Frannie: Marian has been out of school due to COVID-19 for most of the week now. I thought this at-home-schooling would be a much needed break from the crazy stressed out life I was living at school. Yet somehow, the stress is what I miss the most. Well, maybe not the stress exactly, but the feeling of being able to put your entirety into a project that you love. It’s good to be stressed for things that you love.

The feeling of having nothing to stimulate your brain and, well, your soul is difficult to say the least. I’ve been sitting around for, what, three days? I’m back to less exercise, more sleep, and poorer mental health. It’s almost funny, how I thought being over-involved was so terrible (I mean it definitely wasn’t great for my mental health) but being completely cut off from my extracurriculars, is somehow worse. I won’t be able to physically see my friends for a month. Today is my birthday, and I have to wait for the all clear to celebrate with my friends and older relatives. When will that be?

This pandemic has taught me now, more than ever, how important it is to keep up with self care. With all this free time, you think self care would come naturally, but it doesn’t. Self care isn’t just laying in bed all day doing nothing, like I’ve been doing the past few days. I have to get back on my routine, and find ways to keep my brain moving. This entire situation is tough, but it’s taught me how to take better care of myself. And I’m sure others are learning the same lesson. Together, we can get through these dreary times, and come out better on the other side.

 

---

Natalie: I have always tried to believe that God’s plans are better than my own and to trust that there is a higher purpose behind every wrench thrown into my plans, but I never thought a wrench would cancel a few months worth of plans. Although things have only been cancelled through April so far, every time I express my blind hope that I’ll be dancing on stage or laughing with my friends in class by May, I am shot down by someone who wants to offer me a more “realistic” picture of

my spring and summer. In these times, we don’t need “realistic.” We don’t need “practical.” Realistic and practical points of view paint a picture in my mind of me sitting in my room the entire summer, never finishing my dance competition season, and returning to school missing an entire class of friends we never said goodbye to. In these seemingly lonely days, we need to hold onto every ounce of hope we have, because hope is the only thing that will get us through this time.

---

Anna D: I think everyone was initially shocked by the school cancellations and recommendations to stay home. I couldn’t believe that I was going to start virtual school after going to regular school my whole life. I also couldn’t believe I would have to start quarantining myself—it all felt like I was in a movie.

Once I started to settle in and get used to the idea of quarantine and online school, I realized how much I had to be grateful for that I never appreciated. I never thought I would be sad about having nothing to do or not being able to go to school, but I found myself in my room wishing I could see all my friends in the hallways before the bell rang and talk to my teachers. I missed running errands for my parents and getting ready for dance classes. Even though it has only been a few days in quarantine, I have realized how much I miss doing that I used to complain about. 

Although the situation of COVID-19 is horrible, I am looking at it as an opportunity to be thankful for every interaction I have with people and every day I get to go to school. 

---

Grace E:

Due to the spread of COVID-19, I have spent the last week locked up in my room like a hermit, and let me tell you, it has been interesting. I deep cleaned my room and tried to stay off of my phone but ultimately ended up scrolling through TikTok for two hours. Productivity at its finest right here. As a member of an elite imaginary club of boredom bakers, it was not long until I had proceeded to make two delicious cheesecakes, a big batch of strawberry scones, and a tower of chocolate chip cookies. This baking binge —while delicious— frustrated my mother as we soon ran out of nearly every baking supply. (Sorry mom!) Day five was when reality set in. I realized that this virus had taken so much away from me: prom, field day, and especially seeing my friends everyday. This made me become really hostile and ‘grouchy’ as my mother would say.

However, after a while, I began to think about those that were much more affected by this pandemic. The things that the virus took from me are recurring events in my life. I will have more chances to do them. This made me realize that many can’t say the same. I decided that I was done moping about issues that are temporary and able to be resolved, and decided to be more productive with my spare time. I made calendars and schedules and decorated my walls with positive messages. Which brings me to today: day seven of quarantine. Life is pretty good. I got to see my friends in class and I had some spare time to do my homework.

I know that it may seem like the world is ending right now, but remember that everyone is in this together. Life is scary sometimes, so when that happens… bake a pie! 

---

Moira:  You always hear about tragedies that are going on in other countries or peoples lives and you always think that it would never happen to you. The COVID-19 outbreak has definitely proven this wrong because it is now happening everywhere. When I first heard about the outbreak of the Coronavirus, I always thought that it was not going to get that bad or even come to the United States. Now it is finally here and I think a lot of people have many mixed emotions about it.

The Friday before Spring Break, the last thing I expected was to not come back to school due to a shut down. I did not believe that there was going to be a shut down, even when I was in New York City, where there are many cases of the Coronavirus. I was very cautious about washing my hands and using hand sanitizer while in New York City because how how many cases and popular places I would be in. I never thought that I would have to be that cautious in Omaha.

 

When I found out schools were shut down, my whole life took a turn. At first, I was happy, I did not have to attend school. I soon began to realize that it was not just a one week shut down. I began to worry about Color Block, Field Day, my first prom, tennis season, and the rest of my junior year feeling like it was being taken away from me.

You come to realize how much you take your everyday life for granted. I became less angry, even though I’m still sad, but more grateful. I am grateful for my health, during this time of quarantine I can take some time to focus on my family, health, and education. I need to be grateful for what I have because you never know when your world will take a turn.

---

Megan H: I have been staying in my house all week. All my family is healthy, but we are very bored. Today was the first day of online school, and teachers have been video chatting us and giving us homework to do. It is mostly take your own initiative, but I am doing fine with it because I am mentally bored and weirdly want to use my brains.

When we are not in class it can get very boring; I and most people just watch television and talk to our friends. The biggest downside is that I am unable to visit my grandpa. He is at an assisted living facility, and as a precaution only medical professionals and staff are allowed in the building. Every day we call my grandpa, but that is not the same as actually seeing him. He misses us very much and is bored. I can not wait until the Coronavirus is gone and people are able to start seeing each other again because then I will be able to see my friends and grandpa.

---

Margaret: Life during quarantine is weird. You feel like your life is at a standstill, but just outside your front door the world is still abuzz with activity.

Over the last week I have sat at home playing video games with my brothers, and

spending quality time with my sister who came home from school. The company doesn’t bother me, but the lack of stimulus does. COVID-19 took one look at my plans for 2020 and said, “Yeah, I think not.”

When school was first called off I still held hope that it would be over soon, but then other cancellations were announced. All spring sports, and theatrical activities were cancelled. No State Soccer to cheer at, no spring play to perform, even Field Day was not spared. Work isn’t any better, as a restaurant worker I’m practically out of a job for the foreseeable future, and sitting at home is driving me crazy. I hope this is all over soon so I can get my life back on track.

---

Lexi K: It’s crazy to think that I’m living during a pandemic. I never considered something like this to happen in my lifetime including being quarantined for an undetermined period of time. It’s sad that not only myself, but everyone around the world is being affected and missing out on events, sports and activities we have been looking forward to. However, it’s important everyone stays at home as much as possible to ensure everyone’s safety and to decrease the effects of Coronavirus as soon as possible.

I know we are all bored or upset, but in a way this is allowing our communities and world to come together to fight this battle and have some time to reflect, spend time with family and maybe even take up new hobbies. I can’t wait until our lives go back to normal and we can continue with regular life, but until then I hope we can all stay safe and stay positive.

---

Anna K: We are living in very strange times. Being an individual that loves being around people has made this quite the adjustment. I spend a lot of time with my friends and not being with them has been the hardest part. The upside to things is that we are all in the same boat so everyone knows how you feel.

I am used to just having my little sister around, so with my older sister back from college, we have had to get used to being in each other’s space. Fortunately, I have found a way to get out of the house. Whenever I get too bored, I take my dog for a walk or to the park. This has really been the only way for me to get out of the house. When it comes to finding things to distract me, it is generally easy because I am easily distracted. I have started a few new shows on Netflix and have painted a few times. I have found my best company to be my pets. 

---

Maddie M: Two weeks ago the halls of Marian were filled with tired but excited girls. I heard constant talk about spring break plans and some lingering talk about this coronavirus. Over spring break I was scheduled to visit Vanderbilt University. As I was getting ready, I got an email that in-person classes and events on campus were being terminated due to Coronavirus. I remember how shocked I was that an entire school was shutting down. I was lucky that I got to sightsee, shop and eat out, but I had friends whose entire trips, events and plans were cancelled.

There is little known about Covid-19 and every hour we are presented with new facts often increasing the severity of this virus outbreak. I thought this outbreak got serious a week ago when select international borders were closed but now you can not even walk into a restauruant. I am not someone who likes to sit around- and I enjoy being social- so this has been an extreme challenge for me. I have cleaned my room more in the last 10 days than in the last 6 months. Though we were lucky enough to receive some of our spring break, it was abruptly interrupted by the virus.  Though I sometimes complain about the task of going to school, I would love to be in those hallways filled with my best friends.  I hope to return to Marian and everyday activities soon, but for now I am thankful for my health, the nice weather, and the ways we still have to be connected with each other.

---

Sam: Spring break was great. My family took a trip to Hawaii where we got to spend lots

of time together. After being so close to my family for a week and a nice break I was ready to get back into my regular school routine and catch up with my friends. When I heard school was cancelled it was somewhat disappointing, but at the moment I did not realize the social isolation that would come with that. I did not grasp the severity of Coronavirus and the extent everyone was going to to stop the spread. In Hawaii everything seemed normal and there were only two cases in the whole state. On our way back, we were a little extra careful wiping our seats down when traveling, but when we came home it was apparent how serious the issue was.

I came back to an unfamiliar home where everyone stays inside in quarantine, stores are running low and everyone seems panicked. Staying home is a difficult adjustment from my usual life of school, practice and hanging out with my friends. I now spend my time painting, exercising, doing homework and listening to music. The most difficult adjustment for me was not being able to hang out with my friends. The good in this whole situation is everyone will have more gratitude for the small things in life now that we have experienced what it is like to not have them.

---

Sylvia:  Today, March 19th, marks the fourth day of my personal quarantine. With all jokes aside, I completely underestimated the seriousness of the Coronavirus.  A few days into spring break I began to notice the virus becoming a hot topic. Being the naive person I am, I truly thought the pandemic would remain in most European countries. I was proven wrong as it entered America instantly. What does my daily schedule consist of during the social distance? Well, I am currently sleeping an average of 12+ hours a day, simply because I have nothing better to do with my time. With the remaining 12 hours, I devote them to repainting my room and the lowest of lows…browsing Tik Tok.

Although this allows me time to recuperate, I have found that online school gives me some ground. When I was floating without a schedule I felt, not only bored, but overwhelmed. I have high hopes this worldwide issue will resolve shortly and my prayers go out to those affecte

 

---

Sarah R: All that has been happening with the virus has kept us in our homes for this first day of online school, something that is at least a little exciting! Staying home has not been too hard yet. I have been able to catch up on sleep and got some projects done around my house. We are going to have a lot more time to be able to slow down and enjoy the little things, which I think can be a good thing as long as we have the right mindset to enjoy this time apart.

The hardest part of everything being closed is not seeing my friends or running with my teammates every day. At first thought not having to go to school seems great, but then I realized how long it could last and all the people I’ll miss. For now, video calls with friends, peaceful runs alone, and sitting with my cats will occupy the time spent away from public spaces.

 

---

Emily S: A couple of weeks ago, if someone would have told me that the entire city would be shut down because of Covid-19, I absolutely would not have believed them. However, here we are, and that is exactly what has happened to the city. The virus has spread so much quicker then I would have ever thought it would. At first I, like many, thought that the media was blowing it way out of proportion, however I think that it is really important for people to be very vigilant about their actions in thenext few weeks and it is also important for people to social distance themselves, even if they aren’t necessarily at high risk for the virus. There is always a chance that someone could get it and spread it to someone else who would be severely affected by the sickness. However I must admit that “social distancing” has caused me to come down with a severe case of cabin fever which is quite unpleasant at times but I am still hopeful that this problem will be resolved and science will prevail with a cure in the next few months.

---

Molly S: When I left school on March 6, I knew there was a possibility that it would be my last day at Marian for a while, but I thought the chances were extremely slim. The following days were sad for me because the trip I had been looking forward to in NYC and DC was cancelled while I was at my sister’s volleyball tournament in Denver. The worst part of it all is that I haven’t been able to spend

time with my friends since I saw them at school. Although I know I’ll regret saying this in a couple days, I like how this is slowing my life down because it felt like it was moving so fast. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have online school, so this will be an exciting experience, but I’ll really miss seeing all of my classmates and teachers everyday. Overall, the whole thing seems unreal because of how fast it all happened. It scares me that it is unprecedented, but I have faith that it will get better and I am curious to see what happens.

---

Grace S: The world pandemic of COVID-19 is like nothing a lot of us have ever experienced in the modern world. The situation is scary because of the unknown of the disease and how this will affect the world. The first few days I was selfishly upset about everything that was ruined because of this disease. I was upset that I could not see my friends, my tennis season was most likely canceled, my first prom was probably cancelled, and my third Field Day that I had been so excited for was probably gone.

After being upset for a while, I came to accept all of these things because I am not the only one affected by this and things could be a lot worse. Now that I have accepted this new normal, I have been focusing on what I do have. I have had a lot of family time which I am grateful for. The only way I can leave my house is going on walks, so my dog has had a lot of exercise. I have organized my room and closet and gotten rid of a lot of things I don’t need. Although this event has been crazy, it has shown me how the world can come together quickly in a time of need

 

---

Mary Cate:

I do not think anyone truly understood the magnitude of COVID-19 until school was shut down about a week ago. It is something I never saw coming and it truly has made me appreciate my school and friends, now that I do not get to see them everyday. This whole situation is very scary, but I understand how important it is to keep inside and stay healthy, to hopefully return to some type of normal as soon as possible.  

I have heard a lot about “social distancing” and it can make the days seem very long stuck inside. I try to keep myself occupied with things like painting, drawing, and spending time with my family. My family has taken several walks, which is something we have never done before so it is nice to spend time with them. I have also gotten so much sleep and watched an immense amount of movies. 

I am starting to get very bored in my house and I hope to return to school with my friends and get to enjoy the end of the year soon. As of right now, I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. 

---

Sophia V:

Since this whole pandemic has started, I think most students can agree that staying home is boring. Over spring break I travelled from Omaha to Arizona, but as soon as I got back everything was different. My initial reaction was “Yay! No school for another week!” but then I started to realize how serious the issue was. 

This problem isn’t a fun extra weekend, this a month-two month closure.

I’m still not used to not waking up and going to school each morning. I’m still not used to my sister being home from college 3 months early. I’m still not used to knowing that athletic practices are “postponed until further notice.” I’m still not used to closed restaurants and empty grocery stores. 

So as I start my first day in “virtual-learning,” I realize the simple, everyday things I had taken for granted before this all started, and I wonder when this whole new reality will be over.

---

Anna V: These past few weeks have been a weird and crazy time for everyone. Most people have never experienced anything like this, myself included. Around this time last year my family planned a trip to France, Netherlands, and Belgium for over spring break. It came time to prepare for the trip about a month out, when the corona virus suddenly had a large outbreak in Europe. This outbreak scared my family and I. We thought long and hard about cancelling our trip, but after spending thousands of dollars on flights and hotels we decided we should go. The outlook on the

corona virus in Europe when I arrived was very different from our own. They have taken a longer time to realize the effects. When I was there yes, the tourist population was low, but most locals were just out walking around going shopping. This changed halfway through my trip due to the French government closing everything, including shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. Suddenly everywhere was stranded. Then President Trump released a statement about European travel bans. I woke up to many texts from people asking if my family was going to come back. I was terrified because I wanted to come home at some point and be safe. I was terrified we were trapped in Europe for months. We then figured out we had until Sunday to come back before they shut down flights. Our flight was just in time to make that deadline. My family and I made it back safely and coming back to Omaha was a relief after all of the craziness of traveling. 

---

 

Cece: This break I have not accomplished much, but that is ok. Sometimes teenagers need to take time just to relax. With a busy schedule, it is difficult for me to find time for myself, but recently I have been able to do so. I am able to bond with my family by going on walks and watching movies together. However, I am anxious for the future. There are many events coming up that I have been excited for for a long time and I worry they may be cancelled. All I know is that it is out of my control and all I can do is hope for the best. For instance, I have been waiting to go to Iceland with my class for about two years, and now I am worried that it may be cancelled. I am trying to acknowledge the bigger problems in the world though, just so I know that I am not the only person struggling through this. Sometimes it is easier to get through difficult times like this when you know you are not alone. 

 

---

Mrs K: I’m hoping to fail as an on-line teacher, because I love my classroom teaching ministry so much!  But, given the current situation, my first prayer is that my students and their families and loved ones stay safe and healthy.  I am excited to try some new methods of content delivery and student creation. I pray that my students are empowered to record history over the next few weeks, find their voices and share the voices of those who don’t have the access to share it like we do.  Giant thanks go out to our medical professionals and those who share hope with the rest of us. I’m so grateful to have a supportive family, professional colleagues and an incredible opportunity to continue my “job” in these challenging times. Keep the faith, ladies!  As Principal Sullivan has been saying, Stay home. Stay safe. Stay Servite!