COVID-19 March 13 Reflections

To say that the past 365 days has been awful is a complete understatement. Above and beyond the idea that just going out in public could kill me, there were so many other unbelievable things going on like trying to find toilet paper, wearing stupid masks, and not being able to see any family outside my immediate group. I have been appalled at the response to this pandemic from so many groups and...

At this time last year, I was attending Gorzycki as an eighth grader, excited by the prospect of soon becoming a high schooler. A few days later I had my last day of school, two months too early, and since last March, I have not been in a classroom full of students due to COVID-19, instead completing my first year of high school virtually.  The lack of interaction with people in my grade that would norma...

If I had been asked to define myself before March 13, 2020, my definition would have been most likely as follows: “Cade: A student-athlete who beyond academic work devotes his time to scholastic journalism, community service, and leadership.” In the time before the era of COVID-19, I was living life as if it was a resume, crafting a story I believed would set me up for my future. It should be ...

Like many people my age, I woke up thinking we would get a few more days of spring break that fateful day in march. I remember going to a doctors appointment that day at seven am and telling my physical therapist how excited I was that I could do nothing all day. Little did I know I would be able to do nothing for months. At the time I had chronic pain in my jaw joints which I was sure that after a f...

The connection between people and place is what strikes me the most about the year we have spent in phases of quarantine. On March 13, 2020, I felt compelled to go to Bowie – and not just because finalization of our huge AP exam order was due – it was the sense of  place, our school home, and the practical side of me that knew some students would arrive, not knowing. (A few did!)  Even that day...

I remember March 12 of last year vividly. It was a Thursday, the last one before Spring Break, and there was a strange buzz in the school hallways. Not long before, the new COVID-19 virus had been declared a pandemic, and Spring Break trips were being canceled left and right. Many of my friends and teachers were talking about how our break would likely be extended; maybe two weeks or so just to get the...