COVID-19 ALTERS FINAL QUARTER
FOR TIGERS
O
n March 15, everything changed. That afternoon, the Department of Education ordered spring break extended one week because the COVID-19 virus was infecting people worldwide. Eventually, schools were closed for the year and residents were ordered to stay at home. That meant many changes for the McKinley community. One such change was remote learning. Remote learning can result in roadblocks. Natasha Taketa-Kim teaches piano and chorus. She said remote learning for piano and chorus is difficult because not everyone has the equipment at their homes and learning a piece as a large ensemble is difficult over the internet. “Sure, we can learn the song individually and from listening and copying from a recording if I post it,” she said, “but you don’t have that feeling of being a part of an ensemble.” One of the administrators, Candace Tonokawa, said the school closure has made personal communication with students and staff difficult. “It limits my ability to move about in the community,” she said. Sophomore Anthony Hoang said slow Wi-Fi makes turning in assignments difficult. “It’s also complicated sometimes and hard to understand assignments because it can be unspecific,” he said. Freshman Aia Isabel Filoteo said having assignments online isn’t a roadblock, but she prefers in-person instruction. “Doing homework at home without any assistance doesn’t help sometimes,”
she said. Senior Weishun He finds it increasingly hard to find time for school work and mandatory assignments due to his part-time job. “It has generally become difficult to look at assignments every night after my shift,” He said. Junior Tracee Nguyen is the student body corresponding secretary. She said a lot of students have been bored and are sad having to stay home for a long period of time. “Students like me are getting more distracted and unmotivated since we aren’t at school,” she said. “A few friends of mine have been calling each other to work together.” Counselor Lisa Panquites said she uses Instagram, Google Classroom and email to let students know that counselors are still available in case they need help or have questions and concerns. “It is hard for us to plan for something that keeps changing,” she said. “It’s just a matter of being flexible and considering many different possibilities as we know things will change.” “As a parent, I’ve been trying to get my counseling work done while finding work for my teenagers to do so their brains don’t get too lazy,” she said. Despite the worries and difficulties, sophomore Ryan Vanairsdale agrees with the DOE’s decision. “While coronavirus is not especially severe in children, schools act as petri dishes,” Vanairsdale said. “By the time we have one case in school, we probably have so many more undetected. It’s important to act before we feel the need to.” School closure has caused traditional events that Tigers looked forward to to be canceled.
Two annual concerts that were going to be performed by McKinley’s music program were canceled. One was the High School Parade of Bands and Orchestras. “It’s one tradition in a sense taken away from us because we usually do it every year,” junior clarinetist Angelo Luna said. Performing a concert takes a lot of commitment and dedication. Sophomore percussionist Noah Fouts said having a performance canceled takes away the pride of performing, especially for the seniors. “They put a lot of hard work into the program and for it to be canceled (is unfortunate),” he said. Another annual concert that was canceled was the Spring Concert, held to honor the seniors. “It is a very special moment for the seniors to perform one last time in the McKinley Band/Orchestra,” sophomore trumpeter Irika Zena B. Cruz said. “Feelings are flying everywhere and there is this beautiful feeling of us growing up and moving on.” Sophomore violinist Aniqua Mehdi also feels sorry for the seniors. “Hopefully, we can do something else that can honor the seniors and have a last concert for the school year for all the hard work everyone has put in,” she said. Spring sports were also canceled, affecting student athletes, especially seniors who had been looking forward to playing the last season of their high school career. “I suppose there is nothing I can do to stop it,” senior Gilbert Li said. “I am just moving on, although it brought me so much pain to think about all the memories I could have and would have made this past season as it was my final one.” Some students were glad that they had tried something new before school
The Pinion’s An Vo wrote this article for McKinley’s Black and Gold Yearbook closures were announced. “I’m glad I got to play soccer before this whole pandemic even started,” senior Leata Moafanua said. Not all events were canceled. Junior prom was scheduled on March 15, the day the extension for spring break was announced. With such short notice, juniors who were uncomfortable attending prom were offered a refund. Even though it was offered, none requested a refund and everyone attended. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to junior prom and I wanted to spend the night with my friends,” junior Alea Baniaga said. Junior Anh Nguyen said her friends had been looking forward to prom and didn’t expect the coronavirus pandemic to become such an issue at the time the spring break extension was announced. “We still carried on with our normal routines while getting ready,” she said. “I don’t regret it at all, though I do admit
that I was anxious at the end of the night when Principal Okamura gave us a speech about keeping safe throughout the break. He told us about how we should be grateful for still being able to attend prom, and I think we all were.” Junior Jayden Acosta said the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t too serious at the time the DOES made the announcement. “I’m happy that I went because it’s a good way to end junior year with no one being able to go outside and hang out with friends,” Acosta said. Probably the biggest disappointment of all was the announcement that seniors could not have prom or a traditional graduation. “It ruined my last year of high school, which was supposed to be the best three months of my life,” senior Arielle Formoso said. “I will remember never having a senior prom, nor a graduation.” Despite all the sadness, school closures did prove to have some bright spots. Counselor Panquites said, “I do believe
when we look back at this, we will be able to find some good that came out of it.” Sophomore Princess Cortes said being away from school allowed her to sleep in more. “I’ve been sleeping/resting a lot,” she said. “During school days, I went days without sleeping sometimes due to stress. Being able to sleep, even if it’s just a little, is really good.” Many students said being away from school allowed them to balance their personal and school life. “My mental health feels way better than before as I am less stressed and able to spend more time with loved ones,” sophomore Katherine Liu said. “In addition to this, I have been eating healthier and sleeping more.” Junior Xinyan Zheng said being away from school has made her feel happier and less stressed. “I get to invest my time in doing things I love more,” Zheng said.