Issue #6

6 IN-DEPTH Wed., March 24, 2021 Wed., March 24, 2021
IN-DEPTH 7
ONE YEAR LATER: WHERE ARE WE NOW?
After abruptly getting out of school back in March of last year due to the Covid pandemic, students and staff reflect on the past year
It’s been a year of
adjustments
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
Students share their favorite masks
BY NAREG BOGHOSIAN
Staff Writer
When Fairfax County closed all public
schools for a minimum of two weeks
in response to the outbreak COVID-19.
Students were thrilled as they
looked forward to what seemed to be
just an extended spring break. Many, at
first, would embrace the chance to stay
at home and relax.
What seemed to be a brief break
from classwork, jobs and responsibilities
slowly became less welcomed as
months of social distancing piled on.
The realization of an extended
quarantine gradually set into the
lives of millions worldwide. Though
the virus was not as hostile to global
health as the Black Plague, the effects
of the Coronavirus are certain to have
changed the world.
The implementation of face masks
stands as one of the largest adjustments
in our daily activities concerning
the pandemic.
Because of the virus, face masks are
now an essential part of our lives just
as items such as cell phones and car
keys. Simple tasks like going to the
grocery store cannot go by without the
thought of packing a mask.
Activities related to physical health
bear the effect of the virus as well.
“I wear a mask in the gym while
I’m getting huge, so it is a different
experience” senior Jason Kim said,
describing his gym experience throughout
COVID-19. “It’s just something I
had to get used to.”
Education faced major challenges
as a result of coronavirus. The United
Nations cited that the COVID-19 pandemic
has created the largest disruption
of the education systems in history
in over 190 countries and all continents.
FCPS was to instruct the entire
county to launch the concept of a
remote learning system for the first
time.
“It was like being a first year teacher
all over again,” Music Teacher and
Choir Director Patrick Vaughn said.
“Teachers of the county felt like we had
to relearn how to teach.”
The process was extremely difficult
for Annandale’s performing arts program
as it was impossible to have effective
ensemble rehearsals online.
“I wear a
mask in the
gym while
getting
huge so it is
a different
experience. It’s just something
I had to get used
to.”
--JASON KIM
senior
“Although we have learned to maintain
school days virtually, I hope in the
future the county will still hold its traditional
snowdays for the sake of family
values,” Vaughn said.
Despite the negative effects of
COVID-19, many saw quarantine as
an opportunity to achieve what they
may not usually have time for such as
Students sound off on
vaccination rollout
BY EYOB DAGNACHEW
Staff Writer
As this hectic school year draws
to an end for AHS students, Summer
Break is looking to be the only chance
that students have to gain back some
of the fun that COVID took from them
this year.
“After I’m done with school and I
get my college decisions, I’m definitely
gonna try to hang out with my friends
as much as possible however I can,”
senior Johnny Rodriguez said.
But, even as students plan hangouts
with friends, the threat of COVID and
mask mandates still hold back students
from enjoying themselves as if there
was no pandemic at all.
To go back to those maskless hangouts
and having more stores being
open, vaccines are the closest anyone
can get to being back towards those
kinds of hangouts.
And while vaccine distribution has
improved a lot since their release to the
public in December of last year, the vaccine
distribution for students under 18
is a lot less clear than some students
might hope.
It is currently the case that the
Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines
are authorized for ages 18 and up,
while students that are ages 16 or older
should get the Pfizer vaccine.
While this does provide a chance
for Annandale students to get that
non-socially distant summer, the CDC
does specify that, “efforts are focusing
on children ages 16+ who have one
or more CDC-listed chronic conditions
that are associated with poor outcomes
from COVID-19 and live in a community
with a higher risk of COVID exposure
based on community prevalence of
COVID-19.”
Students in Patrick Vaughn’s virtual chorus class work together to make music.
For many students, this means waiting
longer until they can resume their
regular lives again.
However, for students with preexisting
conditions under the added
threat of COVID, this pushes up the
vaccination waiting line that could help
take care of one issue and become a
definite course of action in the coming
months.
This is a sentiment mirrored by
senior Anon Rahman.
“I’m definitely going to apply for the
vaccine, so that maybe in a few months
I can hang out with my friends without
worrying about my asthma on top of
“I was never
a really big
fan of Prom,
but graduation
and
being able to
walk across the stage was
always a dream of mine.”
--ISABELLA RODAS
senior
COVID,” Rahman said.
But, students without pre-existing
health conditions have their patience
tested yet again, becoming frustrated
by being put back in a situation where
they are expected to sit back and follow
rules.
“I remember I was really excited
when I found out that people over
18 can get all three vaccines since I’m
turning 18 myself soon,” senior Wasiq
Ali said. “After finding out the pre-existing
condition requirement, it sucks having
to go back to waiting again, but I
cooking, spending time with immediate
family, exercising and getting organized.
The phenomenon of Zoom virtually
brought together families and friends to
check in on one another throughout the
year more often than usual. Older generations
had no choice but to adapt to
new technology due to quarantine.
Younger generations thrived on
social media platforms and applications
such as Snapchat, Discord and
TikTok to entertain, communicate and
digitally spend time with one another.
COVID-19 truly allowed the world to be
brought together virtually in the safety
of their own homes.
There was a major relief from the
stress of school allowing students to
grasp a steady pace in terms of schoolwork.
“It made me enjoy school more actually
and stress a whole lot less,” junior
Audrey Barnes said. “I just really
enjoyed how online school feels.”
Still, now that most strive to retain
normalcy, many are scarred by the negative
effects of the pandemic. The United
States alone has faced an estimated
number of half a million lives lost to
COVID-19.
One year ago from March 2021, no
one could have imagined to what extent
lives would be reshaped having experienced
a pandemic.
think it’s fair because people with a preexisting
condition are more at risk.”
COVID makes things even harder
because last year when the class of
2020 did not get their prom nor graduation,
we thought for sure that this pandemic
would have been over. This vaccine
also gave the Class of 2021 false
hope.
One of the most important ceremonies
of our lives will not be the same.
Twelve years waiting for this day and
once again ruined by COVID 19. Even
if the Class of 2021 has the chance to
have a ceremony, it wouldn’t be the
same.
Masks would be required, distance
would be kept, the amount of capacity
would be lower; walking the stage
would not feel the same.
“I was never a really big fan of prom,
but graduation and being able to walk
across the stage was always a dream
of mine,” senior Isabella Rodas said.
“Graduation or not, I look forward to
the next chapter and I hope we can go
back to our normal lives soon.”
For school next year, it seems as if
there will be higher chances of having
a normal high school life as FCPS has
already announced in-school learning 5
days a week.
Infectious diseases expert Anthony
Fauci has also stated that it looks
like high school students will be able to
get vaccinated by the beginning of fall
2021.
So, as the school year ends and
Summer Break grows even closer for
the students at Annandale, the vaccine
seems like it’s the only way to be able to
take full advantage of that summer.
But, as with everything during a
pandemic, uncertainty still lingers and
causes the vision for vaccines and a
carefree summer to become a much foggier
one.
DURING THE PANDEMIC
ANDY ZEPEDA
senior
“I really like this mask
because it feels really
snug on my face and
lets me breathe easier.
It also matches a lot of
the clothes I wear.”
LAILA LOPEZ
senior
“I like the mask
because it frames my
face and it’s black so
it matched with everything
.”
ASHLEY
HOLCOMB
junior
“I really love this mask
because I found it easy
to breathe and it can go
with any of my outfits.”
How the pandemic changed
school as we know it
BY HENRY HOANG
In-Depth Editor
On March 12, 2020, students were
told that school would be canceled for
a few weeks to control the spread of
Covid-19, but those few weeks turned
into a year.
Schools were forced to turn to online
learning for the rest of the year which
was mostly asynchronous.
Many students couldn’t find the
motivation to do their work since none
of it was graded but was rather an
opportunity to raise grades for those
who needed it.
The situation was worse on the other
end too for teachers that weren’t trained
to teach using technology. Teachers are
trained to teach and work with students
face to face, interacting via Google Meet
was just not the same.
School was the least of some students’
worries as they were forced to get
used to this new world.
Life was much different and hardly
recognizable because of the precautions
that were made to keep others safe and
keep communities at bay from the virus.
“Before Covid, I was able to do so
much with so many of my closest friends
in school and I was also able to see places
with more freedom and appreciation
because there was no pandemic and
people were outside and greeting each
other and being happy,” senior Anthony
Assadzadeh said.
“I was able to visit colleges, play basketball
with my friends, and go to homecoming
and have the time of my life, but
with everything going on now, none of
that fun can really happen.”
Before COVID-19, students were
walking in the hallways and classrooms
were filled with loud students, pencils
tapping against desks and scraping
chairs.
Now, the day to day life of most students
is spent asleep in their beds while
signed into a class, tuning out their
teachers’ voices on their laptops.
When there’s no accountability, it’s
hard to do what you’re supposed to.
ANNIE NGUYEN
senior
“It stands out in comparison
to all the blue
ones and because it
was custom made, it’s
fit to my face making it
easier to breathe.”
AMANDA CHUNG
senior
I like this mask because
black matches with all
of my outfits and I use
it every time I leave my
house to go to the grocery
store or to get
some food.”
SAMUEL
WONDWOSEN
sophomore
“I picked this mask
because it looked good
and matched with basically
all my clothes and
it fit my face perfectly
unlike the blue mask.”
MIRIAM
ESQUIVAL
senior
“This has to be my
favorite mask because
my mom decided to put
a heart on it and i feel
like it just makes it look
ten times better than
how it originally was.”
DIMA DIV
junior
“The regular blue
masks would start to
irritate my skin after
long hours when I’m at
work so I switched to
wearing these cotton
ones which were softer
on my face.”
AMANDA
SALISBURY
sophomore
“This is my favorite
mask because it is
easy to breathe and it is
fashionable.”
A hallway that was once filled with students pushing past each other now stands
empty with occasional students taking part in in-person learning.
At this point, many are just waiting
for it to be over. Seniors this year
are feeling “senioritis” more than past
years.
“I can hardly get myself to sign on to
class. I can’t wait to graduate and finish
this year off,” senior Gabby Urbina
said. “Had we been in school, it would be
so much easier to keep my focus on my
school work.”
Although many students do not like
the idea of online school, many appreciate
the liberty of being able to do school
work on their own terms.
“I enjoy online school because I have
the freedom to do school from anywhere
now,” senior Kayla Trace said.
Others are more critical.
“Online school was a failure, in my
opinion, and I just couldn’t get what
I wanted out of it,” senior Anthony
Assadzadeh said. “By the time I was
allowed to come back, there wasn’t
TIM SUE
senior
“My mom made me
this mask and she gave
it to my whole family.
Usually, masks fog up
my glasses, but these
are better made or
something. I have had
no issues.”
CONNIE SHAW
junior
“I wear a lot of neutral
colored clothes so
I didn’t want my mask
messing up my outfits. I
like it because it makes
me feel safe and protected.”
ANDI REYES
sophomore
“I chose this mask
because it’s not too
extra, but it’s not too
basic. It’s still good for
this pandemic and it
lets me have another
color besides the basic
blue.”
much else left of my high school experience,”
Assadzadeh said.
Students like those that are heavily
affected by the drastic changes in learning
this past year have all had one thing
in common: they are tired.
“I hope that whatever I do in the
next few months set my path to college
the right way,” senior Timothy Sue said.
“Working while taking 5 IB classes have
been a struggle lately, but I am pushing
through with the encouragement of my
peers and others around me.”
With staying up late at night, having
countless amounts of homework,
and now IB students are forced to finish
their Internal Assesments as they are
graded for their final IB grade, students
do not know what to do.
“This kind of stuff takes a toll on us
kids and sitting in front of a computer
screen for seven to eight hours a day
isn’t helping,” Assadzadeh said.