STUCK AT HOME By Claire McArthur ’21
SEVER AL MONTHS AGO, THE NEW C O R O N AV I R U S T O O K A N A S T Y H O L D O N WA S H I N G T O N S TAT E . Before we knew
it, schools were closed, parks were closed, and restaurants were closed. Everything was closed, closed, closed. With the blink of an eye, life was turned upside down. To be honest, before this mass closure, I walked around school hoping we would have a cancellation. The idea of being at home for two weeks to rest and relax sounded like a dream. Little did I know two weeks would turn into four weeks, and four weeks would soon turn into the remainder of the spring semester and into the fall. I and many students had no clue what the impact of all this would be like. At the beginning of March, the Bear Creek community was notified school would close for two weeks out of an abundance of caution. While this was a hard decision to hear, and I am sure difficult to make, everyone agreed it was for the best. While watching news about the struggles the public school system was facing as they too closed, I felt an enormous amount of gratitude for the work our school had put into preparing the online platform. The beginning of remote learning was difficult for everyone. It was extremely odd to be sitting at my desk and not engaging in the normal classroom banter. I found myself, out of habit, reaching to talk to my classmate, but then realized I was at home. Sebastian Gomez ’23, said that, “It was tough to be alone all day” and “I miss time to socialize.” Bella Hayton ’21 noted, “It was like my world stopped spinning. I didn’t know what to do with myself.” Students at Bear Creek are very busy. From sports teams to clubs to office hours to homework, there is a sense of go, go, go. But with this getting cancelled and that getting postponed, life had come to a standstill.
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MODUS VIVENDI – Fall 2020
Chantal W. ’31
But while life seemed to be stopping, behind the scenes were our beloved teachers, keeping the show rolling, but this time from home. Never before had I realized the true gift of the teachers at Bear Creek. Each week Upper School students were surveyed, and the last question was “What would you like your teachers to know?” I always answered this question, “I miss them!” Regarding school, Alysse Quin ’21 notes, “Being in a classroom provides an experience that cannot be replicated by online school—the ability to ask questions in the moment, the inside jokes born—you can’t replace it.” While everyone is feeling like a piece of the Bear Creek community has been taken away, it is still there and running, albeit through Microsoft Teams video chats. In this new and unprecedented time, students and teachers have taken up the challenge to stay connected and involved in the lives of others. New forms of community and connection range from Facetime calls to Teams meetings to letters to driveby birthday parades. While it has felt odd, and often
