January 2021 rustlernews.com
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CMR sophomore expresses her struggles amid COVID-19 by Ava Donahue, staff writer
The COVID-19 pandemic has overtaken our world in more ways than one. Students have been hit especially hard with all of the protocol that has been put in place to keep ourselves and others safe. Ashlynn Martinez, a sophomore at CMR, has felt the weight of the pandemic and the uncertainty it has put on her future. “Covid has affected me most with being scared for my future,” she said. “Many things that I wanted to get done, I was not able to do due to the restrictions.” The distance learning that was put in place for the second half of last year and for two weeks this year has been a challenge for some, but Martinez manages to see both the positives and negatives in the situation.
“My education has been affected, in some ways positive and in others negative. For the negative, I wasn’t able to get one-onone help in school when we shut down,” Martinez said. “That really affected my learning and was hard to bounce back from. And as for the positives, I learned to push myself and to stop procrastinating.” Distance learning and the fear of the unknown have negatively affected Martinezs’ mental health. “The toll Covid took on my mental health was poor. Because we weren’t able to see friends for a while, it made me really sad. And even still now, we have to be careful with socializing,” Martinez said. “I really miss how socializing was before. And also worrying for my health and others’ too is something hard to wrap my head around. The reality with this virus is getting more and more real, and it is scary.”
RUSTLERS HANDLE THE PANDEMIC Shaneybrook takes on COVID-19 by Auri Rivera, staff writer
COVID-19 has made an impact on every single Rustler, including freshman Andie Shaneybrook. Like other students, Shaneybrook is quick to mention the negative effects on her life. “Wearing masks, and not being able to see everyone's faces [is tough],” she said. “It’s been difficult not being able to partake in daily activities,” she said. This freshman has adapted to all the Covid restrictions and new changes while going to school. When it comes to the block schedule, however, Shaneybrook has mixed feelings. “ I am not fond of the block scheduling because it makes the day feel longer,” she said. “However, it also provides more time to get work done, so I'm not flooded with homework and rushing to get it in the next day. I have more time to turn it in and more time to work on it.” Shaneybrook decided to
attend to school rather than stay home and complete online work. “I chose to do in-person learning,” she said. “I didn't want to start my first year of high school looking at a screen. I find it easier to learn and understand better in person.” Shaneybrook says she doesn't totally agree with some of the changes, but she admits she doesn't necessarily dislike them. “Based on all the changes that have been made there are some things better than others, but in a situation like this I’m not sure if anyone would like the adaptations from Covid blindly forced upon us,” she said. “Covid has been around for [almost] a year now, and after having something like that around for an extended amount of time you learn to adapt to it and get used to the change,” she said. “I do miss being able to converse with your friends without a piece of cloth covering half of their face.”
Photo by Marissa McMickle.
Covid forces junior Dawson Williams to adjust plans by Marissa McMickle, staff writer
Since the beginning of 2020 everything has been different, and a lot has been cancelled. For junior Dawson Williams, the cancellations can have bigger consequences. “The hardest part of the pandemic for me has been seeing our nation further divide itself over politics.’ Williams said. “With the BLM riots, the election year, the storming of the Capital, and other related incidents, we only grow further apart from our neighbors, friends, and family.” Williams added that his fishing trip in Canada and the track and field season were also cancelled. He was also unable to see his aunt during the shutdown. “My $20,000 Flight
School Scholarship and Chamber Orchestra tour in Canada were the two biggest [cancellations],” Williams said. He also stated that with the first shutdown back in March, not being able to see his friends and his grades dropping more than he anticipated took a toll on his mental health. “Recently, I’ve been at the top of my game. After Covid hit, I didn’t see my friends for months due to the lockdown. “I was in a terrible mental state and felt alone,” Williams said. “It took me a while to realize that I needed to find happiness through myself instead of through other people.”
