On August 20, 2020, the first full day of school for the year, the seniors in English 4 had a short assignment. They were to set up a paper in MLA format and write one sentence expressing their feelings about the pandemic. Following are some of the comments from the Class of 2021:

“The pandemic affected my family because my parents were laid off from their jobs. Also, I was affected because I wasn’t able to finish my junior year properly, and I couldn’t see my friends.”

“It was hard to get used to a long quarantine,”

“Covid has affected me by having to be more cautious.”

“Nothing is really the same as before.”

“The pandemic caused me to become secluded from my friends.”

“The pandemic made me feel overwhelmed.”

“This global pandemic has made schooling harder.”

“This pandemic has taught me that the mask keeps us safe.”

“The pandemic helped me see that technology isn’t so great.”

“The pandemic of Covid-19 has made me better myself.”

“The pandemic has affected my family’s health and finances.”

“The pandemic impacted me by causing me to stay inside all day.”

“The pandemic took away the last quarter of my junior year.”

“The pandemic impacted me by taking away socialization.”

“The pandemic changed the lives of many, making the world suffer.”

“The pandemic drastically changed my life forcing maturity.”

“The pandemic impacted me by not letting me workout.”

“The pandemic is detrimental to my behavior.”

“I spent two weeks quarantined away from my family.”

“The pandemic has been one crazy event followed by another.”

“The pandemic has shown the world that no matter how much technology we have, that it is not enough to control a pandemic.”

“The pandemic has taught me how valuable time is.”

“The pandemic was a roller coaster.”

“Covid-19 didn’t impact me this year, but the mask bothers me.”

“Chaotic, scary, challenging, stressful, quarantine, different, global, unemployment, germaphobe, toilet paper.”

“I felt like I was imprisoned when the pandemic happened.”

“The pandemic has been stressful for those without a job.”

“My thoughts on the pandemic are very frustrating because of all the precautions we have to take.”

“The pandemic has really altered our everyday lives for the worse.”

“My thoughts on the pandemic are that it is frustrating because of all the changes it has made.”

“What I think of the pandemic is something everyone has in mind these days. This sickness is like any other sickness.”

“What this pandemic has ruined is the year twenty-twenty.”

“This pandemic is a challenge for everyone, including teachers, students, and every single one of us.”

“In my opinion, the pandemic has been a learning experience.”

“I think this pandemic got blown up more that it should’ve.”

“I think the pandemic is repulsive and unfair.”

“The pandemic has affected mostly every country in the world.”

“I strongly believe that everyone should focus on his or her safety.”

“Covid-19 can be really stressful sometimes because of the changes.”

“Personally, the pandemic has left me feeling down and unproductive.”

“The pandemic is horrible.”

“The pandemic is something I strongly dislike.”

“Nobody knows how seriously he or she should be assessing the pandemic.”

“This pandemic has turned the world upside down.”

This pandemic has impacted many people with losing their jobs.”

“Horrible.”

“I realized that everything can change in a second.”

“The pandemic has taken a huge toll on my family. We were social distancing, but at one point we were on lockdown.”

“The pandemic was/still is a life-changing event.”

“The pandemic was strange, but the world strives on strange.”

“Some of my thoughts are pretty negative toward the Coronavirus.”

“This pandemic has taught me to appreciate my health.”

“The pandemic is serious, and hopefully it will end soon.”

“The pandemic gave me time to reflect on myself and taught me not to take things for granted.”