14 months later: Columns

When the world shut down, I became obsessed with the sky. It’s not that I’m an astronomy nerd, but I could stare at a sunset until someone yanks me away (this has, quite literally, happened). I don’t get why I didn’t notice the infinity above me before March 2020; I guess life was fogging up my vision. But a pandemic — one we’ve carried for more than a full spin around the sun — had m...

Dear Corona,  Speaking for most of us, we didn't think you were going to be staying this long. And frankly, after causing 14 months of worldwide panic, you have exceeded your stay (as if we ever invited you). You were able to ruin everything from graduations to NFL football, something I thought was impossible. You arrived just as I felt like my life was finally coming together. I was a good studen...

Harrison to Woodbine, down to Adams, back to Geyer, final stretch of Woodbine, then home. That was my route, all summer long. Day after day, week after week, I walked the same route. Some days, I walked it twice, spending an hour or more with just music and my thoughts. Most days, I opted for a single lap before returning to the solitude of my room. I discovered my favorite houses to walk pa...

We are so divided. American society, I mean.  High schoolers have a unique position in this situation. We’re informed enough to recognize the divisiveness and have our own opinions, but we’re not old enough to truly do anything about it.  Sure, that sounds naive, I agree. But there are few at this age who actually make a material difference and have a substantial voice in society. What I�...

I’ve experienced a lot of change over the past 14 months. No, I didn’t dye my hair or switch the way I dressed, but it's still hard to believe I am the same person today as I was 14 months ago.  The change I’m talking about is internal. A change to my mindset. A change to how I spend my time. A change to the way I treat myself and others.   I'll begin in the first few weeks of March 2...

July 26, 2020. Fourteen months ago I thought about that date everyday. I closed my eyes and tasted the salt in the air. I ran my fingers through my hair and felt confident as I waited in line to enter SoFi Stadium. Sometimes when I listened to “Cruel Summer” I imagined myself screaming the words in a stadium packed with 70,000 Swifties. I never boarded a plane to Los Angeles that July. At first...

You know that feeling before an airplane takes off? That split second of sitting in anticipation of the rumbling engine, the popped ears, your stomach dropping and feeling like you're floating. Until suddenly you’re suspended in the air strapped into your peeling Southwest seat.  This year has encapsulated that feeling of suspense to a tee, but there’s been no take off — no resolution. ...

If you told me two years ago that I would be creating a sports podcast with one of my best friends, I would probably say that you were wrong. It all started with a passion for sports, a strong friendship and one big idea. Over the summer of 2020, the H Squared Podcast was born and the ride has been amazing. Henry Chappell, junior, and I got our name for the podcast from Mrs. Luckett, our Algebra 1 teac...

If someone told me 14 months ago that we would attend school through a computer screen, I never would’ve believed them. Heck, last year the word “Zoom” wasn’t even a part of my vocabulary, but now it arises in most of my conversations. What we now perceive as “normal”— masks, standing six feet apart, quarantining— would seem bizarre to our past selves. This made me think about h...

The past 14 months have consisted of five stages of grief. First came denial. There is no way we can return to school with the rise of COVID-19 cases recently. Returning to in-person learning in November felt illogical. Then came anger. KSD didn’t even ask the students or teachers about what they wanted. We had no opportunity to provide feedback on this fast decision. Next up, bargaining. In-per...

Change is always good, right? It’s an opportunity for you to better yourself. A chance to explore new challenges. You would think that a year of change could lead to eventful things. You could finally work on all the side projects, hobbies and goals you have, that you never got the chance to do. These were my initial thoughts before the lockdown, when my naive mind thought that spring break was g...

A cool breeze carried the smell of newly blooming flowers and the sound of birds singing. It was a normal spring day except for the halls buzzing with excitement and anticipation. Everyone was watching the clock, waiting for the bell to signal the end of a school day and the beginning of spring break. Yeah, we had heard news reports about a new virus in China, but surely the virus wouldn’t affect us ...

Isolation, a word with such a negative connotation, is arguably the worst thing you could do to a person. As humans, we are a social species, ones who thrive by connecting with others. So by all accounts, the last 14 months should have been pure torture. And yet, I loved them.  It's not that I enjoyed having the time to be productive, I didn’t do a single worthwhile activity over quarantine. I didn’t...

I miss fourth quarter of last year. You know, when school was practically optional. I want to go back to when our grades couldn’t drop, we could do school work whenever we wanted, and we didn’t have to log onto Zoom. Sure, I was scared when the COVID-19 cases in Kirkwood hit double digits, but I was chillin’ doing one assignment a week with straight A’s. After all, having nothing to do in a ...