Teens in the Time of COVID-19

Story by Six Rivers Charter High School student Fiona Seibert.*

At midnight on Thursday, March 19th, Humboldt issued a “shelter-in-place order”, in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This caused schools in the community to close through at least April 20th. With schools closed, students are stuck at home all day presenting many new challenges. Teenagers now must find ways to occupy their extra time, stay in contact with friends and loved ones, and partake in school entirely online.

Teenagers everywhere miss having the chance to spend time with their friends. “The transition from normal life to shelter in place has felt rough,” comments Northcoast Preparatory Academy student, Abigail Hasting-Tharp. “I am very extroverted and I do not like having to stay away from large social interactions.” To combat this, teenagers have been texting and FaceTiming friends as well as utilizing platforms including Zoom and Google Hangouts to contact teachers and classmates.

The consensus is that the shelter in place creates high levels of boredom. Students who normally participate in various activities, as well as school, are now finding themselves stuck at home 24/7. Some use this excess time to enjoy Humboldt’s outdoors, going jogging or hiking each day to limit the amount of time spent sitting at home. Others do the exact opposite, logging extra hours on their favorite video game or bingeing television shows and marathoning movies. Arcata High junior, Miles Johnson, even views it as a nice time to relax and “solely pursue sports and hobbies”.

A number of students have been answering the boredom voiced by their peers through social media. Suggestions range from completing an old project to picking up new hobbies, instruments, and languages.

Without in-person school, dance, jobs, and other activities, students have also found it hard to cope with the loss of a regular schedule. “School honestly helps me a lot mentally [by giving me] that structure and constant interaction with people throughout the day,” noted Ruby Langdon, a junior. The majority of students with jobs have found themselves laid off and filing for unemployment – another new experience.

On the other hand, some students find themselves still working amidst the shelter-in-place. “I wish I had hazard pay since I work at McDonald’s,” says senior, Zoey Clark, “but I am excited to be able to socialize with people my age.”

School is out of session for at least the next month for high schoolers and the rest of the semester for college students. Due to this, a complete transition has occurred to online schooling, presenting several challenges. Jenna Furtado, a freshman attending George Washington University, who has recently returned home after college closures, explains, “My particular learning style doesn’t function very well, and it is very hard to pay attention in [online] classes, or even find the motivation to get up.” This hardship is shared by those who find it much easier to procrastinate completing their schoolwork when working online.

Seniors, in particular, are struggling with the status of their senior year. Most seniors fear missing out on important events that they have been working towards for their whole high school career. “All of a sudden we possibly will not be having prom or a graduation ceremony,” explains Arcata High senior, Anastasia Zarback. As of now, none of these events have been formally canceled.

Senior, Jamie Singh also voiced her concerns, “It really sucks knowing that I [might not] be able to hang out with friends during our last semester together before we all go out separate ways.” The future may seem uncertain, but teenagers are making the best of the situation.

“It’s all very overwhelming, but I am taking it one day at a time,” Zarback concludes.

It is important to remember that even though the virus may not be directly affecting everyone, it is still crucial to follow the shelter-in-place, no matter your age group. Northern Humboldt school district nurse, Johnny Kell, reminds students that it is not safe to spend time with friends outside of a virtual environment. “The only way social distancing in this moment works is if we all do our part,” Kell explains, “The lives of your classmates depend on the actions you take now.”

Note: An earlier version of this story misidentified the author as going to Arcata High.