By: Delaney Chase

I, like many other high school students around the world, have had my school year affected by Covid-19. With school ending early, I missed out on opportunities that most people remember for the rest of their lives. Not only my schoolwork, but my extracurricular activities and summer have changed as well. We will be telling the story of our experiences with this global disaster to future generations that hopefully may never have to overcome something like this. My junior year of high school will be a time written about in history books for years to come. 

Since the beginning of 2020, I had been attending softball open gyms, preparing for the season. Last year, our team did well and almost made it to playoffs. Unfortunately, I was not able to play because I had surgery on my ACL, which put me out of sports for seven months. Although I was upset that I could not play, I was glad I still had two years I could continue improving. I worked hard to get back to where I was before my accident and felt I was ready to play my favorite sport again. This year, we had many talented seniors who I played with since a young age and we were all excited to play our first game. We did not get to compete because of this crisis. I have been playing softball since I was young and have been looking forward to my high school career for a long time. I always wanted to continue the sport I love when I went to college, but I am now worried that I will not get to do so, since I have not played since my freshman year. Many of the underclassman, including myself, are worried about our 2021 season since we will be losing some seniors that were key players on the field. Sadly, they have missed their last chance to play with their teammates.

Softball was not the only sport I participate in that I will be missing out on due to the Coronavirus. Once softball ends, the basketball team begins open gyms and a league in the summer. We also attend camps in order to compete with different teams. So far, some of our camps have been canceled as summer becomes closer. This is the last year I am able to play with my teammates in the offseason and will be missing out on an opportunity to prepare for next year. During this time, the soccer team would also be getting ready for the season coming up in the fall with tournaments and practices. All of those have been cancelled as well and may affect our playing in the future. Fall sports may not even take place, depending on the virus and what is to come. Soccer is another sport I missed out on last season due to my surgery, and I would enjoy being able to play one last time before I graduate.

I also missed many things that people find important to prepare for my senior year. On March 14, the day after it was announced we would be taking two weeks off of school to prevent the spread of the virus, I was scheduled to take the SATs in Corry. I had gotten up early and drove to Corry High School to take the test. When I arrived, the parking lot had only a few cars with students from different schools, including some from Eisenhower, Warren, Union City, and Corry High School. After waiting for about an hour, the test had been cancelled and was to be rescheduled. They recently decided all testing was to be postponed until at least September. This means that there will be many students, including myself, beginning their senior year without taking the SATs. I also cannot attend any college visits this summer like I planned, so it will be more difficult to make a decision on where I will go when the time comes next year.

Although my experience in this time of quarantine seems bad to me, others are really struggling with many difficulties around the globe. According to the World Health Organization (www.who.int), by closing schools and nonessential businesses at this time, we are able to do something they call “flattening the curve.” This means that the number of cases will be spread out more evenly over a larger amount of time, which gives the limited number of doctors, nurses, and hospitals across the world a better chance of helping those in need rather than many people being exposed to the virus at one time and risking the chance of running out of resources. This would eventually lead to less people being treated and more deaths. The World Health Organization also states that there are many things we can do to limit the number of those affected. This includes avoiding contact with others and washing our hands frequently. Even though I have missed out on a lot of things that I would have remembered later in life, it is a small sacrifice to help save lives by staying home and away from others to prevent the spread of Covid-19.