Hymers College Time Capsule Newsletter

TCC Members: Lydia Alex, Lucy Birch , Maud Gray, Emily Kitching, Keira Munkley, Florence Skewis and Oscar Varhalamas

Foreword from our Headmaster

When in the early days of the pandemic, as news was reaching the UK of an unfamiliar type of Coronavirus and its devastating impact on health care systems and wider society, first in south east Asia and then mainland Europe, this wellknown statement of Lenin came to mind.

We all lived through unprecedented times as much of the world ‘locked down’, places of work were closed and people were restricted from meeting up and going out for reasons other than for defined ‘essential’ purposes.

With the exception for the children of ‘key workers’, British schools closed down, something that had not happened even in wartime.

The Hymers community lived through historic events and this outstanding work of scholarship produced by our pupils will prove to be an invaluable source of first-hand evidence to future generations. This Headteacher has used earlier editions of the magazine, The Hymerian, to learn about the impact on the school of the two World Wars and the influenza pandemic, commonly known as the Spanish Flu, which ripped across the world in the aftermath of the Great War. I am grateful to the Hymers pupils and staff who have compiled this excellent publication that will be used in a similar way by future historians of the school.

With the worst of Covid-19 behind us, we are beginning to comprehend the huge impact that the pandemic and lockdowns had on children and young people, although it is generally accepted that this will take a number

of years still before this is fully understood.

In some circles it is common for people to talk disparagingly of today’s children and young people and suggest that they are unused to the supposed hardships that their parents and grandparents had to endure. The ‘snowflake’ generation: they are dismissed as. However, when I look back at how Hymers pupils responded to the considerable challenges of the pandemic, I feel nothing but a sense of pride for the resilience and flexibility that they showed as they adapted to lockdown learning. In fact, the whole Hymers community – the pupils and their parents, the teachers, support staff, governors and Old Hymerians – showed a wonderful unity and cohesiveness from which we all drew strength. Furthermore, our pupils and staff were keen to support those in our wider community through

the hardships of the pandemic, as our Design & Technology staff made PPE for use by front-line workers and our kitchens made ready-meals for NHS staff.

The pandemic accelerated change and has led to societal paradigm-shifts in communication, education and the world of work. At the same time, our experience reinforced the centrality of schools in the lives of children and their families. If it were needed, we were reminded of the importance of schools as a place in which young people learn not only the academic knowledge and skills that they require for the future, but also wider life skills as they make friends and enjoy fresh air and exercise together in a safe environment.

I am grateful to the pupils of the Hymers Time Capsule Club for preserving for posterity such momentous times.

JP Stanley Head, Hymers College

“There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.”

Message from Dr Jon Denton

The comprehensive, varied and professional nature of this publication blew me away when I first read through it, and it stands as testament to both a talented group students, who have demonstrated considerable commitment over a long period of time, and to Miss Robinson, who inspired and adroitly guided the project. It affords a clear record of the chronological framework of the

pandemic, events which have quickly become muddied and confused in the minds of many, but most valuably, it chronicles reactions, both those of the student themselves and society as a whole. What struck me most, whilst reading through the pages, was the sheer variety of these reactions, positive as well as negative and ranging from gaining new technical skills to frustration and introspection and also, outpourings of creativity.

As a corollary, I began to reflect on the multitalented nature of the students involved in the project and the variety of skills displayed within the pages; there is Oscar’s artwork, Maud’s photography, Keira’s story writing and Emily’s igloo building, and that is before we get to research, writing and presentation skills that undergird the project!

When I arrived at Hymers in 2007, I soon discovered, in a dusty cupboard, a

long-forgotten copy of The Hymerian magazine dating from 1917. It provided a fascinating ‘time capsule’ of Hymers during the Great War and the insights that it provided were valuable for staff and students alike. The importance of this current capsule will be enhanced by the passing years and provide an invaluable resource for future generations of students.

Dr Jon Denton Head of History and Politics

During the Summer Term, 2020, I proposed a club for Year 7 historians to record the momentous nature of the COVID Lockdown and thought it would perhaps last six weeks. And yet, the core members of the group (Lydia, Maud, Emily, Keira, Florence and Oscar) have barely missed a session since the end of Year 7 into the beginning of Year 10. These have been extraordinary times!

It has been my pleasure, as a teacher, to see the students grow (literally) and to discuss with them on a regular basis both the craziness and seriousness of the situation, first on Zoom and then in person. We talked about our disbelief at how long we were away from school in 2020 and then shared

the joy of being back at Hymers in September, only for the lockdown to begin again in January 2021. They were disconcerting and grim days in lots of ways and we all felt better to get back to school, cue carpet picnics in B5 to celebrate!

We’ve seen birthdays come and go; we’ve seen lockdown pets born or bought; we’ve discussed holidays and the horrors of phenomena like the lockdown haircut! We’ve expressed strong opinions on current affairs in the confines of B5. We’ve set up Zooms when members were isolating; we’ve known holiday plans go wrong and the heartbreak of not seeing family members for months.

We’ve marked national events like the death of

the Duke of Edinburgh and his COVID funeral and we’ve kept in touch with Old Hymerians during this difficult period.

One of the most joyous moments for our club was when Florence met the Old Hymerian gentleman she had written to during lockdown in real life!

We’re including our thoughts, memories and mini projects in the time capsule and its accompanying booklet. It is a record of the views, interests and concerns of a certain group of Hymers students in the period from assemblies ceasing to them re-starting as the illness levels dropped. This means it covers a period of roughly two years and shows how their ideas about COVID changed over time. We are

handing over our project to the Old Hymerians and are delighted to share it with the Development Office for posterity.

We are grateful to all our contributors, but especially for the help of Lucy Birch, Emily Pennack and Susie Gibson. To all the students who have engaged with the Time Capsule Club, thank you!

Finally, a huge word of thanks to my students, whose zest for the project definitely helped me through the gloom of the lockdowns. They are funny, perceptive and smart historians and it has been an absolute privilege to help them with the Time Capsule.

Helen Robinson Teacher of History

Message from Miss Robinson

In the beginning

17:15 pm… 10 Downing Street… Thursday 12 March 2020…

Boris Johnson announced the news we were all apprehensive about.

All pupils and staff were told not to come into school if you had any of the COVID-19 symptoms (a cough, temperature, loss of taste or smell) this was only the start of the knock-on effect that led

to total lockdown. ‘Due to the current outbreak and spread of COVID-19 and the update from Public Health England the guidance for Educational settings: Pupils and staff cannot come to

school if they have a new, persistent cough or a temperature (higher than 37.8 degrees) and shouldn’t leave home for 7 days!’ This was to come into place from Friday 13th March (creepy right!)!

On 23rd March 2020

Boris Johnson announced the National Lockdown.

We couldn’t go to school (apart from a select few whose parents were keyworkers) and we had to start online learning. We were all scared, not just for the patients of COVID, but also for the future, because it was all so unknown.

At school we had already stopped assemblies, fixtures and trips and then this…

Food and toilet paper shortage:

The food and toilet paper crisis emerged at the very beginning of the pandemic.

The government had told Britain that we might be locking down; people thought that supermarkets would close and that they would not be able to buy food and necessities

due to not being able to get out of their homes! Many people in the UK took that as an invitation to panic-buy. They piled into shops and stocked their trolleys high with

canned food, toilet paper, masks, hand sanitiser and many more items. People were buying up to thirty cans of tomato soup at one time! This meant that supermarkets were chaos and there was little food left for others. This shows that the uncertainty of what was to come made

the public make decisions that were really quite silly to most people! It got so bad that supermarkets and the government had to put in place rules actually limiting how many items people bought! Britain really hadn’t seen anything quite like it, ever!

With the COVID-19 virus spreading across the country, the United Kingdom was one of the later places to lock down.

This meant that we weren’t allowed out of our homes to purchase much food, clothes, etc. So, everyone moved to online shopping. However, ‘essential’ shops could open at most times. The government assessed

which shops were essential (e.g. supermarkets) and which were non-essential (card shops, pubs, hairdressers etc.).

But, non-essential shops were finally allowed to reopen on 9th June 2020 - under strict guidelines

of course. Bigger chains and retailers decided to gradually open their shops, like John Lewis who decided to open 15 branches initially. I remember the joy of finally leaving my house to walk around a shop (even if we did have to wear masks). Lots of shops had to shut down because they went bankrupt after having no customers for months.

Hospitality and Economy: NHS Praise:

Unfortunately, pubs and restaurants had to wait to reopen until 4th July 2020. We had to stay two metres apart and you could not stand at the bars!

When we went back into lockdown after Christmas, we all went back to square one. All nonessential shopping was to be done online - if it was done at all.

Emily

During the first lockdown, a lady called Annemarie Plas, decided to show her appreciation to all essential workers who risked their lives for the sick and vulnerable during the first pandemic. She did this by standing outside her house and clapping every Thursday at 8 o’clock.

This trend quickly caught on with he rest of the nation. And from that day on, until the end of the first lockdown, everyone, including the Royal Family and Prime Minister, stood outside their house and clapped.

My Mum, a Consultant of Elderly Medicine and founder of the FIT team at Hull Royal Infirmary, said that the clapping made her week every time she got home from a stressful day at work.

Oscar

At the start of lockdown the government was very hesitant to close schools, as the education sector knew it would impact many students’ learning.

COVID-19 got so bad they had no choice but to close schools until further notice. We were locked in our houses for months on end. I, for one, thought we would be out of lockdown by Easter and I know many others thought that too: that was not the case! We all had to adjust to the drastic change of events. No one had yet used Zoom (what even was Zoom?) so it was new technology that we all had to get used to as well. At first, we struggled a bit, but we soon got the hang of it with the help of each other and the patience of the teachers!

One thing throughout the lockdown that all of us experienced on Zoom was not being on mute and the rest of the class hearing our family in the background or our secret ranting about the lessons! Or little siblings screaming at each other or wanting to listen in on the Zoom. The mini Munkleys appeared in several TCC Zoom calls!

We were very fortunate that our school adapted very well to lockdown learning, but we knew that so many children around the UK were struggling to cope. Lots of people, like me, didn’t mind lockdown learning too much, but

with Wi-Fi cutting out and a lack of devices and other technical difficulties, times couldn’t have been harder for many families. There were times when you would get fed up of doing Powerpoint

after Powerpoint, but we powered through and eventually were allowed to go back into schools under certain conditions and circumstances.

Keira

Lockdown Learning (Zoom): after lockdown.. .

Lockdown Learning, back to it:

Not long after, another wave would hit and we all went back into lockdown, but this time a bit better prepared and ready for it. This made us even stronger and more determined.

We wouldn’t see our friends for weeks at a time and would organise Zoom calls on some nights to catch up or help each other with work. Lots of people were scared to go back to school after lockdown because COVID was still here, but the economy was failing, so we needed to get back to some normality. Hymers made sure that everyone was kept as safe as possible and facemasks were to be worn and hand sanitiser used. If someone got COVID after that then either they would isolate along with everyone they came into contact with or the class would isolate. While the summer of 2020 was quite pleasant because it meant that time could be spent with family in the sunshine, isolating in the wintertime was so much more difficult. In November 2020, our class

went into lockdown the day before my birthday. Isolation in the winter was rather miserable due to the dreary weather and the shorter days, which meant there was less motivation for people to wake up and do school work. One of the highlights of the winter was some lovely snow days and we all took the opportunity to make snowmen.

Later, in February 2021, we got a chance to interview some of the Old Hymerians, which was very enjoyable.

Emily

Lockdown Hobbies:

Over lockdown many people developed hobbies to keep themselves occupied over the long periods of time alone.

Here are some of Emily’s: baking, reading and exercising, like walking the dogs and biking.

Florence’s hobbies consisted of: baking, photography, drawing, painting, origami.

Oscar did lots of drawings and paintings, which were AMAZING and also did some photography editing with stop motion animation, where he made his baby Yoda, which he also made walk across his house and

go on an adventure!

Lucy did a lot of horse riding, tennis and art.

Maud did some awesome photography, which I think should definitely be in the time capsule and enjoyed

Mine (Keira) are quite different: I enjoyed cooking rather than baking, and reading, (I read 60 books in 9 months!). I also enjoyed going for walks and writing (over lockdown I decided I was going to write a book. I started it, but I never quite finished because it just didn’t seem right, but I wrote plenty of short stories on Notes and enjoyed writing dystopian fiction in English).

playing with her dogs and looking after her horse, going for rides and she also did some really good art.

We really have got some talented people in the Time Capsule Club!

Keira

Lydia enjoyed reading and writing too and she wrote an OUTSTANDING POEM, AMAZING, A-LEVEL STANDARD, FREAKISHLY GOOD! Lyd has a true talent that really flourished over lockdown!

Lockdown Poem: 2020

2020 was a roller-coaster year, To say the least, full of uncertainty and fear. And before I talk about the rest of this mess, There’s a little global pandemic I have to address.

Coronavirus or COVID 19

Was different to anything my generation had seen. “It’s just a virus in China!” we were comforted and told, But it wasn’t long until we were completely controlled.

When schools closed down, things became all too real, Though many of us celebrated, now it’s different we feel. Just let us see our friends again, we promise to be safe. Wear a mask two metres away, I promise to keep that space.

We lost a few heroes along the way: Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman and too many more to say. However, not just celebrities who everyone knew, But also nurses and doctors who sacrificed for you.

Though there were silly people who partied and didn’t care, The anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers who thought this was a fake scare, There were still people who played their part Didn’t see their family, but kept them in their heart Those who helped the world in little or big ways, Joe Wicks, Sir Tom Moore and comfort people gave.

There were also many BLM protests all around the world, Because people were mistreated more than before had occurred. If only everyone knew that the colour of your skin Is absolutely nothing to do with what lies within And that all lives matter, whoever you happen to be: Black, white, coloured, there’s no difference I see.

Now that I’ve got the gloomy stuff all out of the way There are some good things that happened in 2020, I have to say, We found a lot of time on our hands and learnt skills galore: Cooking, baking, creating and loads of things more We learnt to not take things for granted and to value what we had,

Spending time with family and keeping up with fads, TikTok, Netflix, Disney+ and Zoom Our electronic devices certainly ran out of room.

Somehow, stuck at home, we kept entertained So many things happened this year, I’m actually quite amazed. Many more things happened, like Trump v Biden, But this poem is already too long to keep on being widened.

We’re already a bit into 2021 Still in lockdown though, but a change could come Though 2020 is over, it’s left quite an impact And even if we had a time machine, it’s a year where no one will go back!

by Lydia Alex 9 February 2021

No Zoom Day:

During the second lockdown, in February 2021, the school announced a No Zoom Day when teachers encouraged us to get outside, be creative and cook/bake. Here are some of the things that we did on that day…

Cakes & Bakes:

Photography & Art: Maud won an award for this photo

by Maud

by Maud by Maud

by Oscar

by Maud

by Oscar

Maud’s Scrapbook:

Throughout lockdown, Maud kept a scrapbook about all of the important events occurring. Here are some of our favourite pages!

Keira’s Story Taster:

I stood there motionless in the doorway. For a few seconds I remember feeling like one of those majestic stone lions you see outside some buildings, guarding it, protecting it.

All of a sudden, I stirred, snapping out of my daydream and back into the real world. My head was whirling trying to take in the flashing blue and red lights and the wailing, howling sirens. That was when I noticed two police officers, one male and one female standing there in front of me. The male had sharp eyes and a mouth that could have been drawn with a single line. He was a big, burly man and was looking me straight in the eye. The woman, however, was small and kind looking, she was looking me in the eye too, but I could see sympathy in her sapphire blue eyes. She coughed and stepped forward a few paces then stopped.

‘May we come in?’ she

asked. Her voice was neutral, but I could tell she was uncomfortable talking to me. All at once my brain began ticking, trying to figure out why. She must have seen the cogs working in my mind, so she spoke again.

‘Hi, my name is Sophie, and this is my colleague Josh. Please may we come in? We have some unfortunate news.’

I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. I just nodded briefly and moved aside.

I think I should pause here because you probably wondering who I am, well, my name is Katie Baker, and I am 15 years old. I live at 63 Bluebell Drive, and I attend Hymers High School. There, now we are up-to-date, I will continue.

The officers with their shiny badges glinting in the sun and their navyblue uniforms strode in and stood there, in the hallway, waiting for me to turn around again. Josh, who I noticed hadn’t said anything yet, suddenly spoke and asked where my guardian was. I told them that my parents were away on business and that

my grandma, who was looking after me in the meantime, had just gone to the shops and should be back very soon.

‘Our meeting with her is really quite urgent, so please can we stay until she arrives back?’ This was Sophie speaking.

‘Yes of course. Would you like a drink?’ I tried to sound calm, but I was trembling like we were having a conversation while an earthquake was going on.

‘Yes, that would be brilliant thank you, we will both have a tea, two sugars please’

I nodded and left hastily.

I have noticed that unlike other things, making tea seems to make all the problems of the outside world disappear while you do familiar things with the kettle and tea bags, but today was different. I was shaking like a blancmange and the simple task of putting the tea bags in the water becomes a task fraught with difficulty and I sent the bag spinning across the counter three times before it splashed in, the water drops burnt my skin.

I cursed shaking my hand. When I came back into the room fumbling with the tray, I saw Sophie and Josh whispering urgently but when they saw me, they stopped abruptly. I staggered into the room completely abandoning me formality and smashed the floral tray onto the glass table. I could easily have cracked the blue tinted glass, but right then I couldn’t have cared less. I collapsed, ungraciously, into a faux leather armchair opposite the officers. Sophie was sitting straight-backed and staring at the spilt tea as if it held the answers to space and time and puzzling how to break this so-called unfortunate news to me. The unfortunate news. I thought. My mouth went dry. What could it be? That’s when it hit me like a tidal wave, I felt like I was drowning. My eyes were blurred, my throat tightened so I couldn’t breathe, and my feet felt like lead weights. I somehow managed to rasp out some words.

‘M-my parents, are they o…okay?’ I stammered.

COVID Phrases:

There are some words we used throughout the COVID years that we would’ve thought were ridiculous before… here are some!

Key Workers

Zoom and Zoom assemblies

Masks - all day!

Social

Important People 2020-21:

Captain Tom Moore was a 99-year old army veteran who set himself a goal of walking 100 lengths of his garden to raise money for the NHS. He was an international sensation who put a smile on everyone’s face! He set out to raise £1,000, but actually raised £33 million!!

Boris Johnson was the GB Prime Minister: he didn’t handle COVID-19 very well (in my opinion) as we went into lockdowns weeks after the rest of the world, which could have saved many lives. He also handled care homes badly by not testing old people and letting COVID positive residents go back to their care homes to spread the illness. At the start of the pandemic nobody knew much about it, so we can’t entirely blame Boris for what he did, but he should have learnt his lesson and acted quicker!

Dominic Cummings drove 260 miles from London to Durham, and took a 60-mile round trip

from Durham to a nearby town on his wife’s birthday - a trip he says he made to test whether his eyesight was good enough to drive! But his actions raised the question: why did one of the government’s most senior employees ignore the rules he had helped set for millions of people across the nation? So I think his story about why he broke the law he helped to make is a massive lie!

Matt Hancock was the UK’s Health Secretary from 9th July 2018 to 26th June 2021. He was replaced by Sajid Javid because he breached social distancing guidance by kissing a colleague. He had been under increasing pressure to resign after he and Gina Coladangelo, who were both married with children, were seen kissing on CCTV in a government building. Matt Hancock announced, along with Boris Johnson, for everyone to stay at home; to only go out if it’s really necessary, yet he broke the law and tried to get away with it.

People couldn’t see their loved ones, missed their birthdays and their last days and he was too busy living his life. He is a very selfish man!

Rishi Sunak served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020-22. On 17th March 2020, Sunak announced £330 billion in emergency support for businesses, as well as a furlough scheme for employees. This was the first time a British government had created such an employee retention scheme, so it made British history!

Chris Whitty was the Chief Medical Officer and was one of the main campaigners for self isolation. He was regarded as one of the figures in the public eye who handled COVID well.

Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, firmly believed that COVID didn’t exist and that bleach could help get rid of COVID, which a few people believed and became seriously ill from.

He also frequently called COVID the ‘China Virus’, which fuelled racist issues throughout America.

Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, took COVID a lot more seriously than his predecessor. He advised mask wearing. He conducted his political campaign from the basement of his house, as he is relatively old and would be very vulnerable to COVID.

Margaret Keenan was the first person in the world to get the approved COVID vaccine. The 92 year old grandmother got her vaccine on 8th December 2020.

JVT (Jonathan VanTam) is one of the medical officers in Britain and served in the government since 2017. He regularly appeared on TV talking about the pandemic and has recently been knighted for his efforts. He stepped down to assume a role at the University of Nottingham.

Maud and Oscar

The Downing Street Parties!

During the COVID period, some members of the government and Boris Johnson broke COVID restrictions by throwing parties.

One of the parties took place on 13th November 2020 when many fines were given except to Boris Johnson. Although the Prime Minister denied them there is evidence to prove these parties did occur. The rules prohibited indoor gatherings of two or more people and the police confirmed that fines were handed out over this event were for breaching this restriction.

On June 19th 2020, another party took place to celebrate Boris Johnson’s birthday. The report said Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Simon Case, now the UK’s top civil servant, both attended “for a short period having arrived early for a meeting”. Boris Johnson was fined for this party but Simon Case was not.

Overall about 10 parties took place in Downing Street, which broke multiple restrictions and also made the population very angry as the government were the ones putting these restrictions in place!

There was also a party on 16th April 2021, the day before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. Therefore, people compared these actions with the Queen left sitting alone at his funeral!

The TCC Feelings on the Parties: our views as the story broke…

“I think Boris is trying to hide they actually happened, then the video about his representative making up a lie (Allegra Stratton) just shouts that the party definitely happened. She said she could have cheese and wine: it was a business meeting, which doesn’t make sense! She could have said that from the start instead of covering up and then to say that, it’s very suspicious!”

- Maud

“Thoughts about Boris’ Party: very hypocritical! However, I think that as well as that was bad, the media doesn’t need to hold grudges and report things that happened a year ago. There are much more important things to think about. He cannot be blamed for everything.”

- Emily

Despite worries herself because of her vulnerability, she still managed to stay extremely strong, frequently participating in Zoom meetings and speeches, encouraging all of us to support each other through this extremely difficult and emotional time.

Prince William and Kate also dived head first into the ‘trends’ of lockdown. Kate said she was their own personal home hairdresser! Their children also had to attend remote learning school and William and Kate both openly admitted their lack in knowledge of Year 2 Maths! So, even though they are the most famous family in the country, they still had to abide by the rules. They made lockdown just that little bit more fun for all of us and helped bring smiles to the nation’s faces when we needed it most. Here you can see the Cambridge family clapping to say thanks to the NHS!!

Royalty (2020-21):

The Queen has been an extremely influential person in all of our lives throughout COVID.

So, even though they are the most famous family in the country, they still had to abide by the rules.

The Duke’s COVID funeral:

The Duke died on Friday 9th April 2021, and his funeral was held just over a week later, on Saturday 17th April. He was 99 at the time and just two months away from his 100th birthday. The event was held within the grounds of Windsor Castle to avoid crowds, but was televised to the nation.

The funeral took place

Duke of Edinburgh

10/6/1921 - 9/4/2021:

during stage two of the third national lockdown, meaning it had to be socially distanced and was only attended by 30 people.

The Queen was forced to sit alone during the service. It was the first time really that the nation saw the Queen’s emotions. It was followed by a memorial service with the Royal Marines. This was really lovely, but emotional to watch.

Our letter to the Queen:

Dear Your Majesty,

We are keen Year 8 historians at Hymers College in Hull and are currently working on a project to produce a time capsule to commemorate this past year in lockdown. We regularly discuss key events such as your address to the nation and are attempting to record our reactions to, and memories of, this very strange time for the school archive.

We would like to express how sorry we are for your loss of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. We believe Prince Philip was a man of great significance and an inspiration to students of our age thinking of getting involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. We also take inspiration from his life of duty, from his work in the Navy, to his support for you as your Consort. We were truly touched by the coverage of his funeral and have been extremely interested to learn more about his work through the documentaries shown on television recently.

Thank you for your support for the nation during lockdown. We too have been engaged in a long period of Zooming and, whilst it was very useful, we were so happy to be able to return to school! We send you and your family our heartfelt condolences.

Kind Regards,

The Hymers College Time Capsule Club.

Back to School:

September 2020: We were on Zoom for what felt like forever and then were finally going back to school!

The year groups came back one day after another and we were all so excited to see our friends, yet we were cautious, as we hadn’t been in contact with other people for ages.

We had to wear masks in corridors and generally around school, then it changed to mandatory in classrooms as well. Currently, it’s optional to wear masks (September 2021 onwards) unless a teacher specifically asks you to.

We also had designated areas in the main hall because the government made us put in place ‘year group bubbles’, which meant that we didn’t interact with the other year groups, wore masks in corridors and had our own designated spaces on the fields for break and lunch, with the older year groups getting marquees.

A lot of these rules were able to make us feel safer without inconveniencing ourselves, but there was one thing we found extremely annoying: the one way system. It always seemed that wherever

there should be an exit, there was an entrance and vice versa!

Even though Hymers managed the whole situation well, multiple classes were isolated due to positive COVID tests. Our class was isolated on

my birthday for two weeks, which was quite hard since we had anticipated to never have to do lessons on Zoom again, but we braved through it and were back at school before Christmas.

Lydia

I got COVID just before the Christmas holidays in 2021. Here is me, Florence, Zooming the Time Capsule Club...

Equality/BLM:

On 25th May 2020, George Floyd, an African-American, was suspected to have used a counterfeit $20 bill, so a store clerk called 911…

The police officer handcuffed Floyd but when resisting to going in the squad car, the policemen pinned him to the ground and one placed their knee on his neck, which eventually killed him. This act of police brutality caused many BLM (Black Lives Matter) protests. Due to the fact that everyone was stuck at home watching TV and events, people became at home protesters and information spread much quicker than usual.

Not many people seemed to care to raise the uprising issue of female safety while out - particularly at night. This issue became front page headlines when Sarah Everard was found dead on 5th March 2021. Protests were sparked throughout the country, but the Government just said “Girls, don’t go out after 8pm, especially if you are alone”. However, when someone presented the idea of “why do the girls need to be punished by not being allowed out, surely the boys should have a curfew instead”,

this idea was immediately dismissed. This, again, caused an uproar.

My friends and I came up with a story to describe how women feel when told “it’s not all men” If there was a tray, with

three biscuits on it, but someone told you one was poisoned, you wouldn’t eat any would you? It is the same when we say that we are careful with all men because the issue is still men.

If there was a tray, with three biscuits on it, but someone told you one was poisoned, you wouldn’t eat any would you?

As with all major viruses the goal that every country was trying to achieve was to develop a vaccine (and to be the first one to do it and brag about it).

However, vaccine development takes a lot of time. This was confirmed by the fact that the World Health Organisation (the WHO) said that they hadn’t expected a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 to be in less than 18 months. However compelled by the danger of this virus,

Vaccines:

countries across the world began pouring investments into research into the virus.

A notable example of this was from when the US department of Health and Human Services started a program called “Operation Warp Speed”. Then in the early of December the UK had approved a COVID vaccine followed later by other countries. Then finally, the first person in the world received a COVID vaccine (specifically Pfizer),

Margaret Keenan. Here in the UK the only people who were eligible for the vaccine were those who lived in care homes (and their carers) and all who were above the age of 80.

As the vaccine (and the different variations/ brands of it) became more available more and more people became eligible to receive the vaccine with many getting their second jabs and now recently people starting to get their boosters. Vaccines were going to

help tremendously to reduce deaths and lessen the amount of people with severe symptoms.

With vaccine roll out happening all across the world countries could ease out of lockdown as the spreading of the virus would be limited by immunity. Shops and the entertainment industry could open up again with people returning to them. Life could return to somewhat normal.

Elijah

Our Personal Views (2020-2021):

It’s hard to sum up the last two years of lockdown in words, mostly because half the time even I didn’t know what the hell was going on.

The news would mention that a virus is spreading in China but myself, and just about everyone would think ‘oh, it’s fine it won’t come here’. How very wrong we were… schools went into lockdown, lives changed and the country was sent into panic. I didn’t mind Zoom learning that much, in reality and I found out how interesting my

family could be. In a way it was quite nice, I got to see Jude and Ezra grow up and learn new things. Although they did become very antisocial and odd around other people!

I would say the hardest thing for me with Zoom learning were Wi-Fi crashes and little tiny people running all over screaming while I was doing my lesson. The amount of times I would be trying to answer a questions and they would choose the exact time I unmuted my mic to

scream at top volume!

Something I find rather amusing is the fact that nearly two years later we are still worried about it and when we see people standing close on TV it looks weird.

Mask up! And sanitise! Are now regular words we use every day, it’s crazy to think that one day people will look back on these years as a momentous period and study them and to me it’s just everyday life now.

Keira

I would never have expected COVID to have shaken our world like it did and in February I went with my family to India to see our relatives. I remember seeing on the news about COVID when I was in the airport and like other news I didn’t think much of it. On the way back from India, the pandemic was starting to spread more and just a month later, we went into lockdown.

I was one of the people who thought that school closing down was a preposterous idea, so I was shocked when the teacher got an urgent letter in our maths class. Even then I didn’t think too much of it and thought we’d be back after Easter, but as you know that was far from the case. Even though I missed my normal life and was over the moon when we could go back to school, I got to spend lots of time with my family and even start my own YouTube channel during lockdown.

I have to keep this short, but I could write an entire page about my thoughts and feelings.

Initially, I had told myself, ‘It’s just an illness in China, it’ll never get to the UK’, but really, I was very skeptical.

By February 2020 it was getting all too close to home for all of us. The first case in the UK was recorded in our county, Yorkshire and the NHS, the Government and the public were beginning to really panic .

Moving forward in time, many people in my family and people around me, including my own brother tested positive. It was a very scary time, but we pushed through, with the support of friends and family, of course. We are finally due a holiday in October half term, 2021 and by hell do we deserve one after the past year we’ve had. We all do!

At the start of the pandemic we all thought ‘it will never come to the UK’, or ‘the virus won’t affect me’, but in reality, it affected everyone! Not necessarily themselves, but everyone will have had family or friends who caught it or even sadly died. Lockdown was a totally new experience to us all; some people coped better than others and some of us gained new skills or new friends from it, so there is always a silver lining to the cloud that loomed over 2020! I think. Boris could have handled the pandemic way better and saved many lives instead of telling us mixed messages! Coronavirus has been a rollercoaster of a year and the NHS and all the key workers are amazing and we all need a good rest from it all. My family has been quite lucky as all of us, apart from me, have been double vaccinated; nobody has had COVID-19 and dad earned more, as he had to quarantine and test all the time, as he works abroad in Mexico. I feel lucky that all my friends and family are safe and all we need to do now is keep being cautious and we will get through this! :)

The COVID-19 pandemic was unlike any other experience in my life, though it’s hard to explain my thoughts about the last two years in such a small time, I’ll try.

I was in France skiing when the first case in the UK was discovered, and I later found out that someone very close to our hotel resort got COVID, which was a big deal at the time. When we were told that we were going into lockdown, I thought, like the rest of us, that it would be over in a few months.

Now, looking back, it makes me feel as if I was in WWI, with people saying ‘the war will be over by Christmas’ and ‘we’ll be back at school before the end of the school year’, now these comments sound to me like naïve comments said miles in the past.

Lydia

Emily Maud Florence

A Journal entry from Lydia:

13/5/2020:

These past few days have been very strange. As you know, lockdown has been raging for a couple of months, but things could change. The PM gave a speech saying that unlimited exercise was allowed and some years would be able to return to school after half term,

but not Year 7. I miss my friends and woke up and cried one day because I was so upset! A summer without friends and family would be so strange. On the weekend we had a massive group call with my mum’s cousins and family who almost all live abroad. We had

a picnic in the garden which was lovely and made me so happy that there are still things we can do. Another thing that has kept me happy is hobbies. I’ve become a massive fan of loads of things, like dancing. I’m trying to learn tricks like handstands… but that’s not going too well.

That’s fun, but the thing I’ve enjoyed the most is making YouTube videos. It’s been my dream for a long time and I’m so happy to do it. Anyway, that’s all for this diary entry! I really can’t wait for lockdown to be over! :)

Lydia

What was it like having COVID?

Yes, I got COVID, after over a year of avoiding getting the virus in the pandemic, I finally got it! Ironically, it was only a few days after having the vaccine.

Because I got COVID I have to self isolate for 10 days, it doesn’t seem like much, but for me, this is a nightmare. I’ll say why in a second, but first I ought to say how lucky I have been staying COVID-free for so long and when I got it, I stayed asymptomatic. The reason I really dislike

having COVID is because I can’t go to school, and I know that sounds like a super nerdy thing to say, but I truly mean it. I have to spend all day alone and sending emails to teachers asking for the work; sometimes they don’t reply! And I have constant stress that I am super behind on everything and I’m missing two exams and two test results. You may be like ‘oh missing exams is good thing, then you don’t have to do them’ not really, because I still

have to do them, but now I have to do them alone after everyone else has already done them. But, despite all this, I am super lucky I don’t have it really bad like other people!

I got COVID 9 days after the first COVID vaccine, how ironic! (I got it on 21.11.2021)

I had to stay off for ten days like everyone else, but it was extremely weird Zooming again, not with teachers but with other students. My mum also tested positive when we got our PCR results back. She had lots of symptoms: achy legs, achy eyes, a cough and loss of taste and smell, whereas, my only symptom was loss of smell.

It was a weird experience not being able to smell and another thing I noticed was my loss of appetite. I had dodged COVID for a long time and me getting COVID disrupted my family because my mum couldn’t ride or go see Ed

(our horse) which she did multiple times a day. My sister, Ava, works in a care home so it’s vital that she doesn’t get the virus.

My brother George couldn’t come home on the weekend: he had to stay at university. It was very important that my dad didn’t get it as a few weeks before he had gone away to work in Mexico, so if he got it he would have to isolate and go to work later.

That would mean that he couldn’t be home for Christmas or my birthday, which he had missed two years in a row. Luckily he was COVID free! All in all, I am very lucky as none of my family have been really ill and we are all safe now!

Maud

I tested positive for COVID on 16th January 2022, six days before the entire Les Misérables cast were due to go for a two day trip to London to see the West End version.

I didn’t really feel ill at all, minus feeling dizzy from time to time. My sister managed to not get it until over 2 weeks after I had got it! Luckily, I recovered in time for the Les Mis trip.

Oscar

We flew out to Austria to go skiing, for a few days all was well and we were enjoying our holidays.

However, on the 3rd night, my mother and sister said that they felt too ill to stay and eat dinner.

Ten minutes later, they both tested positive for COVID and we were in disarray, trying to tell the hotel and find a quarantine hotel for the two of them.

The next day my dad and I had to do COVID tests and we were both negative and allowed to leave and go skiing. My mother and sister couldn’t get out of quarantine in time to fly home. They had to move to a quarantine hotel and book a new flight home.

Florence

Our Lockdown Memories: –

Summer Term 2021

Lydia-ism “common sense isn’t that common in 2021.”

“Dominic’s rant at Bojo.”

“Doing scavenger hunts on Zoom.”

“Improving ICT skills.”

“Matt Hancock resigning - he should have been sacked though!”

“Popping downstairs to grab snacks whilst on Zoom.”

“Looking forward to seeing friends.”

“New hobbies because we were outside more.”

“Lockdown pets: Bronte, Jonty and Marmalade.”

“Going on the field more during lunch.”

“Christmasactually seeing relatives.”

“Supporting the NHS.”

“Not having to wake up early for the bus.”

“Baking and then eating the sweet treats.”

“Not having to queue for lunch.”

“Spending more time in nature.”

“Starting the time capsule.”

“Spending valuable time with family and loved ones.”

Our Lessons Learned Due to COVID:

1. Spend time with your family, especially older members, whilst it lasts!

2. Spend time in nature!

3. Be hygienic!

4. Treasure school socially - good teaching and social time!

5. Follow the rules and we will get out of the situation better/quicker!

Lockdown Hair!

During the lockdown everyone faced the horrors of no hairdresser!

Recollections:

Teachers and Staff:

Mrs Dickinson - Latin Teacher, 2020:

In some ways, remote learning is easier for a teacher. You can teach from the comfort of your home, you don’t have to commute hours every day to get into school and the electronic communication

has worked well. You also have to spend a lot of time chasing students to E-mail or share work and this is time-consuming. Marking is a lot harder in Latin online too. One thing that is good is that some

of the more lively classes are easier to manage, so those students who can sometimes disrupt others, can’t do that remotely. It is also hard when students turn their screens off-it is difficult to sound keen and

Mrs Pennack - Development Officer and Hymers Mum, 2022:

In 2021, all the teachers were at home and support staff remained in school. My daughter was in Year 7 and came into school as a key worker’s child, one of approximately 30 of these

children. A lot of my work involved students who I could only talk to on Zoom and lots of Old Hymerians that we spoke to were in the older generation and afraid to leave the house,

so a comforting chat was great for them. The school was very empty compared to usual and any meetings consisted of two people at the opposite ends of a table wearing a mask.

Mr Hayes - Form Tutor and Chemistry Teacher, 2022:

Whilst I missed my family and friends, like most people, I felt lucky that I was able to continue being a teacher online.

I enjoyed speaking to my form group in a morning, listening to what they had been doing to keep themselves entertained

and keeping learning, whilst keeping safe at home. I met lots of pets, saw students’ baking and learnt a lot about my students’ hobbies.

As a Chemistry teacher, not being able to be in a lab doing practical work was difficult, but I liked to

Mrs Gibson - Marketing and Design, 2022:

From April 2020, I was furloughed for five weeks then called back into school because Hymers wanted to promote our ‘lockdown learning’ campaign. However, it was quite strange being

in school due to the lack of children on the school site. As I was travelling in to work, my work life didn’t change drastically from my normal routine. My husband is selfemployed and was lucky

be creative and do a few home experiments in my kitchen.

My wife is also a teacher, so some days were interesting when we could hear each other teaching in other rooms. She said that I am a noisy teacher!

Going back to work and

too as he continued to work. He became a key worker and therefore had permission to travel across the country.

My daughter had completed university the year before and her first

enthusiastic when faced with 26 black screens! Some negatives are that all the teaching is done from your desk (lots of sitting and hunching over – not good for posture and wellbeing!).

Sometimes Zoom meetings took place with people who were next door!

seeing everyone at the end of lockdown was a highlight for me, despite all of the restrictions we were still living under, I was pleased to see all of my students and the staff again.

job as an Engineering Geologist was for a firm in Doncaster. She was glad to be living at home during lockdown as she was furloughed for 13 weeks as the building industry ground to a halt.

Mr Mills - DT Teacher, 2022:

We were very fortunate during lockdown as we quickly moved into teaching online and the projects that we put in place were more graphicsbased so we had lots of designing, Computer Aided Design-based and modelling activities. Most students had basic resources at home that they could use to make simple models related to their projects and where

possible, one-off STEM activities as extension tasks.

The Dyson foundation put in place a great deal of engineering and science-based activities for students such as creating bridges from found objects, making your own compass and lots more. It was great to watch students showing and testing their work on Zoom and to see the

Miss Dai - Maths Teacher, 2020:

I much prefer physical learning. Although the lie-ins, countless cups of tea and sitting in comfy clothes made remote learning much

more bearable, nothing compares to actually being able to teach students in person.

I miss having little chats as people walk in and out

Mrs James - School Nurse, 2022:

My main job was to look after patients during COVID and communicate with their families who could not visit. It was hard making sure that the patients didn’t spread the virus and that I didn’t spread it. The hardest

part of being a nurse in lockdown for me was having to go to work while my children stayed at home. They had to home-school themselves and coming home it was difficult to make sure I didn’t contaminate them

Mrs Picton: School Welfare Nurse, 2022:

My job as a mental health nurse during COVID was really strange. I was actually working in Somerset in a community mental health nursing role.

It was a very different time of nursing for me, very different from anything I had done in my career. As it was lockdown, roads were quieter so I could get places quicker - a real bonus when you work in the community!

We also had lots of free lunches, ice creams and cakes delivered to the team which was another bonus!

The patients I had then actually said they felt better, not what I expected at all! A lot of them found leaving the home hard, so by having to stay in they didn’t have to worry about this and so focused on themselves more and with more time to do so,

creativity that they had put into their work from their own bedrooms.

One of the challenges when we returned to school though, was the fact that students had missed out on practical learning. This meant that some students had not learned skills needed to help them move to the next level and so we had to put in place some catch-up activities.

This was reflected also in GCSE and A level groups and up until this year, students were designing and making, but only making prototypes and models as part of their coursework instead of manufactured products.

I am glad to say that as of this year, we are ‘back to normal’.

of the classroom about their pets or what they did last weekend.

It also gave me flexibility - I could spend my double free period baking if I

by making sure only my clothes were in the washing machine and I could only go near them after I had had a shower.

Testing the students in school was strangely positive in a way, that it helped me learn more

wanted! Another positive was the lack of business wear - I could wear a t-shirt and jeans and not have to worry about ironing my clothes!

about the students, as I was new to the school, but the logistics behind it were quite hard. Everyone was really pleasant while testing and I definitely learnt more about the students!

which really helped them. I left for Hull kind of in the middle of the pandemic so I never got to see how they were doing. I hope they are OK!

On the flip side coming out of lockdown, and now working with you lovely lot, I can see how hard the lockdown was, we lost a lot of really important time didn’t we?

Time to socialise, communicate face to face,

learn new things and be ourselves, it was quite an isolating time I think.

I think everyone’s wellbeing has been affected, either in big ways or smaller ways from the pandemic but, I certainly think life is back now and we have a wonderful opportunity ahead of us to recoup the lost time and fun.

Mr Wright, Deputy Head, Questionnaire:

What were your first thoughts when you heard the news about the lockdown in March 2020?

Although the situation was one that was unprecedented for our generation, the lockdown was preceded by about two weeks of a developing situation, both across Europe and in the United Kingdom, and so the decision to lockdown and to close schools did not come suddenly.

And so, thoughts of panic didn’t really arise amongst the Senior Leadership Team of the school. Instead, we used the time to plan and to prepare pupils and staff for the school closure: we researched different

remote platforms, ‘Zoom’ and ‘Teams’ that were being used at the time in the business world for remote meetings and decided how we could use one of these platforms as a remote teaching tool. When we made our decision to use Zoom, we then trained staff and pupils on how remote learning would be implemented and we also bought and distributed devices for families who would not have enough suitable devices in their households.

When the announcement of the closure came, we felt as prepared as we could be and in a position where no pupils would miss a single day of faceto-face learning, albeit through a screen at home!

What made you choose Zoom over things like Microsoft Teams, etc.?

In truth, there wasn’t much to choose between Zoom and the other platforms that we researched. At the time, these platforms were completely new to us and to the vast majority of society! When we were testing each one out, the priorities were simplicity-ofuse and functionality that could be adapted to use the software as a tool that replicated a classroom as far as possible.

With Zoom, we liked how easy it was to set up a ‘meeting’, i.e. a lesson and to paste the link for the lesson into a Schoogle task. We also liked how easy it was for staff to share their screen, to use

However, the great aspects of teaching truly are great: the interactions with pupils, the ‘lightbulb moments’ when pupils understand a concept that they previously found difficult,

the whiteboard function and to use tools like the ‘break out rooms’ that felt like a replication of working in groups in the classroom.

Do you think lockdown had an effect on children’s learning?

Without any doubt. Yes, we put plans in place so that the timetable would run without pupils missing a day of lessons, rather than simply providing packs of work, that many schools did across the country. And yes, I do think that pupils at Hymers got a far better experience those of most pupils across the country – we were able to provide continuity and stability that normalised the situation as much as possible for pupils, and reduced worry for parents.

However, nothing can replicate being in school in person. As a teacher, I want to be able to sit next to pupils and look at the work that they’re producing, to respond to their facial expressions and body language to gauge their confidence in a topic and to be able to help them in a way that takes all of these factors into account.

The other key aspect of learning that was affected was the learning that takes place as a result of pupils’ interactions with each other. This doesn’t just mean learning of Maths, or Geography, or Art, for example, but also the social development that takes place from interacting with people of the same age and of different ages on a daily basis.

Do you think lockdown had an effect on the teachers’ teaching?

Again, no doubt whatsoever! There are times when teaching is a really hard job – the hours are long during term times and the role requires physical and mental stamina. However, the great aspects of teaching truly are great: the interactions with pupils, the ‘lightbulb moments’ when pupils understand a concept that they previously found difficult, the wider development of the pupils through the support as a Form Tutor, or through the co-curricular programme are all so rewarding and were all affected by the lockdown. Many teachers, myself included, have young families – at the time, my children were 7 and 3 years old. So I was having to try to teach lessons around helping my older son with his learning and keeping my younger son stimulated and happy. Teachers were trying to do their best for the pupils, but in really difficult professional and personal circumstances and these challenges certainly increased the level of worry in doing their job successfully.

How did you feel when FireFly crashed on the first day of lockdown learning?

That was so disappointing! We’d planned for lockdown learning so carefully and we really wanted a successful first day, so that pupils and parents would feel, amongst all of the worry about the Coronavirus, not being

able to see friends and family, and jobs and the economy, that at least education at Hymers was going to run as close to normal as possible.

The problem was caused by FireFly, the host company for Schoogle, the school’s virtual learning environment. As such, all of the Zoom meeting links were not able to be accessed by the pupils. We responded by asking teachers to email links to pupils and, fortunately, the problem was solved by FireFly by using some of Amazon’s servers in readiness for the second day.

What was your day-to-day job like when we were not at school?

It was very difficult. I taught my lessons to my Year 11 Maths group at the timetabled times. However, much of my role involves meetings with different staff and organisation. It was very difficult to fit the meetings in around supporting my own children at home – there were several meetings where my younger son appeared on screen, because he didn’t understand the situation.

I found that most of my work had to be done through email and therefore the most effective time to do this was at night time after my boys had gone to bed. This meant some really late finishes to days and also some difficulties in the work, because my working hours didn’t align with other staff who had easier availability during the days.

For me, the hardest part of COVID was tension of trying to do the best for my family and children at home, but trying also to do my job to the best of my ability at the same time.

How did you feel when Boris lifted the lockdown and everyone was able to come back to school (September 2020)?

I have to say my reaction was mixed! On the one hand, it was fantastic to be back in school, to see everyone three dimensionally again, and to experience school life, the noise and the buzz of the school on a daily basis. However, on the other hand, there was a whole new raft of challenges that needed to be managed to keep pupils and staff safe. There was regulation about touching books – we were required to leave exercise books untouched for 48 hours after collecting them in. We had to create year group ‘bubbles’ and to find ways of keeping them separated from each other. And so we had different indoor spaces for each year group at break times and lunchtimes and marked areas of the field for year groups to play in.

We had to implement a cleaning regime that included regular handsanitising, cleaning of desks in classrooms when used by different year groups and ‘fogging’ of changing rooms and other large spaces such as the Theatre. Pupils and staff also had to get used to one-way systems of getting around the school site.

The worst part of this period though was the wearing of face coverings and, as a teacher, having to remain at the front of the classroom. I realised how much we all rely on lip-reading alongside

listening – I found myself having to teach with a raised voice and also asking for pupils to almost shout their answers to me!

I have to say, though, that the pupils and staff were brilliant! There was still a lot of worry about the Coronavirus, but pupils and staff adopted the regulations and understood that they were necessary.

How difficult was it to run a track and trace programme for school?

Personally speaking, this was the hardest aspect of the re-opening of schools. Pupils and staff had spent so long being stuck indoors and remote learning and so it was really difficult to say to a pupil that they had been ‘in close contact’ with someone who had tested positive and therefore, they would need to go home immediately and spend the following 10 days in isolation.

It was also difficult as we had to check when pupils had sat near other pupils in lessons, assess the distance that they had sat from them and to then determine their personal return-to-school dates based on all of the information. Each individual positive case of the Coronavirus took a few hours to resolve and, during certain periods, we were having to make decisions about sending full year groups back onto remote learning.

The other huge difficulty, of course, was staffing. In normal times, if a member of staff is off ill, it usually lasts a day or two and it is possible to cover that teacher’s lessons through

the generosity of time of other teachers in the school. However, during this period, individual members of staff were off for up to 10 days at a time, and there were times when about a quarter of the teaching staff were isolating at home.

How did you feel when the January 2021 lockdown hit?

This was a frustrating period for everyone. In terms of how we were running the remote education of pupils, I was actually quite relaxed, as it had run smoothly before. Also, from a purely personal point of view, it did mean a break from the track and trace work that we were having to do on an almost daily basis.

My biggest worry at this point was the uncertainty about the examinations. We had already had one challenging assessment process in the summer of 2020, which resulted in Teacher Assessed Grades. This had been poorly handled by the Department for Education and Ofqual and there was a great deal of speculation about what system would be implemented for the summer 2021 GCSE and A Level qualifications. Unfortunately, this uncertainty was not resolved until well into the second half of the Spring Term.

Overall, what was the hardest part of COVID for you?

I have to say that I was very lucky. My family remained safe and well during the whole period from the first lockdown through to stage of ‘living

with COVID’. And so, the difficulties around managing my work life and doing the best for my wife and young children are very small compared to the many families who tragically lost loved ones.

For me, the hardest part of COVID was tension of trying to do the best for my family and children at home, but trying also to do my job to the best of my ability at the same time. It was very difficult to accept that my attention to these two parts of my life had to be separated, and that focus on one at any given time required some adjustment of the other.

We had to create year group ‘bubbles’ and to find ways of keeping them separated from each other. And so we had different indoor spaces for each year group at break times and lunchtimes and marked areas of the field for year groups to play in.

Dr Smith, Head of Year, Teacher of History and Politics:

As a teacher of History and Politics there was an element of the pandemic that I found fascinating in terms of its effect, not only on our daily lives, but on how it may shape our futures and the way in which we view the world. Of course, everyone’s main concern was staying safe and trying to prevent the spread of such a horrific virus, but at the same time I couldn’t help but wonder whether or not this would make us fundamentally question the nature of our interactions with other human beings and also the planet itself.  Panic about who had touched what food item, what an item of clothing’s country of origin was, how we imported goods that we had come to consider essential; together with an appreciation for the people who made all this happen, caused me to wonder whether or not COVID would actually make us think of an alternative way of organising our societies. It seemed that simple things such as reading, exercise, cooking and eating local

produce, spending time with family over a board game or walk perhaps, would get us to reconsider what was important in life.

I also felt that there seemed to be a strange inversion within typical social hierarchies, all of a sudden there was no organised sport, no pubs or cafés to meet up with friends or institutions of exercise or study available; for those literate in IT, the night time computer game player, the technophiles amongst us it seemed like this was the rise of an alternative order - I can’t say that I felt at home in this!

School life at this time reflected these conflicting emotions, having more independence over time keeping was something I was used to when studying for my PhD, so I found it easy to plan work and exercise and didn’t need much structure.

The fact that there were a few teachers in school helped and it was actually a lot of fun to be able to run around the beautiful school grounds, have a sneaky play of the piano in the Main Hall, read

something new, or go to a quiet gym; I had found a nice state of homeostasis.

It goes without saying that the best thing about being a teacher are the interactions with the pupils and they couldn’t be replicated online. I did also really feel for a generation of young men and women who were having to navigate their school life through such difficult circumstances and I think probably the best thing about the lockdown restrictions being over was seeing the joy that pupils had meeting up with their friends once again.

Certainly there were some skills that I shall take away from this, there is definitely a place for a Zoom meeting and technology can really enhance learning. But more than anything this period showed to me that the most important things in life are often the simplest and that is something that we perhaps lose sight of in the high pressured environment that is modern western civilisation.

The fact that there were a few teachers in school helped and it was actually a lot of fun to be able to run around the beautiful school grounds, have a sneaky play of the piano in the Main Hall, read something new,  or go to a quiet gym; I had found a nice state of homeostasis.

“COVID was very difficult for me working in the hospital. At first I had to go to work at Castle Hill Hospital where the rules were very strict. You had to wear a mask 24/7 and wipe down your workspace every few hours. Soon after COVID hit I was able to work from home using a laptop, but I really struggled as it wouldn’t connect to the Wi-Fi! I was really busy as all operations were cancelled so I had to inform all the patients.”

Glenda (Lucy’s mum)

Recollections

Recollections: Parents:

“When COVID hit nothing really changed for me as a farmer. I was able to work normally at the farm. The demand for crops increased drastically which was good for me as I received a higher income, but overall it didn’t really affect me.”

David (Lucy’s dad)

“The first wave of COVID was a very stressful time for me. It disturbed me greatly reading about so many people dying. I was worried about me or my family catching it. But I also have good memories, not having to travel to work, being able to spend more time with family, not rushing around from one place to another. I remember the completely empty main roads if we ever went out to collect groceries. Also, I fondly remember the various things we cooked and baked because we couldn’t go out to eat or buy stuff.”

Roopa (Lydia’s mother)

“I don’t think lockdown affected me much working in the fresh produce industry as demand was higher as more people chose to cook at home. I wasn’t worried too much about the virus as I had faith in our great NHS! It was lovely being at home spending more time with family, my day to day work didn’t change much because I was considered a key worker. What I did miss was meeting buyers and people, not just being able to just shake someone’s hand was very odd for me!”

Robin (Emily’s Dad)

Dear Diary,

Where do I start? It’s all so overwhelming! We’re not allowed out of our houses, except for one piece of exercise a day or shopping for necessities. I can’t see my friends and I miss them. Online school is cool, especially on Zoom; it is very funny! Weekends and holidays are getting boring. We’re not getting set much work, so there’s not too much to keep me busy. All music lessons are on Zoom. Piano is on the ‘phone. Singing isn’t happening. I’m missing life with freedom and the choice to travel and see people. You don’t realise how important a human touch or conversation is

Recollections: Lower School:

until you’re deprived of it. Oh well! Not much we can do except hope. ‘See you in the near future.’

Parul Kotwal

To be honest, being at home whilst doing school work has been OK for me. I quite like the fact that you’ve got the opportunity to do things. But I do think it’s bad that we’re sat in front of the computer for the whole day and that you’re stuck at home not able to do anything. Like we can only go outside for exercise once so that’s no visiting friends, no bike rides, no fun activities. I think that’s the bad part about all this: that we’ve got to stay inside. It’s

boring to be honest. I guess it will be quite good when we go back though, because we’ll be able to see everybody and I think we’ll appreciate everything more. That’s probably the learning curve from all this.

Ollie Brimble

These are strange and confusing times and I believe that this will take a long time to be over. Online schooling is going well though and there are benefits to me personally as I can exercise more and technology does enable me to talk with my friends. It is weird though to be in an uncertain time like this, but I believe we’ll be OK.

Recollections: Students:

Even those who have lost loved ones will hopefully be able to get back to their original mental state. It is still a mystery of how this entire thing started, but the two main conspiracies are China bat-eating, which contained this virus or that they created some kind of chemical weapons. I hope that none of these are true obviously and I hope that this is very easy to cure at some stage.

I don’t know when my life will turn back to normal, but I’m confident it will be in the foreseeable future. Many people have got this virus, even Boris Johnson, yet I think it will be over soon.

Matty Cutts

School was flipped upside down when we were locked down! Zoom lessons became the new norm with technical difficulties becoming a regular occurrence.

But, through the issues, everyone got on with it and it mostly went well. Sitting outside on Zoom with the sun shining was pleasant, although it was difficult not integrating (sic) with the outside world.

I had COVID at the end of Year 12 and the most

frustrating thing was being locked up again. The illness was similar to a cold.

Charlie Phillips, Sixth Former, Class of 2022.

During the pandemic, I was lucky to have most of my family in Lincolnshire with me and lived at home with my Mum and my Grandma. Throughout that time, my sister was still in York so I didn’t see her in person until her

birthday, which was really hard. Two of us in my household were told to shield. However, we were very lucky.

I spent most of my days outside in the garden (1st lockdown) and walking my dogs. I also did some of the lessons outside and enjoyed not having the pressure of school as it brought my family closer together in enjoying the time that we had.

Grace Sargent, Sixth Former, Class of 2022.

Great time!

Exams got cancelled. More time for X-Box. Only having to do the bare minimum work. Never got COVID. Family had a great time. Got a dog, watched Netflix all day.

Watched sport.

Harry Gosling, Sixth Former, Class of 2022.

The original idea for the TCC stemmed from an activity with 8A during the first lockdown to record the momentous times and the range of emotions felt. Here are the thoughts of 3 lower school students during the tightest part of the lockdown.

Year 8s Lockdown Experiences:

It’s crazy to think that almost 2 years ago was the first time we entered lockdown. ‘Quarantine’, ‘isolation’ and ‘Coronavirus’ were all new words that we are used to hearing everyday. I remember being excited to have a break for the early mornings and long school days. “It’s only until Easter,” they said.

I guess me and my family coped pretty well: I was still motivated to do schoolwork, my mum carried on working from home, my dad was a key worker and my eldest brother was doing uni from home. We were only worried about my younger brother who was studying for the A Levels that were cancelled. I was quite lucky as I was able to return to school for three weeks before the summer hols and see some of my old friends. In the summer holidays we were lucky to escape to Hungary to see family after not seeing them all year.

After the holidays, I started Year 7, which was alright, but as usual things were cancelled or postponed. After Christmas we sat in front of the television, waiting for Boris to announce the latest restrictions. Another lockdown. This lockdown was terrible. The weather was bad and doing 7 lessons each day on Zoom was exhausting. After we returned to school, bad news came again, end-of-year exams were on. Finally it was the

summer holidays again. And now we’re here. I’ve just had COVID and both my brothers are at Uni. My family’s coped well and followed most of the restrictions and now we wait for life to return to normal and to see our family in Hungary again. I hated remote learning, it was suffocating being indoors all day doing homework all day. But sometimes it was nice to just be lazy and eat whenever you wanted.

Kinga Karsai 21/3/22

In those past two years, my life has completely changed. Not just mine, everyone’s has. These two years weren’t just bad memories though, there were some good memories too. If I’m going to be honest, when I heard there was a virus called COVID-19, I thought it wouldn’t come to England and we’ll be safe, but I was wrong. I was quite happy with the fact that school was closed, it isn’t everyone’s dream to go to school! My school gave us work in folders because we didn’t have Zoom. During quarantine, I was actually happier than ever! My family and I were really close together and were having family time, (spending time in the garden every morning). Although it was still boring not to go to school and see friends, I never felt lonely as I was either spending time with family or watching Netflix/YouTube. However,

nothing was more iconic than the rush for toilet roll! My mum also bought so many snacks, I couldn’t believe it! It has lasted us the whole year! Finally, I hope I don’t curse it, but I haven’t had COVID yet!

Yasemin Aydemir 21/3/22

The most difficult part of the past two years has been home learning. Whilst I have not found it overly hard, there have been a multitude of challenges posed by it including, but not restricted to, dodgy internet issues and space in the home to do work.

However, I did get a dog, a computer and much better sleep, waking up at 8 - 8:30 every day. Having tested positive twice at two extremely inconvenient times, was disappointing to say the least!

Daniel Pailing 21/3/22

During lockdown 2020 many things have happened in my family and beyond. I shall state each event in chronological order; because I obtained a scholarship for Hymers and Hull Collegiate I got a phone, No10 Samsung.

In March 2020 my parents decided to stop sending me to school, (I wouldn’t have missed anything anyway) because the pandemic was not something to worry the teachers and wearing masks was not allowed at the time.

For the next month or so, I stayed at home, but on 1st June, we set off for Romania. There my grandma bought me ducklings and chicks. My neighbour (nine years old) invited me daily to play on his X-box, and outside in his garden to play football, (he did not go anywhere therefore, he was COVID safe).

During my extended summer holiday, we went to a place in Romania called the ‘Salina’. This is a salt mine at the tail of the Scarpathian Mountains (breathing the salt is really good for your lungs). After this holiday, I spent two weeks in quarantine before going to my new school (on a scholarship).

The second lockdown was annoying because my laptop got slower and slower as I filled it with school docs and I also couldn’t go to Romania. It was boring. On the bright side I did get a budgie and moved house!

Alex Simioana 21/03/22

I think that COVID was hard since you couldn’t see your friends every day like you could when you were at school, so it got boring after a couple of weeks. Remote learning was also boring as it was much easier to get distracted and it was harder to pay attention to what the teacher was saying. However, it was fun since you did no work and got to be lazy!

Sreeya Balaji 21/03/22

TCC and the OHs (Old

Hymerians)

During lockdown, we did many things to do with our Old Hymerians, including Zoom interviews, and writing letters to them to find out what school life and the lockdown was like for them.

An example of a reply (others in the Time Capsule): For all of us the last year has been quite topsy turvy, but I can only imagine how difficult it might have been for you joining a new school and then being out for most of the year. I think

the situation in England has been particularly challenging with going in and out of lockdown several times. I have three young children who were sent home from school in March last year just like you and we had to make the adjustment to

learning via Zoom. It was HORRIBLE! Fortunately, the school year is very different to yours (it runs from the 2nd week of August to the last week of May) so we didn’t have to do the remote learning for as long as you…

OH, Georgia.

TCC finally meeting OHs face to face.

Holidays During COVID Time:

I went to India in February 2020 for a wedding, which was immediately before we went into the first lockdown and after strictly following all the COVID guidelines, my family and I were finally able to travel to India in April 2022.

While we had no issues related to COVID, I found sleeping in a mask on the aeroplane particularly unpleasant. However, it was all worth it in the end because I managed to visit my family and have a lovely time.

Lydia

I went to Austria in February 2022 for skiing for the first time in three years.

We planned to go in 2021 but it was postponed, for obvious reasons! The rules in Austria were slightly different than in the UK, though, as COVID was

‘ending’, or the cases were decreasing, the restrictions in Austria were scheduled to be lifted while we were on holiday there.

One of the main rules was that the masks were to be worn at all times (this was very difficult when skiing!). However, the

masks HAD to be special masks called FFP2 masks that were thicker (and in my mind actually worked! Unlike the flimsy imitation NHS masks in the UK).

When the rules changed in Britain most people were keen to take the masks off. However, in

Austria the attitudes to COVID barely changed, despite the fact the law had changed, most Austrians still wore masks. Even though COVID was still around, my holiday gave my family hope that normality would return. -

Emily

Me with my family in India

Other Theories of COVID:

In such a strange time, bizarre theories of what was going on abounded! Warning, some are totally ridiculous!

“It escaped from a Chinese lab.”

“The pandemic is being manipulated by the ‘deep state’.”

“Just let it spread and get it over and done with.”

“We NEED to be more cautious.”

“It’s Bill Gates’ fault.”

“COVID was created as a biological weapon.”

“COVID is a plot by Big Pharma.” (basically a conspiracy to make people pay lots for pills etc.)

“It’s all a hoax.”

“Just a cold.”

“The media have inflated the death tolls.”

“The US military imported COVID into China.”

“COVID-19 doesn’t actually exist.”

“Its God’s way of decreasing the population.”

“5G is to blame.” (believed by many anti-vaxxers)

“Genetically modified crops are somehow to blame.”

COVID Headlines:

Assembly:

Two Years on and we were back in assembly…

The first Hymers College whole school assembly since the pandemic began as taken by Mr Wright!

A club that I am heavily involved in is the Time Capsule Club.

It was started in the lockdown of 2020 by Miss Robinson to document events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Appendix 1

Oscar makes our club famous!

Around three school years later, the club is still running, as none of us expected the effects of the virus to linger round for this long! I really enjoy going to Time Capsule Club as I get to discuss an important time period in history and also get to discuss a wide variety of topics and

events that have occurred during the COVID period. We are literally recording history, which is exciting! I would encourage every student to join at least one club as it allows you to socialise and meet new people you may never have talked to otherwise (I can honestly say I have

Appendix 2

made some lifelong friendships in both the Drama and Time Capsule Club) plus you have the chance to find a new hobby that you will have a passion for, for the rest of your life!

Assembly, September 2022.

Other people involved in the making of the time capsule or who attended our meetings in 2020: Pranav, Rhea, Pari, Miya, Luke, Elijah, Shreya, Samaira, Millie S, Lydia H, Emma and Jenna.

Date 19/5/2021

Minutes:

Examples of The Time Capsule Club Minutes from March 2021 to May 2021

Issues Discussed

• Questions to ask Mr Wright; What his role has been? Most trying time? What he’s personally looking forward to…?

• Questions to ask the Sixth Form: their experience and to the Politics two-how Boris has dealt with it.

• Lessons to be learned from COVID situation eg: being more hygienic!

1. Spend time with your family, esp older members, whilst it lasts!

2. Spend time in nature!

3. Be hygienic!

4. Treasure school, socially-good teaching and social time!

5. Follow the rules and we will get out of the situation better/quicker!

• Week’s events: The jabs for HPV being a precursor for the COVID one???

• Masks: happier without masks! Cautious!

• Thoughts on Boris - girls concerned that there has been too much criticism! Pandemic needed dealing with!!! Keira/Maud: as good as he could be!

• First hockey fixtures and tennis at the weekend.

• Letters from OHs.

12/5/2021

• New changes ahead- what do we think about how Boris has dealt with things?

• Zero COVID deaths on Monday!

• No masks potentially in lessons on Monday.

• Do we need to interview some people for the TC?

• Collect things from opening up.

• Opinions on opening up: Maud: prepared to wait a bit longer. Emily: could be a great step forward. Lydia: it feels like August last year. Do we need to be hugging? Fears too many rules are being dropped right now.

5/5/2021

• The big issue = getting the Queen’s letter finished and the illustration done. Letter was signed and a photo posed for before sending it off on 6/5/2021.

• Discussed the following:

Exam timetable has changed because of the Zooming - not being done until after HT, but clubbers are revising already! More injections being given, including Emily’s family getting their jabs. Concerns expressed about the opening up too soon - green list for travel and the issue of what happened at Xmas = a worry!

• Putting together the TC - should we be thinking of the lessons to be learned from COVID?

28/4/2021

Pranav and Florence missing. Lydia is back!

21/4/2021

Emily was missing; Lydia not attending!

14/4/2021

• The Queen’s letter.

• Oscar’s post-COVID haircut.

• The treatment of animals in lockdown.

• Reminder on the OH letters.

The Duke’s funeral was a massive discussion! And the Queen’s birthday. The group has decided to send a condolence letter to BP.

• Reminder on the OH letters.

• Composition of the Time Capsule - by item (alphabetically?) and with lots of lovely personal details. Use Maud’s scrapbook as a guide too…

• The death of the Duke of Edinburgh and looking ahead to his COVID funeral.

• Also talked about: OH project and how lovely it is to make contact with people from the older generation.

• Holidays: Oscar finding a machete in the garden! Oscar’s uncle getting married COVID-style to sounds of the Bee Gees (cue strutting!). Emily saw her great Grandma!

• Talked about the importance of the Duke of Edinburgh.

24/3/2021

• Start making the capsule next term…

• Discussed what’s been happening in Year 8

• COVID Memorial Day 23/3/2021 discussed including the purpose of the minute’s silence.

• Thoughts: can’t believe it was a year ago.

• France and Germany going into lockdown again.

• Idea of a statue - what or who would you put on it?

Keira: build a hospital or something useful!

Oscar: need a meaningful event!

Maud: need a statue of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Oscar: an anonymous medic and/or scientist.

Maud: need a version of the poppies from 2014.

Pranav: wants to see more scientific research, not statues!

• Meghan and Harry interview - pretty scathing of the situation and don’t like Meghan as a group!

Oscar: don’t like the misery aspect of the story!

Pranav: don’t care about this!

Keira: Harry backing his wife is noble, but Meghan not likeable!

Maud: has scrapbooked this and International Women’s Day.

Emily: Meghan is too bossy!

Oscar and Maud: too little coverage of IWD compared with World Book Day. Year 8 are currently doing issues like equality in RE.

• Sarah Everard and the idea of protest during lockdown -

Oscar: there should be the death penalty for certain types of crimes.

Keira: doesn’t like this idea because of the issue of innocence.

Emily: problems with sentences for crimes.

Florence: there are so many risks for women!

• Sarah Everard:

Emily = evil crime!

Keira = likened it to book she’s been reading.

Florence = in terms of IWD- 97% of women have been attacked at one time…

• Sexism in school? Felt like it was not too bad in school.

• Low-level shouting in lessons. No extreme behaviours in lessons.

Florence: there are lots of boys who don’t want to be beaten by a girl.

Emily: doing work on Feminism-doesn’t like the extremes of it!

Oscar: you need more trust between boys and girls.

All think there’s a need to have higher police checks and they all know about SOS devices on their phones.

• How’s it going back at school?

• How’s home testing going?

Pranav: hates testing!

Maud: really good to be back! So good to be in school and glad to see teachers!

Oscar: nice to be back!

Emily: relieved to be back! Felt like she needed to be back! Felt like she was understanding things on Zoom, but not totally!

Florence: time to get back. Glad schools opened ahead of shops!

Keira: Nice to be back, but thought it should have been after Easter!

10/3/2021

• Back to school - what are the joys of this?

• Changes to the lockdown rules

• Watching things on TV: Meghan and Harry

Oscar: seeing friends, seeing new people, being around people again!

Pranav: would rather have stayed at home!

Keira: friends! Laughter!

Maud: loves seeing everyone! Loves the human contact! The ‘aroma of the classroom’. The atmosphere!

Lydia: excitement in being back and it’s different being in person!

• Meghan & Harry

Maud: it’s like Meghan has taken over Harry

Emily: Harry’s bullied!

Oscar: Do your duties! Don’t milk your titles!

Lydia: pettiness!!!

Discuss this again next week…

3/3/2021

• Back to school excitement

Maud-bit concerned about tests! All thought they should be staggered… Looking forward to seeing staff and students.

Keira- One lesson she’s dreading. Also masks!

Oscar-masks around for a long time?

Florence-when to wear masks? Glad to see people for real.

Emily-super-hyped! It will take a long time to get over all aspects of COVID. Worried about the NHS afterwards and future illnesses!

• Shopping habits changing

Emily-talking about Amazon shop and go!

Maud-worried about the online/high street situation. Oscar-using shop and go a lot more.

• Where to visit once COVID is over

The girls have a bucket list! >> Disneyland, Blackpool, Scotland, NZ, Florida

• General updates

Maud-scrapbook going well - Captain Tom’s funeral added. Next session: discuss Keira’s birthday and the H & M interview.

• Back to school!

The Time Capsule Club with Mr Wright, Deputy Head Hymers College