As COVID-19 cases continue to sky rocket everywhere, people are now recommended to stay home again just like in March. Locally, several students are quarantined, and more broadly, businesses are starting to shut down again. Since our high school has gone virtual, everyone is supposed to be home until after Thanksgiving break. Students and faculty may feel sad, or even have some anxiety about the new changes. As we all still interact online and continue our daily assignments, are people’s mental health declining?

Personally, I am a student who loves having in-person social interaction. I love spending time with all my peers, doing group projects, and interacting with all my teachers throughout the day. At the very beginning I knew the school year was not promised, but I am pleased that for the first nine weeks we stayed in-person. Not all people feel the same though. A few seniors who have done virtual since their very first day of school give their input on why they like being at home, the pros and cons, and how different it is with everyone online now.

Isabel Knight, a senior at Corry High School, has been doing virtual since the beginning of the school year and says, “I like using my own bathroom, and I actually eat food that is not from the school.” However, a few downfalls that all of us can now better understand is, “Teachers ignore us when regular school is happening. Also, I am too scared to ask a question most of the time cause I’m not there. One day my Chromebook might explode because everyone on at once is just too much!”

Paige Boucher, a senior at Corry as well, is also in the same situation as Isabel and says, “I like taking a shower during lunch sometimes. But most of the time I can’t see the board.” She also says, “With everyone on the Google Meet now, my internet definitely cannot take that many people.”

As November is nearing its end and Thanksgiving is closing in, students wonder how much longer they have to stay inside, and what they can possibly do to stay motivated. Since everyone can now relate to each other and can feel lonely or bored when school is all done for the day, here is a list of things you can do to stay focused, have fun inside, and keep your sanity:

• Listen to music or have your own little dance party.
• Decorate for Christmas (no, it is not too early.)
• Watch some of your favorite movies or TV shows.
• Read a book or go for a walk.
• Play video games or board games with your family.
• Cook or bake.
• Draw.
• Meditate, stretch, or do any form of exercise.
• Call or FaceTime a friend or family member.
• Take a drive.
• Do some online shopping or download a new game.

These are just some of the many things to do while staying home. Even though living during a pandemic is no fun and we all would love to go out and spend time with our friends and family, if we all stay in and stay sane we will eventually be able to return to school and have a better version of “normal.”