By: Morgan Kellogg 

     When I found out we would be off for two weeks my reaction was unlike any other student at Eisenhower. As Mrs. Alm came over the loudspeaker, I instantly knew that this was going to be longer than Governor Wolf had anticipated. I started to realize all the things that we might be missing if this 10-day period would be longer, and I was very upset and didn’t understand why we had to close our school. At that point, the Coronavirus was just starting to spread, and we hadn’t gotten any cases in Warren County yet.  

     A week and a half later, everyone got the call. The call that said we wouldn’t be going back to school for the rest of the year. Instantly, my heart broke for all of the seniors that wouldn’t be able to experience the fun things and memories that come at the end of senior year. Writing this article has been very hard for me, as it reminds me of how heartbreaking the Coronavirus is and how it has affected the people around me.  

     As I see my friends graduate virtually, I am reminded of all the things they’ll be missing. Prom, choir and band concerts, sports events, baccalaureate, and senior skip day are all things they’ll never get to experience.  

     Since my parents haven’t been too keen with me hanging out with friends, I’ve been taking up a lot of hobbies during quarantine. Along with working, I’ve been playing a lot of piano and doing a lot of projects around the house, such as remodeling and painting. These things help keep me busy and take my mind off of all that is going on. To keep in touch with my friends, I’ve been busy Facetiming, Snapchatting, and calling them to check up on how they are doing as well.  

       As of May 17, 2020, we’ve had two cases of the Coronavirus in Warren County. Though we have only had so few cases, most of everything is still shut down. Restaurants are only allowed to do takeout, stores and gyms are closed, and grocery stores, such as Walmart, Dollar General, and Wegmans are on time constrictions, closing earlier and opening later. Everyone is wearing masks that they made at home and most things continue to be sold out. Who knew someone would need 40 rolls of toilet paper?  

     Things are very different and it’s hard to get used to the new routine. As school is now online for some students, I’ve been participating in Zoom meetings for most of my classes and have been trying to get most of my work done as soon as possible so I don’t have to worry about it. If you turn on the TV, all you see on the news is coronavirus and how it’s changing and developing. They all say the same thing, “This is going to go on longer than everyone is anticipating.”   

     All we can do at the moment is stay quarantined and practice healthy hygiene to make sure we keep the Coronavirus out of Warren County. My highest hope is that everything will be back to normal by next school year so we can get back into our regular routines, but, as of right now, we need to continue to be safe and avoid close contact with others.