Objects inside the box:

1. A phone for staying connected. I chose a phone because at this time we can’t see our friends/family and it’s important to stay in touch. It will help us get through this to talk to the people we miss. 2. Shoes to take walks. Since we really can’t go anywhere, it's important to still get out and get fresh air. It’s good to take walks to stay sane. 3. A stuffed animal to help you feel safe and comfortable in this scary time. 4. A journal to write down all your feelings. Everyone is having mixed emotions right now and there are not many people around to talk to. Keeping a journal will help you express all your feelings. 5. A mask to deliver groceries for older people who are at higher risk to contract the virus, so they still get food while staying safe. 6. A cleansing face mask because it’s important to do self-care. Besides taking care of everyone else at this time, we need to make sure we're taking care of ourselves. 7. A hammer to do work around the house. It’s a good idea to take up something like redoing a bathroom or bedroom to keep yourself busy.

Alya Lyne

In my toolbox I have a small stuffed animal. Sometimes it helps to just hug something. If you are with your family you can hug them but sometimes you just want to hug someone you’re not related to. You can take any stuffed animal or object and just hug it and pretend it’s your friend. It may sound kind of sad but it can help.

I also have a snow globe in my toolbox that has a snow globe with a single bear in it. This symbolizes that everyone is isolated and alone. You may be physically isolated but you are not mentally. The thought you are having related to what is going on right, chances are someone else is thinking that as well.

With those, I have a flashlight. Things are pretty dark and gloomy right now so it is important to be optimistic. Being too pessimistic can lead to depression which leads to worse things. I know it may be hard to find a light in your life, some happiness, but it’s there.

I also have a face scrub. This symbolizes taking care of yourself. Right now, you probably want to do stuff to help others which is great and I fully support that, but you can’t forget about yourself. You may not realize it but you're probably struggling more than you think. It’s not always obvious to yourself when you're going through a rough patch. You might be thinking of course it’s obvious and you know you're struggling. However, it could be worse than you perceive.

Lastly, I have a pair of scissors. This symbolizes not cutting people out of your life. Let people help you if you need it. I don’t like the feeling of getting emotional help and I know others probably won't either. But talking to someone will probably help. I don’t mean don’t cut the people you live without. I mean

55 your friends who you can’t see or other family members you can’t see. A half an hour facetime could be all you need to improve your whole week by 50%.

Sam Gevert The first item I would put in my toolbox is disinfectant. I would choose disinfectant because If you are dead you don't need a toolbox. They are meaningful to me because no one wants to get sick. If everything is disinfected no one gets hurt and everyone is happy.

The next tool would be food and water. You would also need these items to survive in times when you can't go out and get food or water the virus would still indirectly kill you by trapping you inside and starving you out. Food and water are meaningful because with food and water you will be able to survive and then also help others.

Item three is Nutella. I chose Nutella because even with food and water, who does not like Nutella? It is meaningful because you can put Nutella on pretty much anything and it tastes better so why would you not want it.

The penultimate item is a kindle reader. I chose this item because you need entertainment in these trying times. This item is important because being bored is no fun. When you are bored you do dumb things and bad stuff happens.

And the concluding item is a fashionable face mask. Face masks are important in stopping the spread. Having a fashionable face mask is important because who does not want to look good while stopping the spread. On top of that wearing a mask is setting a good example for others. Disinfectant and face mask make it possible for you to go out and escape your home.

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