It is three months into 2020, and the world is facing a pandemic. While the global implications of the 2019 novel coronavirus are rightfully being focused on by the major news organizations, it is also important to consider how local communities are being impacted. Here at Haverford High School, preemptive cancellations to prevent the spread of this disease have halted the school year. The Fordian conducted a remote interview with four students who weighed in on how their class and they themselves were being affected.

Freshman Abby Baron

1. What is it like to be a freshman during this extraordinary time?

Being a freshman during this time is hard because I am just getting used to the ways of the school and now I have to be home most of the time. Not being able to express concern with schoolwork to my teachers is even harder now; I have a hard enough time finding my way around the school as it is (I get lost easily).

2. How will this time off be academically difficult for you?

Academically, this has been tough on me because, like I previously mentioned, due to the online classing, I am unable to contact my teachers as easily as if I were at school. I end up having to email them which can take hours for them to get back to me.

3. How have all of these cancellations affected your activities?

I have been affected by more than one cancellation. First, the school board canceled the spring show. Also, the Haverford Jazz Lab Band and the Haverford Jazz Ensemble were supposed to perform a combination of pieces at the 76ers game on Monday, March 16th. This was not only a chance to broadcast the progress of the groups to family and friends, but also to spectators at the game.

4. Has it been hard socially isolating/distancing?

I am completely bored to death by not being able to communicate or see my friends. I am used to seeing all of my friends at lunch, before classes, and during classes that we have together. It’s also been extremely hard because I am unable to see my extended family. They mean the world to me, and I am used to being able to see them at least once a day. Now I can only see my parents and my siblings.

5. What have you been doing to pass the time?

To pass the time, I have been running around in my backyard with my dog, playing basketball with my sister, reading a lot, knitting with my mom, doing school work, and, of course, binge-watching Netflix. It is very bittersweet because I get some much-needed rest and recuperation, but it is hard sitting in my house all day, not being able to go out to see my friends or family.

Sophomore Zach Graff

1. What is it like to be a sophomore during this extraordinary time?

Overall, being a sophomore specifically doesn’t have a profound effect on living through this situation. I think that, for someone who is a junior or a senior, this really presents a loss, especially due to the degree of uncertainty in this situation. I think that having to experience this in my childhood is something I will definitely vividly remember as an adult and talk about with my children.

2. How will this time off be academically difficult for you?

Personally, I have a hard time focusing on academic work outside of school, so the at-home flexible learning is going to present a real challenge for myself, as well as others. I require a lot of one-on-one in-person instruction, especially in math, and the lack of this will definitely cause me to lose track of my progress in the class thus far. However, the time off does allow me to move at a faster pace through classwork that takes me less time, catch up on studying for my AP exam, and work on an individual research project.

3. How have all of these cancellations affected your activities?

The cancellations of different activities had a big effect on my schedule. My club team for swimming has canceled all practices, and, with the YMCA being closed as well, it’s been hard to keep physically active without one of my main forms of exercise. Besides this, the youth theatre group I direct had to cancel our fundraisers for the next few weeks, taking away a big source of funding, especially since we are a non-profit.

4. Has it been hard socially isolating/distancing?

At first, yes. It was frustrating hearing from my parents that I wasn’t able to hang out with my friends or go out in large groups. However, I think I and most others have gotten used to it. My friends and I group FaceTime and video chat, as well as do activities together outside, such as running, that allow us to socially distance but still have fun. It was hard to start, but I’m getting more used to it now.

5. What have you been doing to pass the time?

In all honesty, I have been much more productive in these past few days than ever before. I have been running all over Havertown for exercise. I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking, catching up on some well-needed sleep, working on my youth theatre group, and reading some really good books. While I have been spending a lot more time on my phone and social media, I think the less structured days have allowed me to come back to things when I get bored and do a variety of activities to keep myself occupied.

Junior Nadia Awad

1. What is it like to be a junior during this extraordinary time?

Honestly, I just feel bad for the seniors because a lot of their end-of-year events might be canceled. It’s really not too bad for me as a junior. I’m glad to have this break, and I’m sure the other juniors are, too.

2. How will this time off be academically difficult for you?

My classes right now (AP Physics, Math, AP Psych, American History) actually work pretty well for flexible learning, except for AP Lang. Overall, though, it’s not a big deal for me academically. I’m actually kind of glad the SAT was rescheduled because now I have all of this time to prepare for it. Also, I don’t think it will be good if AP exams have to be administered at home if you know what I mean…

3. How have all of these cancellations affected your activities?

Science Olympiad finally made it to States in, like, the first time in forever, but it was canceled! I’m especially bummed for the seniors who won’t get another chance to make it in next year, unlike me. This is also Mrs. Pompetti’s last year leading the team. I have no idea what’s even happening with the banquet at this point. I’m glad we got to Regionals, though, because some teams had that canceled as well.

4. Has it been hard socially isolating/distancing?

Yeah, it has been hard. My mom is immunosuppressed, so we are socially isolating. I miss seeing people, but I’ve been video chatting a lot, so that’s helped. Having to worry about her makes me take this whole thing a lot more seriously than I might otherwise. While this is obviously a hard time for us, it’s actually brought our family together.

5. What have you been doing to pass the time?

I’ve been keeping myself busy. Besides video chatting, I’ve been practicing the guitar and flute, sleeping, doing homework and SAT prep, and watching “The Flash” on Netflix. I actually had some friends walk by my house and we talked and sang from six feet apart outside. Before we began socially isolating, I had a bonfire in my backyard to say “goodbye” to everyone, which was nice.

Senior Tommy Barnes

1. What is it like to be a senior during this extraordinary time?

To be a senior during this time is pretty devastating because there are many things that I/we have been looking forward to all year.  Personally, being in the spring show, it is devastating that the show has been canceled, and our three months of work had to be diminished to a single performance.  For the grade, I know a lot of sports have been canceled and, with the length of the school closure seeming indefinite, other senior landmarks like prom may be up in the air.

2. How will this time off be academically difficult for you?

This time off is definitely trying academically because there are conflicting goals from teachers and the administration about our progress during this closure. Since AP tests have not been canceled, AP students are challenged with the task of self-learning a lot of confusing material since two weeks off from learning cuts a solid chunk out of our curriculum goals. The district’s “review and practice” learning policy confuses our remote learning more because “review and practice” is useless for AP students since we do both of those things while simultaneously moving forward in the course.

3. How have all of these cancellations affected your activities?

The closure has affected my activities mainly with the spring show being canceled. This year I have been involved in the show’s pit by playing the piano/conducting and to see our months of preparation climax by a single, limited audience performance is devastating.  This carries for all in Drama Club as the majority of the club believed our show was one of the best in Drama Club history, so it’s cancellation is emotionally devastating for all involved. However, I also lead a variety of other clubs in the school and it has been really nice to have a break from any extracurricular responsibilities and focus on catching up on sleep and leisure.

4. Has it been hard socially isolating/distancing?

Social distancing has been one of the worst parts about this pandemic because the best part about going to school is interacting with all my friends, acquaintances, and enemies. I have noticed I have been compensating for this social distancing by heavily increasing my social media use which I know is not great for my mind.  Luckily my job has remained open for the time being so that structure in my life still persists, but I also just miss everybody so much. DISCLAIMER: I KNOW AND PRACTICE THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL DISTANCING.

5. What have you been doing to pass the time?

I have been STREAMING Netflix as my main source of entertainment.  I have finished “Cheer”, the first season of “On My Block”, the Hillary Clinton Docuseries, and the first season of “You”.  This has been entertaining and has been successful in distracting me from the boredom of isolation.

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How have your experiences been similar or different? Feel free to start a dialogue in this article’s comment section or Instagram post. We know you have plenty of time on your hands!