VOL. 1 -- You and the Pandemic

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You and the Pandemic: Elizabeth Vigil, Graycen Chamberlain, Josh Steiner, Karla Valenzuela (left to right).
(Photo: Trisha Balani)
t) Vigil. (Photo: Faith Vigil)
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Karla’s family on Christmas. (Photo: Karla Valenzuela)
Graycen and her family. In order from right
to left, Kensington, Chance, Graycen, Karen.
(Photo: Graycen Chamberlain)
entire life that I haven’t celebrated
Thanksgiving or Christmas with my
grandma and cousins, and that was
really hard on me,” says Eaglecrest
sophomore Graycen Chamberlain.
This has taken a massive
toll on mental health, especially
among teens and young adults.
Acording to the CDC, 63% of 18-
to-24-year-olds reported symptoms
of anxiety or depression, with 25%
reporting increased substance use
to cope, and 25% saying they’d
seriously considered suicide.
“My mental health has been a
rollercoaster,” says Chamberlain.
“Some weeks I am stressed
to the max, barely being able to
focus and get work done, having
Ms. Vigil’s daughter Mila (left), son Will
(middle), and mother Elizabeth (right) at
Mount Rushmore. (Karla’s family on Christmas.
(Photo: Faith Vigil)
multiple panic attacks a week,
and then other weeks I am relaxed
and stress doesn’t even exist.
I have always been a generally
stressed and anxious person, so
this year has definitely added on.”
Overall, this year has
generally made teachers and students
see each other as more human.
The virus has affected everybody,
and it is visible in everybody.
As much as it tore people apart,
we can choose to believe that there
will be positive changes and growth
that come from the pandemic.
Teachers and administrators
are rethinking how school
is structured, using lessons from
what has worked and what has
not worked for students this year.
“I’ve always thought of myself as
a flexible, adaptable person. This
year has certainly tested that,
and I’ve learned that a lot can be
gained from letting go. I know
that I’m being much more intentional
with and much more conscious
of my in-class time,” said Steiner.
And regardless of what you believe
in, the pandemic taught us
all that Earth is her own ruler.
“We’re all guests here. This planet
existed long before us, and it will exist
long after us. If more of us lived
with that knowledge, lived with a
sense of communal responsibility
and global stewardship, we might be
better equipped to handle whatever
future crises we’ll face,” says Steiner.
Keeping this universal
responsibility in mind, we are almost
through this. It is everyone’s
job to take care of our people and
our planet. Continue doing your
small part, because whether or not
you realize it, you’re saving lives.
The world’s elderly population
is one of the most important
groups to protect during this time,
because of their high susceptibility
to the virus. Their experience with
COVID-19 had been truly traumatic—both
for them and their families.
“I wake up every day hoping my parents
can stay safe, but knowing there is very
little I can do to help them,” says Faith
Vigil, a social studies teacher at
Eaglecrest. Now with various vaccines
coming out, it seems like we
can finally see a light at the end of
the tunnel. Fortunately, Vigil has
been able to assist her parents
in the process of getting theirs.
However, many elderly people
in our country do not have the
same help that Vigil can provide
to her parents, and they are being
left to perish at COVID’s hand.
“I’m learning a lot about how
the elderly and disabled are valued
and the sad fact is that there
are few people who are empathetic
to their plight,” Vigil said.
“I think all too often we make
mistakes as individuals by assuming
that if something doesn’t
apply to us, it doesn’t apply,”
As a society, we should
try to learn from every single
thing, good and bad, that came
from the pandemic. We also need
to come together to realize that
things that may not affect us do
affect others, an idea that has
been amplified by COVID-19.
You and the School | 5