Dear Rocky Students of the Future,

It is easy to read about people in history books, never really thinking that they were in fact alive.  Those of us living through the COVID-19 pandemic are not too much different than you.  We were excited about our high school dances, stressed over finals, and looked forward to graduation.  We never expected our lives to be touched, or changed, by a deadly virus.

This experience is surreal because we are living history in the making.  Stores ran out of toilet paper because people started panic-buying.  One man in Tennessee bought almost 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and tried to sell them for profit, for between $8 and $70 apiece.  Hand sanitizer normally costs around $2.

The pandemic is stressful for many people, especially essential employees, including those working in healthcare, grocery stores, and infrastructure.  Other people feel that this time is helping them to slow down, get their priorities straight, and focus more on what they enjoy.

Personally, I have had more time to read, write, and do textile crafts.  I am enjoying reading Little Men (by Louisa May Alcott), Inkheart (by Cornelia Funke), and Lord of the Rings (by J.R.R. Tolkien).  I have also written 14,633 words of my assassin novel in the past 43 days.  Earlier during quarantine, I wove many potholders, worked on my knot-a-quilt, and started knitting a scarf.

Since we cannot meet in person, many people turned to Zoom, Google Meet, and other video chat programs to continue learning, seeing friends, and doing activities, such as youth groups or music lessons.

School as we knew it ended halfway through March.  We had two weeks of spring break, and then quarantine began.  If we return to school in the fall, we will have been out of school for five months, including summer.

Shopping is a bit of a wild experience.  Previously, some people shopped online, but many still shopped in stores.  Now, a lot of people have turned to delivery or pick-up options.  If you do go into a store, everyone has masks.  There are plexiglass sheets separating cashiers from the customers.  Aisles are one way, and only a certain number of people can enter a store at a time.

I hope you never have to experience what we went through.  I hope you get to enjoy all of your high school “lasts” and spend time with your friends.  My favorite quote is from Gandalf the Grey in Lord of the Rings: “All we have to decide is that to do with the time that is given us.”  Don’t ever take a moment for granted, because you never know when it could all be snatched away.  I wish you all the best in life.  

Sincerely,

Larissa Pothoven

(Senior class of 2020)