FEATURE

COVID Even in the midst of a pandemic, the local effects of COVID-19 may seem distant to some. According to the district’s COVID-19 Dashboard, a total of 393 students and 96 staff members currently have or have had presumed or confirmed positive cases throughout the school year as of press time Nov. 9. The school is taking precautions to ensure the safety of its students and to repress the growth of these numbers, including offering both hybrid and online schooling models. In order to keep the school itself safe, students enrolled in the hybrid model alternate days at West so that there are less than 400 students in the building at once. Other precautionary measures include teachers sanitizing desks in between class periods, tape markings encouraging individuals walking in different directions to stay on opposite sides of the hallways and stopping the use of shared items such as computers and keypads. If a student or staff member contracts COVID-19, they are required to quarantine themselves for a minimum of two weeks. According to Chelsey Lenz, a nurse at West, students who attend school in person and display COVID-19 symptoms are required to provide a picture of a negative test result proving UNITY they don’t have the virus. If they don’t wish to get tested, they are required to self-isolate at home. Nurses call in every day to check on students who are marked absent due to illness, including those enrolled in the online learning program. Students, including those who are on the hybrid plan, are still required to go to Zoom meetings when they are at home as long as they are well enough to attend.Community members who “We do recommend that students be [in] communication with their teachers about recovered from COVID-19 share how they are feeling and their participation throughout [class] so that accommodations can their experiences with the virus and be made if needed,” Lenz said. Lenz also works closely with the Johnson what they have learned from it. County Public Health Department in order to contact trace the virus. In other words, she BY FAREEHA AHMAD & HELEN ZHANG identifies students who have been exposed through close contact with those who tested

PHOTOS BY MADDY SMITH & COURTESY OF JESSICA MEHEGAN DESIGN BY AMY LIAO positive for COVID-19. To do this, Lenz calls the families of students who have the virus and identifies who they have been in contact with by looking at seating charts, busing and extracurricular activities. She then notifies students who have been exposed and tells them to stay home. While these precautions can help mitigate the spread of the virus, students can still contract it JESSICA MEHEGAN, SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER outside of school. Twins Sara and Yusef Alaya ’22 contracted the virus over the summer. Sara SARA ALAYA ‘22 works a part-time job and believes she became unwell while working shifts there. Because of their close contact with each other, Yusef contracted the virus from Sara. “I was super, super surprised. I didn’t expect it at all because it was out of nowhere,” Sara said. “I 06 FEATURE NOV. 20, 2020 just woke up one day [and] had a fever.” “It was pretty surprising, but I felt weird. It

didn’t feel scary, but it just felt weird,” Yusef said.

The pair isolated themselves even before they received positive results confirming their illness. Yusef and Sara quarantined downstairs away from their parents to keep the virus from spreading. Their mom left food on the staircase, and in the meantime, the twins wiped down surfaces and kept themselves entertained with videogames and TV. However, these safety measures interfered with their daily routines even after they recovered. Sara missed part of the cross country season, which hindered her growth in the sport.

“In the end, it did permanently damage the success of my season,” Sara said. “I had to work super hard to get back into shape.”

Yusef could no longer work at his job while he was quarantining, and it became difficult for him to adjust back into his previous schedule after he recovered.

“Going back from just sitting in my room all day to going to work and doing stuff, it felt weird,” Yusef said.

Although symptoms were mild for the twins for the majority of their recovery, they still believe it is important to be especially cautious during this time.

“Sara wears her mask all the time at work and stuff like that,” Yusef said. “[But] she ended up getting it, so I think it’s a lot easier to get [COVID-19] than you think.”

Another student who missed sports practices due to the virus is Isabel Rivera ’24. Isabel did not contract COVID-19 herself, but her father, Diego Rivera, did. Around four days after Diego tested positive, he was hospitalized for one day due to a long-lasting fever to see if he had a blood infection and to check the functionality of his organs.

“The first day really affected us because it really hit us like, ‘Oh wow, this could change a lot of stuff,’” Isabel said. “It changed all of our lives for a while because we were really worried about him.”

Despite his hospitalization, Diego ended up with only mild symptoms, such as a cough and loss of taste. He quarantined in his bedroom for 11 days, avoiding contact with his family and missing 17 days of work. Isabel also had to quarantine at home, missing the end of her cross country season. Diego has recovered enough to be able to return to work but has been experiencing headaches as a lingering effect. According to him, many people experience effects like these after recovering from the virus, but he is hopeful that they will eventually go away. Diego and Isabel’s experience with COVID-19 has led them to take it more seriously.

“We really thought about what if my dad could get worse,” Isabel said. “It really hit me that we need to be safe because you never know when someone could pass away.”

Before getting it himself, Diego saw the virus as something that would be difficult to contract but now thinks differently.

“SARA WEARS HER MASK ALL THE TIME ... IT’S A LOT EASIER TO GET [COVID-19] THAN YOU THINK.”

YUSEF ALAYA ‘22

ISABEL RIVERA ’24

“IT REALLY HIT ME THAT WE NEED TO BE SAFE BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SOMEONE COULD PASS AWAY.”

“I just realized that it can happen, and that it is real,” he said. “It was definitely an eye-opener for me.”

Social studies teacher Jessica Mehegan caught the virus from her mother after a weekly family dinner. Mehegan’s mother is participating in a research study at the University of Iowa and gets tested for the virus twice a week. Despite their best efforts to stay safe, Mehegan started to experience symptoms, such as a fever, stiff neck and congestion, and tested positive for COVID-19 the week her mother also tested positive.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Mehegan said. “[But] I was scared because I didn’t want to spread it to my kids or husband or father-in-law.”

Along with her other symptoms, Mehegan suffered from the complete loss of taste and smell.

“That’s something that’s never happened to me before,” Mehegan said. “I couldn’t tell the difference between coffee and water.”

In order to keep her family safe, Mehegan wore a mask around them and had her husband manage all the meals. Additionally, she ate her food at separate times and tried to stay away from her family as much as possible. Although Mehegan was the only one who contracted the virus, her whole family had to quarantine together, and her husband was not able to go to work during that time period. Despite these challenges, Mehegan didn’t experience severe symptoms and was still able to teach online classes.

“I was lucky to have mild symptoms, but the virus itself is highly contagious and deadly. I worry about the fact that I could have spread it to my father-in-law, who is 79, if I wasn’t careful,” Mehegan said.

Lenz has seen the severities of the virus firsthand and encourages everyone to stay safe and work together to get through the pandemic.

“I want you all to be able to fully participate in extracurriculars, hang out with your friends and have everyone back on campus, but to get there, we all have to do our part,” Lenz said. “Support each other and don’t perpetuate the stigma that is often associated with a positive result. Encourage your friends and teammates to be honest about reporting symptoms and results and maintain open lines of communication with your school nurse and teachers.”

393 total COVID-19 student cases since 8/15/20 121students currently positive 96 total COVID-19 staff cases since 8/15/20 staff currently positive 25 4 extracurricular program closures classroom closures 16 Data compiled on 11/9/2020 Source: ICCSD COVID-19 Dashboard FEATURE NOV. 20 , 2020 07

CUL CHEA TURE ting 08 FEATURE NOV. 20, 2020 BY RUBA AHMED & KRISHA KAPOOR Students and educators reflect on how different learning structures result in academic dishonesty and what methods teachers use to combat cheating. Through a screen we might feel an inch away from others, but in reality, we are miles apart. With turned-off cameras hiding forbidden resources, the absence of eyes directly watching a student’s every move during a test can result in an increased temptation to cheat. It is hard to ensure academic integrity in a largely online world. Even more difficult can be defining what constitutes cheating. Dr. Gregg Shoultz, director of PK-12 online learning for the ICCSD, describes cheating as, “passing someone else’s work off as your own.” From plagiarism of work found online to messaging friends for answers, most methods involve the use of electronic devices students carry with them everywhere. However, it is not always the students’ intentions to purposefully follow a path of academic dishonesty. With Canvas, for instance, the distinction between assignments and assessments has become blurred, leaving some students confused about the boundaries of resource usage. Teachers’ expectations of how students will act in combination with ethical concerns have obscured what counts as cheating. Online student Shivy Mannengi ’23 acknowledges how complicated this moral line can be. “I guess there’s a question of ethics because they’ll tell us not to [cheat],” Mannengi said. “I think most students find themselves [cheating] anyways because it just turns into making sure they get a good grade.” Although cheating was present even before school moved online, it has risen with the increase in remote assessments. According to The Washington Post, the online proctoring service ProctorU saw a rise in cheating from less than 1% to above 8% from April to June of 2020 during the start of remote testing due to COVID-19. This has raised the question of whether the difficulty level of tests changes depending on where they are administered. Hybrid student Lydia Cui ’22 compares her experiences taking online and in-person tests. “In-person tests are easier for me because even though you can cheat on an online test, it’s just easier to write down all my work, and then it’s a lot easier for teachers to give partial credit, which I personally like,” Cui said. Some classes continue to use the traditional paper-pencil testing format while others have opted for virtual methods despite being in an in-person classroom. For hybrid student Razan Babikir ’22, this change did not go unnoticed. “Personally ... I’m way more comfortable using pencil and paper, but a lot of teachers ... try to limit that,” Babikir said. With 55.3% of West ART & DESIGN BY GRACE HUANG

students enrolled in the hybrid learning model, To compensate for this, Seidel has changed her many wonder whether online students have an mindset on student evaluation. unfair advantage during tests due to easier ac- “I am really looking at assessments in a differcess to cheating resources. ent light this year. I am allowing open notes and

To combat this, teachers have searched for retakes. I want students to learn from their asways to provide relatively equal assessments to sessments and really show what they know, even accommodate for the different testing environ- if it means it takes them several attempts,” Seidel ments while continuing to challenge students. said.

Science teacher Michelle Wikner decided to Consequently, when teachers have trouble create modified tests for her online students. providing this guidance, students often turn to However, she believes there are still disparities in cheating. Although finding shortcuts may ofthis system. Hybrid students are not permitted fer immediate relief, some teachers are worried to use notes during the test and are constantly that cheating will prevent students from actually supervised, while online students have no eyes learning the material. watching what they do. In an attempt to equalize “Students are really cheating themselves...in the assessments, Wikner created open note but finding someone else to do their work rather time-constricted exams for her remote students. than constructing the knowledge that the asShe originally predicted that her online students signment requires,” Shoultz said. would perform better because of cheating, but The biggest concern for AP teachers, whose found that her hybrid students ended up per- purpose is to prepare students to take AP exams forming better. in the spring, is that students are simply submit-

“They did really, really well, and they got done ting work at the expense of understanding the faster than [online students]…,” Wikner said. material. Spanish teacher Amy Seidel doesn’t believe the “I want students to learn things, and I’m afraid main issue is whether students are being tested that people aren’t learning things very well beequally. Rather, she worries that online students cause they’re relying too much on other sourcaren’t receiving an equal amount of opportunity es.” Wikner said. and guidance. Whether in-person or online, there are several

“The real struggle is connecting with online reasons a student may choose to be academistudents when they are struggling with their as- cally dishonest. Teachers predict that pressure, sessments,” Seidel said. laziness and frustration over assignments are all reasons that students may turn to cheating. Prior to the pandemic and subsequent change of the schooling situation, students already found themselves facing pressure to succeed in West’s competitive environment. “Classes are moving so fast; the combination of understanding the material and completing all “ I WANT STUDENTS TO LEARN FROM THEIR ASSESSMENTS assignments… all of it adds up and it just takes so much time,” Mannengi said. “It’s like the students almost have to [cheat].” Moreover, Babikir feels less accountable when taking a test online, which decreases her motivation and pressure to perform well. “When I’m taking [a test] online, I’m like ‘Oh god, I hate this tab. It’s been open for the last 15 minutes or something. I can’t figure this question out. I’m just going to write something. AND REALLY Whatever. It’s just a computer,’” Babikir said. For Babikir, the ultimate reason for cheating SHOW WHAT THEY comes down to procrastination. “I was always a procrastinator,” Babikir said, “but this year, I think I took it to a whole new KNOW, EVEN IF IT level.” After a long day of in-person school, Babikir MEANS IT TAKES has very little motivation left to start working on homework right away. In the end, she feels THEM SEVERAL procrastination can cause students to look for answers outside of their own knowledge. ATTEMPTS.” Despite cheating being almost inevitable in an online setting, teachers still make an effort to prevent it. Resources such as lockdown brows-AMY SEIDEL, ers and websites that check for plagiarism are provided to teachers. However, Wikner chooses SPANISH TEACHER to opt out of imposing such restrictions because

WE HOPE BY GIVING STUDENTS MEANINGFUL “ AND AUTHENTIC TASKS, THEY WILL NOT BE AS INCLINED TO LOOK FOR SHORTCUTS.” -GREGG SHOULTZ, DIRECTOR OF PK-12 ONLINE LEARNING

she believes it is part of the student’s responsibility to make the best choices for themselves.

“At some point it’s going to be quicker if you just learn it and get it done,” Wikner said.

In contrast, Seidel believes students may use notes during online tests so long as it helps them learn the material.

“I hope that [the students] see the task as more manageable and practice the skills we have learned and reviewed rather than trying to do something that is out of their comfort zone completely,” Seidel said.

Shoultz agrees that the most effective method of preventing cheating and promoting learning is to adapt to the current learning situations.

“We hope by giving students meaningful and authentic tasks, they will not be as inclined to look for shortcuts,” Shoultz said.

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09

Z MOO ED TUO

BY ALICE MENG

It’s seventh period, but somehow you’re still sprawled in bed. Your head is throbbing and your back aches. A voice drones on from your laptop on the other side of the room. If it wasn’t for the fear that your teacher might call on you, you’d be fast asleep. This is the new reality for many online students experiencing “Zoom fatigue.”

In the first trimester, 44.7% of students enrolled in the online learning program. Those students have attended synchronous classes over Zoom for half of the school day and completed work asynchronously for the remaining portion. However, the hours spent on Zoom have added up, leaving students feeling drained.

Online student Ida Behnami ’21 has been having trouble staying engaged during Zoom classes.

“When I have my camera off, which is really tempting to do, sometimes I’ll just go off and do my own thing, or I’ll go on my phone,” Behnami said. “It’s kind of hard. The audio will disconnect from the teachers, or they’ll get kicked out [of the Zoom meeting], and so then there’ll be a disruption in the class, and then it just makes me not focus for the rest of class.”

Teachers who have opted to teach from home have noticed this lack of engagement from stu-

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FEATURE dents. Math teacher Julie Kennebeck has struggled to connect with her students and understand their needs in a virtual setting. Since only a couple of her students turn their cameras on during class, she finds it difficult to adjust her teaching pace as needed.

“It would be great to have more of the cameras on when I’m talking to them, just so I can make the eye contact and get the nods and have that reassurance … as a math teacher, I want to know that we’re getting the nods and the clicking, and if I’m not, that guides what I talk about next. I don’t get that on [Zoom],” Kennebeck said.

Kennebeck has been trying to encourage student participation by utilizing breakout rooms and the chat feature on Zoom but is still not receiving as much feedback compared to in-person classes. Online social studies teacher Alexei Lalagos has also been facing a disconnect with his students and is missing the typical classroom dynamic he had enjoyed before. According to Lalagos, during in-person classes, he could facilitate an interactive environment and create collaborative group projects. With online classes, however, Lalagos finds it difficult to emulate the energy levels of previous years.

“It’s a lot different when you’re just staring at 20 black boxes. Maybe they’ll talk to you, maybe they won’t,” Lalagos said. “As we try to chat directly to students or say their name, or ‘Are you

As online learning continues, students are starting to experience the symptoms of “Zoom fatigue,” a phenomenon new to many in the age of video calls and COVID-19.

there, are you there?’ We don’t know if they’re making a sandwich or having internet troubles or whatever. It’s sort of defeating, and I don’t know what’s going on behind there.”

According to Christopher Anders, a counseling psychology doctoral student at the University of Iowa, virtual communication can contribute to confusion and disconnect between students and teachers. He attributes this to the fact that crucial nonverbal communication cues are often missed online.

“You’re only getting like 10% of someone [on Zoom]. If someone gets overwhelmed or stressed, they might be bouncing their leg, they might be crossing their arms and sort of closing off. You lose a lot of those important [cues] from the shoulders down … so you lose a lot of that information,” Anders said. “All the normal nonverbals that we have are just gone, which might

“EVERYTHING KIND OF FEELS THE SAME, AND YOU’RE LOOKING AT A SCREEN FOR FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT.” - AIDAN OHL ‘22

cause us to engage in a lot of extra effort in order to actually be paying attention and focusing in.”

He believes this leads to a disruption in the natural rhythm of conversations and can cause anxiety among speakers. With an unfamiliar platform of communication, Anders notes navigating a new set of social norms can be mentally taxing. The inability to recognize social cues and responses after speaking over Zoom can cause uncertainty and discomfort.

“That leaves us often guessing as to how [we are] being received by others, especially when you’re in the middle of a Zoom class or something and everyone’s mics are muted,” Anders said. “Can you imagine in a normal everyday conversation in a group saying something and then everyone just sits there silently staring at you?”

As online students learn virtually, screen time has skyrocketed, and many no longer get physical activity throughout the day. Aidan Ohl ’22 takes seven classes online and has had to take more time reviewing material outside of class than normal, leading to even more time spent on his computer.

“I think really just having to stare at one place while staying in one place, it’s a combination of a psychological thing of not moving, not going between different classes. Everything kind of feels the same, and you’re looking at a screen for four hours straight,” Ohl said.

As a result, some online students and teachers have been experiencing physical symptoms like eye strain and back pain. Along with muscle fatigue and poorer eyesight, Kennebeck has been suffering from neck pain and had to get a larger computer monitor to encourage better posture.

A sedentary lifestyle and excessive screen time have also made it difficult for Behnami to stay motivated and focused during class.

“I have started to get migraines … so I have to take an aspirin or something every time before class and then it’s hard to focus, but then I don’t want to turn off my camera or my computer because I have to listen to what the teacher says,” Behnami said. “It’s just kind of finding that balance between ‘Do I want to watch the computer and have a worse headache?’ or ‘Do I just want to kind of quit?’”

Anders believes another factor contributing to fatigue is technological distractions and overexertion. Endless possibilities for multitasking online and many faces displayed at once in gallery view can be mentally overwhelming.

“There’s so much stimulus that’s constantly coming in all day ... that we don’t have a break from,” Anders said. “That in itself can be exhausting because it forces us to pay attention for a really long time and try to hyperextend our focus.”

Lalagos has been struggling with focusing on only one task while teaching and ensuring he is accessible to all his students during class through many different forms of communication.

“I have my computer here, I’ve got windows open on here, Zoom has a chat feature that your students are interacting with there … there’s all of these constant things coming all the time, and it’s really tiring to deal with all of that,” Lalagos said.

With online students and teachers working from home, some have been finding it challenging to maintain a work-life balance. According to Anders, the lack of a separation between a workspace and relaxation place creates a constant reminder of stress and work deadlines.

“We just don’t have much of a break from it and where we can take those breaks ends up being the same place … We’re constantly plugged in or constantly in the space that we’re working, [and] that stress doesn’t necessarily go away,” Anders said.

As a result of this never-ending fatigue, some students have reported low motivation levels. Behnami has been finding she doesn’t put as much effort into learning and schoolwork and believes feeling disconnected with her teachers and classmates has further contributed to her lack of motivation.

“[Zoom] just doesn’t connect us in the way that we’re used to … It often leaves us feeling more lonely and disconnected … and so it ends up being less rewarding,” Anders said. “There’s also the reason for why we’re doing this and why we’re here ... Zoom might even be a reminder that we are sort of stuck in this world and a little bit helpless or out of control on that.”

HOW TO COMBAT ZOOM FATIGUE

Set boundaries for yourself During passing time in between classes, take a quick walk around or stretch. Avoid using your phone or laptop to give your eyes and brain a break.

Change your environment after the school day Dedicate a space solely for relaxation. Change into different clothes. Pull a Mr. Rogers and trick your brain into having a separate work and life environment, even if you’re in the same room.

Don’t work in bed Work in a place where you can stay focused and get in a productive mindset.

Give yourself breaks without screen time Pick up a new hobby, read a good book, or learn a new recipe.

FEATURE