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HOW THE PANDEMIC CHANGED ELLET STUDENTS
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As part of their Report for America service project, corps members and staff reporters Abbey Marshall and H.L. Comeriato worked with an Ellet Community Learning Center news writing class, taught by Emily Lees, to help students write narrative pieces about their lives as high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are student dispatches from various points of the previous school year.
What it’s like playing high school sports during a pandemic
WRITTEN BY ALESSANDRA PINTO; PHOTOS BY BECKY TUCKER
It’s sad thinking about how much our lives have changed in such a short amount of time, even the little things. Last year, we had a normal soccer season and this year we barely got one.
The day that the Akron Public Schools Board of Education decided if we would be able to continue with sports at Ellet CLC High School, I was at home. I had asked my parents if I could go to the field to play soccer with a bunch of people, but I received a message from our coach a few minutes before I got there: “It saddens me to send this message out, but APS has suspended all sports immediately.” Once I showed up, I told my friend who was sitting on the bench watching the others play.
Soon after, many students and coaches from APS protested in front of the Board of Education on North Main Street. It was rainy outside, but that didn’t stop them from showing up and fighting for their season. Our captain, Kayla Suansing, and Ellet Coach Justin Dimengo were among those who participated. I wasn’t able to go. Not too long after this protest, the Board of Education decided that they would allow sports with health and safety rules in place.
As soon as we got a yes on sports, our coach started practices the following week. At the practices, we were full of joy because even though we weren’t allowed to start games right away, we were just happy to play. Personally, I was excited to play; the field was one of the only places outside of school where I was around people. We took precautions, including social distancing and wearing our masks coming to and leaving practices. We only played inner city schools and everyone was socially distanced while sitting on the bench. Even our belongings had to be distanced at least six feet apart.
I think that this experience brought our team closer together. The team always had fun together, but this year, knowing that we were close to canceling the season made it more fun and full of joy.
Some of the rules that the board set were that we could only play district teams, which was disappointing for us because only two other schools have a girls soccer team. That meant 10 games: five against each team.
“I was grateful that we were able to play against any team at all. Yes, I was disappointed but under the circumstances, I understood,” said captain Kayla Suansing.
“At first, I dreaded the same game five times, but each game was just another chance to play some soccer,” said Suansing. I knew playing the same two teams wasn’t the ideal season, but we were all happy to get to play and knew that the board was doing their best to keep us safe while at the same time letting us have fun playing sports. We made the most out of the season and played the best we could, winning all 10 games and making it past the first round of the playoffs.
Next year, I hope to get back to the regular season like we had my freshman year, play different teams, and go to tournaments.
Alessandra Pinto is a student at Ellet Community Learning Center. This piece was published as part of a collaborative project between Report for America corps members Abbey Marshall and H.L. Comeriato and Ellet CLC’s news writing class taught by Emily Lees.
How COVID-19 got teens thinking about politics
BY SEBASTIAN SHUMATE
Before the presidential election, my dad and I would sit on the couch watching the news, and inevitably, COVID-19 updates would pop up at the bottom of the screen.
Over the last year, news coverage has focused on two things: COVID and national politics. If you use a social media platform, have a TV or talk to family or friends, then you have likely heard how much COVID and politics are intertwined. COVID is one of the biggest problems that the U.S. has ever faced, and it has changed life for teens across the country, from distance learning and limited interaction with friends and family, to the way young people think about national politics in their own lives.
Some Americans have chosen to accept the reality of the virus, while others have not. Some people choose not to wear a mask, social distance, or practice basic hand sanitizing. Lawmakers have played such a big role in how Americans are dealing with COVID, and as a result, teens are becoming more aware of politics on a national scale.
I talked to a few people who have also been following current events to find out how national politics have influenced the way they deal with the pandemic.
My dad, James Shumate, has been more involved in politics than I am. “My decision was almost set in stone, but I wanted to see how these candidates handled the virus and what they were going to do with it,” he said in regards to voting for president.
Adults aren’t the only ones interested in politics. Many teens are very proactive and have strong opinions on this matter. Everyone has a voice, and now more than ever teens have been strongly interested in having theirs heard.
For example, I cannot vote yet, but I have been more involved and focused on politics than ever before. Maybe it comes with age, but I do not think that is the case. Things felt different in 2020, anda president should be able to handle a national pandemic accordingly and safely. I believe we cannot keep denying the numbers of cases and deaths, and that something has to be done.
Between February 2020 and May 2020, there were more than 38,000 cases and more than 900 deaths in Summit County. 541,013 people live in Summit County. If you compare this to 2019, a total of 83 people died in Summit County. The numbers went up drastically from pre-COVID days.
But my opinion alone isn’t going to cut it, so I asked people my own age what they think about the connection between COVID and national politics. I asked my friend, Jagger Cook, if his response to COVID was influenced by the political candidates he supports. “At first it did,” Cook said. “Then I looked at the numbers and I realized that [President Trump] was an idiot.”
“No, I didn’t treat COVID [differently] based on who I support,” my other friend Trevor Ingham said. “My family is Republican but we didn’t treat COVID any differently than a Democratic family would’ve. We wore our masks and followed the regulations given by the government.”
In my opinion, I think things are going to change. We have elected a new president, Joe Biden, who has different ideas and a different plan to try and stop the spread of COVID-19. However, how is this going to shape us? This is how a lot of kids are growing up now, so will this have a long lasting effect? Will this situation change how teens see politics and will they stay more involved?
The future may be full of questions, but for now, we can try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wear your mask and stay safe!
Sebastian Shumate is a student at Ellet Community Learning Center. This piece was published as part of a collaborative project between Report for America corps members Abbey Marshall and H.L. Comeriato and Ellet CLC’s news writing class taught by Emily Lees.
How the pandemic gave me renewed confidence
WRITTEN BY ERICA KELLER
During the pandemic, there’s not much to do besides going on social media. Spending hours online during quarantine affects teens’ confidence and mental health in both positive and negative ways, but for me, it has made me more confident and has had a significant improvement on my mental health.
While we had in-person school, I was extremely insecure and had terrible social anxiety. I felt a need to fit in. But for the past year, I haven’t been worried about others’ opinions because you can’t see anyone during quarantine. This helped me become more confident and express who I am. When school shifted to online classes, I took the time to focus on my mental health. I redecorated my room, bought new clothes that made me feel comfortable, started eating healthier and working out more. I stopped focusing on the negative. This helped me a lot and made me feel better about my life. Focusing on the positive can have a huge impact on your life. Some of my friends are also using this time to improve themselves. My friend Savanna Collier said, “I grew closer with many of my friends and being around healthy friendships made me love myself.” But not everyone is feeling as optimistic as I am during this time. While having extra time to be online and improve myself has been good for me, more teenagers are experiencing mental health issues. A 4-H study analyzing the mental health effects of the pandemic on youth found 55% of teens say they’ve experienced anxiety, 45% excessive stress and 43% depression. The study also found that during the pandemic, teens report spending 75% of their waking hours on screens. One of my friends told me they had already suffered from anxiety and depression before the pandemic. Isolation has only made those mental health issues worse, they say. “I developed an eating disorder during quarantine,” they told me. “I ended up seeing a psychiatrist for it because I was in danger of heart failure and organ shutdown.” What I’ve learned during this time is that everyone has a different life and therefore different experiences. The pandemic has impacted our lives in many ways, from our confidence to our physical health. Discovering what made me confident is extremely important. I’m planning on continuing to look on the bright side and be grateful for what I have.
Erica Keller is a sophomore at Ellet Community Learning Center. This piece was published as part of a collaborative project between Report for America corps members Abbey Marshall and H.L. Comeriato and Ellet CLC’s news writing class taught by Emily Lees.
