collage of student photos with the title "How You Made It Through the Pandemic Year"
All student photos courtesy of families; Shutterstock.com (all other images)

How You Made It Through the Pandemic Year

We spoke to dozens of students across the country about their experiences this year. Here’s what you told us.  

By Mackenzie Carro
From the May 2021 Issue

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When the first stay-at-home orders were put in place last spring, few could have imagined that our lives would be disrupted for so long. These past 14 months have been some of the most challenging in American history. Businesses have closed. People have lost jobs. Loved ones have been separated. Hospitals have been overwhelmed. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died.

Yet, in the face of all of this, you have managed to pull off an incredible feat. When schools were unable to open safely, you and millions of other students, along with your teachers, took on the big job of learning from home, adapting to new in-person rules, or a mix of both. What you’ve accomplished is extraordinary. And so, with the school year coming to a close, the Scope team wanted to take a moment to honor and celebrate all you’ve achieved this year. We spoke with dozens of students across the country. What did we learn? There was sadness, stress, and loneliness. There was also laughter, joy, and hope.

During the School Year, You . . .

. . . became Zoom masters.

courtesy of family

Abbey Griffin

Your generation is no stranger to technology, but virtual school made you even more tech-savvy. Last spring, Abbey Griffin, now 14, from Georgia, became her English teacher’s tech wizard. “Abbey would remind me that I was on mute, not projecting, not recording, or all three at the same time,” her teacher, Maria Meza, recalls. “She still helps me even though I’m at a different school.”

. . . gained new appreciation for in-person school.

courtesy of family

Chloe Willis, 10, from Louisiana, spent afternoons cruising around in her brightblue go-kart.

Many of you said you missed going to school more than you expected to. “I’m excited to go back to school,” says Ravindu Marasinghe, 12, from Washington State. “I never thought I’d say that.”

. . . supported your communities.

courtesy of family

Charlotte Newman

You found safe ways to help your neighbors. Griffin Larson, 13, from Minnesota, made care packages for families in need. Charlotte Newman, 14, from California, learned to sew and made masks for teachers, post office employees, and family members. Some of Maria Meza’s students became pen pals with residents of nursing homes.

. . . stepped up your cooking game.

courtesy of family

Carrington Meyer

With more time at home, many of you found yourselves in the kitchen—a lot. Carrington Meyer, 11, from Florida, mastered making enchiladas and cupcake decorating. Erik Chun, 13, from Hawaii, turned his grilled hot dogs and teriyaki chicken into personal specialties.

FUN FACT:

Forty-six percent of Americans said they started baking more during the pandemic.

. . . went outside more.

courtesy of family

Ravindu and Natasha Marasinghe

Being stuck at home gave many of you a new appreciation for the outdoors. Twins Ravindu and Natasha Marasinghe, 12, from Washington State, often strolled around their neighborhood with their family—including the newest member, an Aussiedoodle named Blu. Over in Massachusetts, Ella Joy, 11, and her family started a tradition called the Morning Mile: They run a mile together every morning.

FUN FACT:

So many pets have been adopted over the past year that some shelters are running out!

. . . unleashed your creativity.

courtesy of family

Koren Armstrong

Many of you expressed yourselves through writing, drawing, and making music and videos. Koren Armstrong, 15, from New Jersey, wrote a rap song for Scholastic’s My History Project, in which kids record their experiences during the pandemic. Chloe Willis, 10, from Louisiana, embraced her inner poet. This past fall, one of her poems won second place in a regional writing competition.

. . . learned new skills—and perfected old ones.

courtesy of family

Jack and Laurel Aronian

This past October, Laurel was named one of the top-100 13-year-old female chess players in the country!

For many of you, virtual school provided a flexible schedule that gave you time to pursue new interests or get back into old hobbies. In New York, Laurel Aronian, 13, and her brother Jack Aronian, 11, honed their chess skills. Laurel even joined a virtual chess club and now plays with kids all over the world—from Colombia to Kenya.

. . . became part of history.

courtesy of family

Erik Chun, 13, from Hawaii, took online taiko classes. Taiko is a Japanese style of drumming.

Virtual learning has never before been done on the scale it was this past year. It wasn’t easy, but each time you pulled out your laptop and hopped on a Google Meet, you were making history—and helping to keep our country going.

What Else We Did This Year

We read more.

Print book sales rose 8.2 percent, the largest annual increase since 2010.

We rode bikes.

In April 2020, bike and bike accessory sales increased by 75 percent.

We listened to podcasts.

In April and May 2020, the number of kids listening to podcasts jumped 20 percent.

We snacked.

Forty-six percent of people surveyed reported they snacked more while at home.

We played Among Us.

This game wins! It was the most played video game of 2020.

We bought a lot of TP.

By the end of March 2020, toilet paper was out of stock at 70 percent of U.S. grocery stores.

Shutterstock

Sources: NPD BookScan, IRI, Ipsos, Mondelez International Inc., STEAM, Fortune

Zoom Diaries

Here are a few of your most memorable moments from virtual school.

Among Us Fail 

“One day, my teacher was playing Among Us and forgot to turn off his shared audio. We could hear him playing, and we didn’t tell him until 10 minutes in. We jokingly made fun of him for the rest of class!”

–Daniel Espinoza, 16, Maryland

Cat Nap

“My cat walked in front of my camera and just started sleeping in front of my class. That was pretty funny.”

–Erik Chun, 13, Hawaii

Jacket to the Rescue

“Sometimes I wake up at 8:55 a.m., and school starts at 9:00. I have a jacket at the ready next to my laptop so that I don’t have to change out of my pajamas. I just wear my jacket during my first Zoom class.”

–  Jack Aronian, 11, New York

Beware of the Squirrel

“One day in virtual class, the power went out at our school. We didn’t know what was going on for a couple of hours, until we got an email from our principal that a squirrel chewed through the school’s power line!”

–Andrew Becker, 13, Georgia

“We Can’t Hear You!””

“One time my teacher did half the lesson on mute. She couldn’t hear us when we were trying to tell her!”

–Ella Joy, 11, Massachusetts

Unicorn Spotting

“I’ve had students show up in funny costumes. During one Google Meet, one student was wearing a unicorn costume. It took me a minute or two to stop laughing!”

–Gladys Mouton, teacher, Louisiana

Virtual Learning

What you like most 👍

  • "There’s no hassle between classes, and you get more sleep.” – Andrew Becker, 13, Georgia

  • "Getting introduced to Zoom. My friends and I never used to video chat. Now, pretty much every night we call to talk and do homework together.” –Laurel Aronian, 13, New York

  • "You can eat snacks whenever you want.” –Natasha Marasinghe, 12, Washington

What you like least 👎

  • "Being cooped up at home. I missed seeing my friends and teachers and getting to play basketball.” –Koren Armstrong, 15, New Jersey

  • "At home, I lose interest in what I’m doing very easily.” –Benjamin Trickey, 14, Georgia

  • "There’s not much interaction with my classmates. I really miss that human interaction with others.” –Elliot Gregory, 13, New Jersey 

Reflection

Think about this past school year. What are you most proud of? What was most challenging? Your reflection can be in any format you choose, such as an essay, poem, drawing, song, or video.

This article was originally published in the May 2021 issue.

photos courtesy of families

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