The Student Voice of Brighton High School
What is one thing you learned during the last nine months.
In these past nine months since COVID-19 started to have a serious impact on America, I have learned a lot about myself. I have realized that although I am more of an introvert and would rather be with smaller groups of people rather than large ones, I still value personal connections with people around me. I have found that I actually miss the energy that is within crowds of people. I like to surround myself with people that have bigger personalities than me and so when we were all forced to quarantine it became clear that I was unhappy not being able to do this. Group facetimes have been a lifesaver for me during this time because I am able to surround myself with others who can still express their big personalities, despite not being with them physically. I have also learned a lot about the power and influence social media has on our lives. Many social media platforms were used, especially this summer, to highlight the problems within America, which had positive and negative effects. I found it hard to talk about deep topics with others through social media and not being able to actually interact with them in real life.
-McKenna Yates ('21)
I learned that no matter what I do to fill my time I will always need social interaction. This is due to the fact that without social interaction my life would be horrible and I may be lonely and even depressed without my friends and the time that I get to spend around them and talking to them. The quarantine has led me to be really appreciative for this because even a few weeks without talking to people can be miserable and can lead to me becoming a recluse for a bit and just digging myself into a deeper and deeper hole. This affects me especially because I love being around people and while I am I get more and more energy throughout it, while spending time alone will drain me faster than if I am around other people. This could lead to very serious problems because if I spend too much time alone all i will want to do is that and that will just be like someone who wants to eat but is full and doesn’t have anything else to do but eat. I am glad I learned this because it makes me value my friends even more.
-Andrew Cronk ('21)
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Honestly, the past nine months have taught me that I only need myself. I think it’s hard to come to terms with being on your own for long periods of time. Don’t get me wrong, I love being by myself. Though, I get to the point where I feel so lonely that I just need someone to talk to and I end up not knowing who to turn to. Once school closed down, I lost contact with a lot of my friends. It wasn’t exactly a reflection of them as people, I think school was just the thing that kept us together. If we met up outside of school, we basically wouldn’t have anything to talk about. The dramatic loss of friends taught me that I don’t need them. It would be nice to still talk to them, but it’s not 100% necessary to talk to them everyday. I have my parents and siblings. I have my teachers. I have my boyfriend. I have myself! There’s nothing wrong with finding company with just some music, a glass of water, and a little bit of homework. I have found joy in playing games such as Among Us. More often than not, there’s just no other place I’d like to be more than in my room. I think learning this over quarantine is significant because it gets me closer to knowing my worth.
-Andrea Donlucas ('22)
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I learned that life isn’t always going to be easy, but through the hardships, the best bonds are made. I have never been closer to any of my friends than I am now because we have really been there for each other recently. I genuinely don’t know what I would do without these people, and the support that we give each other is one of the strongest bonds I’ve seen.
-Kirby Federocko ('21)
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Over these last nine months, there’s been a whirlwind of emotions. Changes have happened more often than not, and there’s a haze of uncertainty that fills the world. However, these last nine months have really put things into perspective for me. I’ve learned more about what really matters in life. You don’t really know what you miss until something is taken from you, and I think that’s been very apparent this past year.
Personally, I’ve missed out on sports, hanging out with friends, being able to go to church or school, not being able to travel, and much more. Since I haven’t been able to do all of these things, my perspective has changed. I love basketball with a passion, but it’s not the most important thing in life. Before quarantine, and an injury, basketball was a big part of my life. Now that I’ve been without it for a while, I’ve realized that there is much more to life. When realizing that basketball isn’t the most important thing, it helped me see how important my religion is to me. Since I’m not able to go to church every week, due to the COVID restrictions, I’ve realized how I need to work on myself more and work on diligently building my faith. While we’ve missed out on many things in this COVID time, I’ve truly had my eyes opened and I’ve been able to distinguish what’s important in life.
-Payton Gagon ('22)
One thing that I have learned during the past nine months is to create a positive mindset, no matter the situation. While being stuck in quarantine for so long, I found myself becoming consumed in negativity, wasting days away wishing that things were different. I’ve since realized how much time I wasted being miserable, when I could’ve been making the best of the situation, doing things that made me happy. I think that life is what you make it, and sitting around moping about the things that you could be doing if things were different is a monumental waste of the life you’ve been given. Things aren’t different. It’s important to know that, and to find peace in that. All you can do is remember the good things that you’ve been given, and attempt to love every second of your life. I’ve learned that practicing gratitude in times of hardship ultimately creates a happier life, and a positive mindset. At the end of the day, life doesn’t have to be as miserable as you make it you make it out to be.
-Faith Garcia ('22)
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During these past nine months, I have learned that everyone is not perfect and always make mistakes. I have made mistakes but I have learned from them. This is significant to me because I had to learn that me, myself, and my own happiness is what comes first because if I learn to make someone else happy before myself then I would be miserable.
-Natalle Garcia ('23)
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During the past nine months, I have noticed a lot of things but one thing stuck out to me and it's the fact that people always find something to hate about each other instead of something that they like about each other that even in this dark time people find ways to put each other down instead of lifting them up. Instead of finding someone's best thing about them when first meeting someone people always notice what's wrong with that new person. Like instead of realizing that this person is a Gryffindor and knowing that you are too you may think to yourself “ Wow what a nerd”. That's something I've noticed in the past nine months.
-Aidan Glynn ('22)
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I learned in the past couple of months the value of organization. With college applications, online AP classes, and working a part time job, delegating my time correctly has been essential. I have realized that when I am not organized in all aspects of my life, I grow to be much more irritated and unsure. Organizing my time as well as my environment gives me a sense of security that then allows me to be efficient in my work. That said, I have also realized my limitations in attentiveness and focus. Accepting this fact, however, makes it easier to section out work over a good period of time so that I don’t feel bogged down with excess work or stressed by my own procrastination. It is imperative that I allow myself to take breaks when I spend a substantial amount of time working so that I can maintain my motivation and overall productivity.
-Will Halverson ('21)
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I believe that the world and everyone in it take most things for granted. I learned that I take so many things for granted that can so easily be taken away by the world. It has done just that. I had so much fun ahead of me. Senior Year! I believed that everything in the world would just work out. That someone would do something about all my problems, and I could remain a little kid that had little responsibilities, and all the time in the world to do the things I love. All at once, the world came tumbling down around me, and my senior year was crushed into a million pieces and I think that it’s sad that the entire world has to suffer under the strains of a pandemic while I worried about my senior homecoming. I cannot help but feel a little guilty for how self-centered I am but at the same time I cannot change that part about me. I am still sad that I might not have prom. I am still sad that I had a short and lackluster tennis season. I am still sad that I can rarely see my friends. Meanwhile families are suffering. Families losing loved ones. I guess that is something I am going to have to deal with because that is the reality of my situation. I want the world to be normal again. I want my normal life back. I do not know when I may get it back and I just hope I can keep smiling through these difficult times.
-Katsumi Hayashi ('21)
What is something you have
missed about life
during the last nine months.
There are so many answers to the question of what I have missed over the last nine months. If I had to narrow it down though, I would say that the biggest things that have really left a hole is the lack of huge social events, such as concerts, conventions, and assemblies. Even though I know that I am not the most avid concert or convention goer, the lack of those things made humanity feel less together, like we were drifting apart. All of those events always seemed to be things that brought people together, people with common interests would spend time with and talk to each other, even if they were complete strangers. Along with that, a lot of the conventions in particular were annual events. Their absence was highlighted even more by the fact that it was the first time in years and years that they hadn’t occurred. Now that school has officially started, the thing that has stood out to me most (besides the obvious change in class structure) is the lack of assemblies. I hate assemblies, but since it is my senior year, I realized that I might never have the chance to go to a high school assembly again. This may sound arbitrary, but it is a bittersweet thought to me.
-Reagen Hindman ('21)
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One thing that I think has changed that I miss is the atmosphere about places. Swim meets are quiet when previously there seemed to be an anxious and excited atmosphere around the swimming area. Everyone is silent at swim meets and it creates this uneasy edge because no one is shouting for their child that is swimming in the pool. All of the parents are at home, watching a live stream of the meet. The hallways at Brighton High School are usually filled with people talking about their lives, but now there is just a faint murmur and shuffle of people. When you go to restaurants they seem eerily quiet because there aren’t as many people dining. Parents are at home because their job got switched to being remote. Most of all, people lack human interaction. The elderly are stuck in nursing homes because they are at a very high risk. People are discouraged from meeting with their friends and family because of spreading Covid-19. It causes deprivation of hormones and causes people to be more anxious. All of this causes a change in atmosphere that is alienating from what we previously knew.
-Robert Jorstad ('21)
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Something I’ve missed about life during the last nine months, is the rare occasion in which I choose to smile at people. You can’t see it through the mask, due to this I’ve noticed the mood shift from customary to solemn in people’s interactions. Going out to a restaurant is okay... it’s loud, and the portions are usually way too big, which results in asking for a box so you don’t insult the restaurant. Going into the grocery store with a mask is fantastic to me, no one knows who I am, no more long conversations about “what I am up to”. However, the daily interactions that I used to have are now grim and uncomfortable. The simple “thank you, have a nice day” sounds forced, and drained, and when I’m at work, it’s hard to tell if people are joking or being sincere. Overall, I miss the genuine expression that people are happy, even just for a little bit. That’s a synonym for smile in 5 words, it was getting too repetitive.
-Chase Kanger ('21)
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In the last nine months, I’ve missed a variety of things. I’ve missed being able to go to school and hanging out with friends. Admittedly, I never really hung out with friends before this, but now I can’t at all. Having limited to no social interaction with people leaves me alone and feeling bad. It makes me regret not keeping up with friends in the first place and it overall just sucks. I’ve also missed seeing family members. Most of my family in Colorado are high risk, meaning I can’t see them at all.
-Oliver Kriska ('22)
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One thing I missed these past nine months is the ability to play sports. I play hockey, which is a physical contact sport, so it was obvious it wasn't going to survive. luckily the Stanley Cup playoffs still happened with The Lightning winning the cup ( my brothers favorite team). The season is supposed to start in January. Hockey’s important to me because it's entertaining and is one the only sports that allows fighting, not counting boxing. You never know what's gonna happen, which is even more why I love it.
-Matthew Mctarnsey ('24)
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Something I missed about life before covid-19 is traveling. I am one incredibly lucky to be able to travel, though my family loves going on cruises. I think cruising with my family has been the best experience so far, because I get to learn about my own culture, traditions and from new ones too. I absolutely love the idea of meeting new people which happens a lot in a cruise, there’s clubs for people around your age and you get to hangout with them, talk to them, sing with them, party with them, go to dinner with them, swim with them and many more things but It’s like you brought your friends to travel with you and that's amazing to me. I personally get to learn about them so much, for example it took me 2 full cruising days to understand my Puerto Rican friends because we both talk Spanish but they talk way faster and now I understand it completely! I also got to meet the sweetest Canadians, other Mexicans and some from England. I think it’s important to me because not only are they unforgettable trips but being a social butterfly also helps, I learned new things about me, others and the world included.
-Alexa Pulido ('22)
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The thing I miss most about life in the past 9 months is everyone not being afraid of their world and each other. I wouldn't ever think this would be something I could miss. However, with this global pandemic I am sorely mistaken. In the span of 9 months, this world has become so conditioned to fearing one another and being on edge, that all sense of humanity seems lost. This may be over-dramatic, or it may not be, but I can't think of any other way to put it. It is slowly starting to feel as if this is the norm now. No one is denying the seriousness of this situation we´re in, but no one can deny that our attitude as humans has been tainted. We´ve all been through an ugly point in time and there is no end in sight. The thing I don´t understand is through all this turmoil and hurt the world is going through, wouldn't you want to bring positivity into it? I miss people loving one another unconditionally, and not being fearful of their future. Things will get better I know, but what will it take to get where we once were before?
-Donaven Stines ('21)
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The biggest thing I missed out on was soccer. Soccer is a really big part of my life, without it I pretty much do nothing. So when this got taken away it really put a damper on me and every part of my personal life. There were downsides and to be honest there were a few positive things it brought into my life. The good things it brought into my life are that I had more time to focus on myself and I wasn’t really as stressed out as before. And it allowed me to have more time to complete school assignments. But without it I got out of shape, I wasn’t really as happy as before, I had no motivation to do anything, and obviously I was not able to practice which will affect me later down the road. Overall this really had a negative impact on my life because obviously when you're doing something that you enjoy and is basically a routine and that thing gets taken away, it causes a little bit of pain physically and mentally. But once again these are all things that are completely out of control so I didn’t stress too much when this happened.
-Kelsi Veik ('23)
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As everyone well knows, life in the past nine months has been entirely different than what it was “supposed” to look like this year. Starting off my last year of high school in a global pandemic is not something I had imagined doing— at all. I had an idea in my mind of what my senior year would look like, and it mostly involved attending events for the seniors, having a fulfilling last season of cross country, being able to do lots of things with friends, and enjoying my final classes with my peers. This vision has been flipped upside down, and I am left with almost the exact opposite of each of those ideas. I completely understand why these things cannot come to fruition, but it does not make it easier when I think about the experiences I am going to miss this year. I miss the connections I was once able to have with my teachers and peers as I saw them every day at school. These connections were so valuable to me and I cherished them very much—they made me excited to attend school every day. There are still attempts to make these connections again, but I also know that nothing will ever be completely the same as it used to be in any school year previous.
McKenna Yates ('21)
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I have missed being able to go on random adventures with my friends. We used to go up to the mountains and go on adventures all the time, and now we can’t. It really just stifles the creative spirit that we had, and I wish that we could do more adventures more often.
-Kirby Federocko ('21)