COVID 19 has taken a toll on every school between having to switch from hybrid to full remote to full in school and then back to hybrid. On top of that, students are having to quarantine. For the times that students have been full time in school and hybrid learning, multiple students have had to quarantine. In order to be as cautious as possible, if a student in a class has been confirmed to test positive for COVID 19, all students who were in the classroom with that student have to quarantine for two weeks. Not being able to leave their house for a week is physically and mentally draining. Some students who had to quarantine, possibly more than once, shared how they coped with quarantining.

Senior Olivia Riccio is one of the unlucky students who has had to quarantine twice because she was in close contact with two people who tested positive for COVID 19. Olivia got tested twice in order to keep herself and others safe, and both tests came back negative. Olivia said that “the first time I had to stay home for two weeks, I wasn’t so happy, and thought I was going crazy in my house.”Overall she was upset that she couldn’t see her friends, go to school, and couldn’t even really see her family. Reflecting on her first two weeks of quarantining, Olivia said “all I did was sit in my bed, go on my phone, and watch Netflix,” but the second time quarantining, she established new ways to fill time. Instead of sitting around, Olivia said she would read more, take her dog for a walk every day, catch up on college applications, and work on being more productive such as keeping her room clean and helping out with laundry and dishes. Regarding her overall quarantine experiences, Olivia said “I think it was important for me to quarantine a second time not only for the safety of others but also for myself.” After having to quarantine on two separate occasions Olivia says “I have learned the significance of time and have appreciated little things more such as seeing grandparents and going out with friends.”

Senior Ryan Hromadka also had to quarantine due to close contact with another student who tested positive for COVID 19. Ryan said, “it was definitely a bummer because I had to take a break from the gym, seeing my friends and going to baseball,” but Ryan tried to make the best out of these 10 days worth of time and tried to become more productive. Even though it is an unfortunate situation, Ryan took this time to catch up on college applications, catch up on some shows and try out new hobbies. Ryan took a common situation these days and made the best he could of it.

Junior Emma Powers more recently had to quarantine also through close contact. Commonly stated among students including Emma, “quarantining is hard, These last few months have felt like an eternity.”Emma said in order to cope “I find it good to have one friend’s house where you can go when you really need an escape. I still have to go to work which also gives me an escape.”  Spending all your time with your family can be exhausting.
Quarantine is a challenging task to do when your days are filled with loads of boredom. The students at Morgan established many ways to cope with non-optional sudden free time by working out, reading, watching tv, and more in order to pass the time. Having to quarantine is frustrating, but students made the best of unfortunate circumstances.