COVID 19

Johnnie Teague, Writer

Being a Junior really felt unreal back in August. I can’t explain the feeling, but even when I entered high school as a Freshman, it was just something so fairytale, and so movie like to me, as if I never thought it would happen. Junior year is supposed to be one the hardest years, considering you’re now looked at as an upperclassman, and after years of waiting, you finally have to take the SAT or ACT. With that, comes a lot of prep, but once it’s over, it’s probably such a big relief. Besides the academics that colleges are going to show great interest in, college scouts also love recruiting athletes, and Junior year is very important. It’s one of the last years you have before you finalize your decision for choice of college. This year, because of COVID-19,   the of Class of 21 and I aren’t taking either the SAT or ACT, from my knowledge, and in Illinois all spring sports are sitting at a maybe to whether they will resume in July.

As frustrating as it is, it’s definitely understandable considering how threatening it is to human existence. This pandemic, I’m sure, caught a lot of people by surprise, and the world hasn’t seen something like this happen in a very long time. My Junior year definitely took a turn and I would’ve never expected something like this to affect it in an unbelievable way. 

COVID-19 isn’t only taking lives, but it’s taking away a ton of high school memories that could’ve been being made in the classroom, but instead we’re all at home in our beds, binging shows and movies on Netflix. Personally, it has affected me most by taking away my track season. I was very excited for this season because after last year, I improved so much and was more than ready to go to State. My team and I were also very confident as a whole because from the first meet that we did have, we were ranked #2 in Conference, and actually had a shot winning this year at our home track. Since as of now, spring sports are out of a season, that also leaves a big empty space in the 2021 Rocky yearbook.

Junior year also meant that I could finally go to prom. Dressing up is always something I get excited for, but the only dressing up I’ll be doing is a switch of pajamas every few days. It’s kind of sad because that’s one of the last fun moments we get to have with the Seniors before they go off to live their lives, but is for the greater good when we realize that us forfeitting our Prom that we instead get to save lives. Although it is very disappointing that we are missing out on so much, at least this is something we will all remember and can talk about in our futures.