Voices from the Hill

THE EXPERIENCES OF OUR COMMUNITY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Although COVID-19 forced us all to be physically distanced from each other, the spirit of the Hill, and our Catholic, Dominican values continued to live within the hearts of the Flintridge Sacred Heart community. The talented students who write for the student-run news publication The Veritas Shield, captured the many stories and articles written by our student journalists. You can keep up with the latest articles by visiting veritasshield.fsha.org.

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TOLOGS ANTICIPATE THE TRANSITION TO A NEW NORMAL

By Caitlin Cruz, Web Editor

As I pull up to the park and spot my friend who I haven’t seen in two months, I quickly look for a mask so I can greet her. I walk towards her, and we both go in for a hug before immediately stopping and taking a step back to abide by the six-feet-apart rule. I think to myself, “Is this the new normal?”

A year into Covid-19, Tologs have adjusted to life during a pandemic. As vaccines begin to get distributed, however, Tologs wonder what normal will look like in the future.

“I think it’s going to be weird for people when we go back to normal because we are used to Zoom school and everything… In the future, we are going to have to wake up earlier, and we will get home later due to the fact that we are traveling places,” Cassie Huston ‘23 said.

Along with the adjustments to the daily routine, both students and teachers might feel uncomfortable when it comes to their surroundings after things open back up.

“People might even start being uncomfortable with using handrails, door handles or touching touch screens,” Cameron Bender ‘23 said.

In addition to adjusting to being outside of the house more, greetings will be an adjustment as well. Some can’t wait to greet people, while others will take precautions.

“Hugging and contact, I feel like it should be up for people to decide what they feel comfortable with. But personally, for me, I think that Julia Ihly ‘24 said.

Some might have trouble bringing themselves to enter large crowds at places like stadiums and theme parks.

“I think that people will be much more sensitive to group gatherings. More people will be focused on cleanliness and the close interactions we have. I would probably be more uncomfortable with super large gatherings where we are all close, like a concert or a line in a theme park,” Allison Risha ‘22 said.

Although many are eager to return to their old ways of life, whatever the new normal may end up being will take time.

will take time. I don’t think people will go entirely like it was before for another year,” Risha said.

WITH VACCINES BEING DISTRIBUTED, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS LOOK TO THE FUTURE

By Jacqueline Fitzpatrick, Multimedia Editor

As a year of global pandemic approaches, vaccines are starting to be distributed. The vaccination process has prompted teachers and students alike to start thinking about what will happen next.

The Biden Administration has said that it is going to push to reopen schools within the next 100 days, a process that includes vaccinating teachers. Teachers, however, are not the only ones awaiting the vaccine; many students are, too.

“I’m looking forward to sports and being able to practice as a team together and going back to school, whether masks or social distancing is required, because I miss the environment and being with my classmates. I’m looking forward to theme parks opening like Knott’s or something; if they do open with the vaccine, that’s

For athletes, the desire to go back to playing as normal is especially strong.

“With swim season coming up, I don’t know if it’ll be safe for all of us to return to normal, especially considering we all practice in the same pool. But, hopefully, the vaccine will help the numbers go down so that I can play and compete against other schools as if things were normal” Riley Peterson ‘22 said. While many Tologs are looking forward to life after the vaccine, some still have questions.

“I think I am looking forward to a little bit more normalcy and to see how we will come back from the pandemic and grow back stronger. But I also do have a couple of concerns considering the implementation of the vaccine. I don’t necessarily know how it will be distributed to students, per se, but I hope, in the next couple of years, that everyone has the vaccine, that we will see some change and that we will see aspects of our life before Covid come back,” Julia Ihly ‘24 said.

Teachers are looking forward to getting vaccinated as well.

“I’m just grateful that we are getting the vaccine relatively soon,” Ms. Leslie Miller said.

Ms. Kathy Larson, more commonly known as Nurse Kathy, is preparing for the faculty at FSH to receive the vaccine and is keeping everyone informed.

“I have spoken to all employees and sent out an email with links to sites regarding the vaccine. I sent the same links to our entire community to inform everyone about what to expect regarding a week and a half ago. I cannot wait till our teachers and staff can roll up their sleeves and be vaccinated. It is right around the corner,” Nurse Kathy said.

FRESHMEN FIND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MAKE FRIENDS DURING A START TO HIGH SCHOOL LIKE NO OTHER

By Michelle St. Denis, Graphics Editor

You’re a freshman, and before you turn on your laptop to join books and papers for the 10th time, making sure everything is

perfectly set. day introductions and chit chat about how summer went, wondering all the while how, as a new freshman, you’re going to make friends.

For Lindsey Du, Ava Kitt and Abbie Hardy, all members of the class of 2024, making new friends online is their reality. Gone are the days of looking for friendly faces at lunch, making conversation by lockers and searching for someone to sit with on the bus after school. In the world of remote learning, new freshmen have to get creative.

make new friendships happen? Turns out, a little bit of Instagram and a little time in a Zoom breakout room can go a long way.

LINDSEY DU: THE BREAKOUT ROOM IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Du is a new addition to the freshman class who enjoys spending her time playing volleyball and hanging out with her two sisters (including Caitlin ‘22). Du says that she has been able to make friends in part because of the time she spends getting to know her fellow Tologs during class.

“What really helped me was getting to know my classmates using the breakout rooms in English,” Du said. “My group would always very natural. We talked about TikTok and social media and what’s going on in the world and in our other classes. I found out we had a lot of things in common.”

In breakout rooms, Du was able to get a sense of what her classmates were like.

“I was able to really get a feel for them and their personalities. I mean, the girls I talked to seemed really cool, and I kinda just knew we would be compatible by the way they acted, especially when we all laughed at the same jokes and expressed similar interests, morals and beliefs.”

Du then got a hold of phone numbers through Instagram and from the freshman class roster page, and she now corresponds with her new friends regularly.

“We mostly talk about school and homework, but other than that, we try to make plans to meet up.”

Clockwise from top-left: Lindsey Du ‘24, the author Michelle St. Denis ‘22, Ava Kitt ‘24 and Abbie Hardy ‘24 share smiles as they talk about making friends in the virtual school setting

“We were all talking about our favorite TikTok stars, and the name Chase Hudson was brought up, who I seriously don’t like. I thought everyone agreed until one of the girls, my friend now, was vocal about her distaste for him. Turns out we both prefer Cole Alves, who is far superior. He still is a topic in our conversations today.”

Besides their shared TikToker obsession, Du and Paz have continued to correspond about school-related topics.

“We text about almost anything. It goes from talking about Mr. Lau’s new hair color to school-related topics like our schedules and what clubs we are going to join. It’s nice to know that if we ever have to choose partners for class, I can count on her. It also doesn’t hurt to be reassured from another person that the Zoom meeting really has not started and it’s not just you.”

Abbie Hardy: Thank goodness for Instagram

Hardy is a new student from Sierra Madre who has been selected for this year’s Freshman Board. She can’t wait to start planning ways for her classmates to bond. She’s considering organizing activities like an online scavenger hunt and freshmen-only (no teachers allowed) Zoom meet-ups.

Over the summer, Hardy joined an Instagram group chat started by a classmate who had searched for Instagram bios that included “FSHA 2024.” In this group chat, Hardy and her future Tolog classmates talked about their concerns, questions and overall excitement for the upcoming school year.

“The group made me feel accepted and just so excited to start school and make friends,” Hardy said.

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NISH ADJUSTS TO ONLINE TEACHING

By Angelina Cao, Staff Writer

“No…no…NO! IF YOU CAN’T FACTOR, DIE!”

The voice screams from my computer at 8:30 a.m. in the morning. The sound bounces off the walls of my bedroom. Startled, I make eye contact with my beloved math teacher, who is gesturing wildly towards the camera.

“Remember your special cases from last year? Use them now!!!”

I watch him stab at his smartboard as he scribbles in the rest of the work while muttering, “You fools. Honestly, you need to be more like cheetahs.” I make eye contact with my friend Leah Boutros ‘22, and we suppress a laugh as we write down the answer. For a moment, it feels like we’re back in the math dungeon again.

Mr. Kirk Nishiyama, better known by students as Nish, is a math teacher, cross country coach and softball coach who has taught at Flintridge Sacred Heart for 26 years. To anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of being in his class, the event I’ve described might seem alarming. But to students that have had him as a teacher, that’s Nish every single day — sarcastic, amusing and fun. He is the type of teacher who everyone knows and loves due to his playful humor and loud voice.

Nish clearly loves being a teacher. The guy always has a smile on the halls. So how does someone like him, a person who loves his job and his students and has been here forever, adjust to online teaching?

feel of how his students are doing.

“It’s hard when you’re teaching and watching, trying to read their expressions to see if they understand,” Nish said. “It’s easier with [students I’ve taught before] because I know you all. It’s more challenging with the freshmen and sophomores that I don’t really have a relationship with yet.”

Nish values having a strong relationship with his students. He loves seeing them every day and misses walking by the ones he’s taught before in the hallways.

“I miss that personal connection. You know, I enjoy seeing you guys every day online, but I love having you guys in my classroom.”

In addition to adjusting to the different relationships he can have with a student online, Nish has had to change the way he holds students accountable for their work. “The main thing I had to change was testing. I still need to get a true assessment of each student while keeping in mind that every test is basically open book. That’s why we have to have quizzes so often.”

constantly. Nothing can stop him from giving out MyMathLab quizzes, not even a pandemic.)

dents online than in person.

“I feel like you still kind of don’t know whether or not a student is getting the material. I prefer to be with the student in person so that they can just tell me what they need help with. This is why I don’t really like online teaching at all.”

To make the best of a challenging situation, Nish makes sure to teaching as best as he can.

“I do a lot of talking with other teachers about how to improve online learning and understand how it is for you guys.”

While Nish misses and looks forward to being on campus with his students and colleagues, he is trying to keep the experience of teaching remotely in perspective.

“I have at least cross country practices two to three times a week, which keeps me from going insane. Corona has made me appreciate the little things that would be happening right now [if we were on campus], like frantically racing to Costco to get snacks for the as the teachers, but we just have to remember to keep on moving and take this time to grow and learn new things.”

come back to campus?