![Azalia Quinn fills out a mock ballot. On Thursday, Oct. 24 AP Government students did a pretend election to experience what it’s like. “If you can get [students] enthused about voting at a young age, the chances are higher that they’re going to continue this process throughout their adulthood,“ Brian Brown, the AP Gov teacher said.](https://mshsprospector.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18FGwFbMo8mtfWGnVEvaqiODxDZhuV9ipRw3DAgL-1200x960.jpg)
Will next school year be back to normal?
March 2, 2021
With so many negative effects of the Coronavirus, all we can do is have a positive mindset and be hopeful for the future. We would all like to believe that eventually life and life in school will return to the same normal we knew less than two years ago. But the dreaded possibility must be in the back of our minds when considering our futures: Is this the new normal?
Masks keep us safe from spreading sickness, so will we ever feel safe without them? And if so how long? As soon as next year? It’s taken us so long to adapt to distancing ourselves from family and friends and being isolated – how will we reintroduce ourselves into the social scene? These are all harsh realities we must be willing to ask ourselves and each other. How many more changes and adjustments are staff and students willing to make? Although we should be hopeful for a disease free future, how long will we be battling Coronavirus, and what’s to come after? How long will we have before the next worldwide pandemic? How has the reaction to this pandemic going to change how we react to viral flus in the future? So many unknowns seem to be a constant theme throughout this entire experience. Maybe our new president’s significantly faster reaction time will reduce the length of the Coronavirus’s life but who’s to say for sure.
One thing we can do is compare our data to the data of other countries and how they’ve either effectively combated the virus or how they’ve fallen short in their efforts. But where we must focus most of our attention is the future of our school. When asked if they predicted the return of a “normal”school year Guiliana Durben (11) said, “ I honestly think that we will return to normal, but I think it won’t be as soon as next year. I feel like it’s a long process.” Mathew Harangozo (11) added, “I feel hopeful with the vaccine now…it should really help distribute immunity in our school, like parents and stuff.” Mathew, a junior soon to be senior at Manitou Springs, also said, “I just really want a fun senior year…that’s all I want.”
It is really scary not knowing what’s to come in the future and if things will get worse before they get better. Facing this pandemic without any warning has been a challenge that we have proved to be strong as acommunity. No one can tell for sure what is to come next year but all we have to control is our attitudes and flexibility to whatever the world has to throw at us.
Lauren B • Mar 4, 2021 at 6:07 pm
I agree with you completely. The most any of us can do in this situation is hope for the best. If this is our new normal, then we will adapt. We are all already getting used to some of the newly accustomed expectations and we will continue to follow the guidelines for as long as needed. The main thing we all need to keep in mind is not letting our restlessness overtake our patience.
Miles Loughman • Mar 3, 2021 at 3:47 pm
It is definitely still unsure what the world will look like in the next year, even if the vaccine is readily available. Will we still wear masks in public as to prevent the spread of possible alternate strains of COVID-19, or to stop a virus similar from infecting the entire world? Feeling like it will be a “long process” is definitely common among most people I know. Nobody sees this going back to the world as we knew it within the next year, and I’m not sure if we ever will. Safety will probably be much more prioritized, but social gatherings may still be stigmatized as dangerous because of the knowledge of what the world went through.