Reflections, Plans, and Creativity

Hi there, #leydenpride!  Last spring, when we began remote learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we started this blog to help connect with one another and to publish student voices.  We'd like to continue doing this now as we continue to learn in a remote environment.  Here are three prompts you can choose from to answer:

1.    Reflect on the school year so far.  In what ways has the remote environment been a benefit to you?  In what ways has it been a challenge?

2.    What's the first thing you plan to do when we return back to normal? Why? (School or non-school related)

3.     Creative Write:  Share some of your creative writing here! It does not need to be school or Covid related.

Remember, feel free to respond to these prompts in any genre--nonfiction, poetry, artwork, fiction etc.  We'd love to see what you come up with.

What I miss...

I miss being face to face with teachers, being here is hard and alone. It is hard doing work by yourself, for me it's better face to face with a teacher. -Adam Kadhri 

Some things I miss about Leyden are my teachers and my friends and the classroom. I miss eating lunch with my friends. I would be happy to go back next year.  -Juan Llanos-Hernandez

I miss hanging out with my friends and being in class and playing sports, going out. But I mostly miss my friends and my teachers because at least I could have fun learning and goofing around with my friends and enjoy each day.  -Jasmely Martinez

What I miss from Leyden is the teachers and all my classes. I also miss eating in the new cafeteria. I hope we can go to school soon. -Michael Radzik

Dear Coach Dave

Dear Coach Dave,

I know you are probably bored walking the two doggies, but I am writing to let you know I (your favorite student) is doing well and putting on hand sanitizer 24/7. This may seem random; our current situation is not the best, but I would like to thank you for all you’ve done for me throughout my skating career. This is only just the beginning and your wise sayings make skating a lot more worthwhile. You grow my confidence to a whole new level which brings tears to my eyes. I am definitely not a confident person, so it takes me a lot to believe in myself. You are just the thing that helps. 

On a funny note, I think the astronaut or the turtle are going to win the mask singer. I still firmly believe the astronaut is Joseph Gordon-Levitt even though you never agree with me. I am just here to tell you how much I miss your wise words and caring personality. I am still training everyday even though it’s not on the ice. Off ice is a big priority in this situation, and I do it everyday. 

From, Faith (aka Crabapple McNasty)

Dear COVID-19

Dear Covid-19,

You have caused a great mess. The respect you’ve earned for the damage you have caused is immense. Nowadays, it seems like everybody is always giving you attention and thinking about you, and there is no doubt in my mind that you enjoy every bit of it. It was as if you felt disregarded when they were just acknowledging you as a mere variation of the flu. Now that you, Covid-19, have brought us to our knees such that none of us have ever before seen in our lifetimes, you force us to adapt to this new normal. 

The thought of you makes me sick. Before you came along in March, the year had felt like an eternity. From my vacation where I would’ve gotten together with my family to the tennis season I was looking forward to, you have taken all of that away from me. Waking up everyday, looking forward to seeing my friends while maintaining a solid routine is gone. All the highlights and big-time moments that I wanted to see in the big-league sports have been snatched away. It doesn’t make it easier when I see you on the news where your suffering and devastating impacts are showcased on TV. This is a war. But our medical staff (like my mom), are rising to the occasion on the front lines working tirelessly to face you head-on.

And even though there is so much I wish I could return to, there is still much I hold on to. You thought that you could break me through physically distancing myself from my friends, but instead you allowed me to test out the benefits of social media. Playing video games with my guys, checking up on family, and Facetiming my friends have all kept my plenty occupied. The time you’ve opened up for me has only allowed me to spend it on staying in shape and reading some of my books. You have been advertised and portrayed as the deciding factor that will bring the end of the world. But realistically you’ve only given us more time to better ourselves. So when we come out of this, and we will, humanity will come out as the improved varieties of ourselves.

Go to hell,

Jordy Pinero

What I Miss

  I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but I miss everything about school. They do say that you don't appreciate what you have until it's taken away from you and here I am... I miss my teachers, their funny phrases to the other students, funny jokes to the class, their sense of humor. I do miss my friends, hanging out. Also the yummy salad I make myself at lunch and the sandwiches. Right now, as the end of the school year is coming, I am missing all the fun activities. I once even said to my mom, when I couldn't find a thing to wear, that I wished I was "home schooled"... which I totally regret and will never, ever say that again. I MISS my school family.  --Iliani Toledo

Dear COVID-19

Dear COVID-19, 

There is no better way than to ask why? Why take my social life from me? Now I am at my house reminiscing about the times I took going outside with friends for granted all because of you! I wish you understood how much pain you caused. I wanted to ask- can you please go away? I am trying to enjoy my spring without having to worry about the man 2 feet in front of me who just coughed up a lung. Also, this is important. Please, and I beg, don't take summer 2020 from me because if you do… actually I don't know what I could do to a virus. Just be scared of what I could do. 

I really just want you to go away. You’re like the little cousin at family parties that none of the older kids want to be around...yikes! There is no need for Coronavirus to even be around. This was supposed to be my spring, my summer, and my year. No. It just had to happen right before “late-night cruise weather.” Instead, I wake up at 8 am every day watching cartoons in my PJ’s while eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. What a time to be alive huh? 

I am not quite sure if I am angry or just frustrated. One thing is for sure I am sick and tired of you. Get it? “Sick and tired.” See, this is what I mean. My humor has gone away because of you. I lost all of my social skills because the only people I talk to are my toddler sisters. Hey, I am not complaining, but it's hard to keep a conversation with a three-year-old who doesn’t want to be talked to during “TV time.” 

More importantly, we all want our old life back. You have affected many people’s lives, mostly in a bad way, besides the stimulus check. You have been a pain in the butt. Coronavirus, just go away. It would be best for everyone. 

Yours Truly, 

Guise Salas

Dear Covid-19

Dear Covid-19,

While I’m sure you're enjoying your destruction to the world as if you were in Bora Bora, I am not enjoying my stay at home. You may be asking me why I’m not enjoying it and how this stay at home order is boring. Oh my goodness… where should I even begin with this nonsense boredom of mine and frustration and anger I have towards you, but I also have to say a small tiny itty-bitty thank you to you (sadly). 

I’ll start with the boredom first since that's the feeling I feel every single minute and hour of the day. At first it was fun sleeping in until 8, getting ready and then doing some classes because of our schedule. Now Oh my goodness I can’t even fall asleep at 10pm without getting bored of trying to sleep. I have watched every single YouTube video in my subscription box! So you might ask, what do you watch now (if you even care). Well, last night I went from watching a makeup review to watching a person who's from India build a pool and a house out of materials made on earth. You have messed up my sleep schedule so badly, and I'm so tired because of it that I thought that maybe I should go to the forest preserve and try it out as well. Later on, I yelled at myself, as if I was a parent of mine, and told myself all the consequences. 

Now I’ll start with the anger. Why would you want to kill so many innocent human beings? Like why would you be sitting in Bora Bora or even Cancun sunbathing on the beach while infecting others with the particles you put into their atmosphere. I am so angry and frustrated that you target people with Immune deficiency and asthma (especially older people). What enjoyment do you see out of that? I don’t see any besides ache and sadness in my heart. I myself have sports- induced asthma as well as asthma that can cause me to end up in the hospital if I were to be sick very badly. I am so glad I have a mask, gloves, and hand sanitizer on me 24/7, and I wash my hands now at least 15 times a day. I went from maybe 6-8 times a day to 15-20 times a day. 

Now here is my thank you to you. I know I know others might think I’m crazy for even saying thank you to you, but I think people need to understand something here too. You have helped planet earth recover from air pollution, water pollution and much more! In Italy the canals have become crystal clear and even fish started to go into the canals themselves (maybe that's their vacation). Also in Italy, the dolphins finally migrated back near civilization and they look so happy. The pollution in the air in China has gone down so much that even scientists are surprised and shocked. In the United States I haven’t seen a difference besides how much less cars are because everyone who isn’t going to work took a Bora Bora vacation at home, but I noticed that you made rain and weather come back to us here in Chicago. I can smell the freshness in the air. So I wanna tell you thank you for bringing life back to Planet Earth but please go back to where you belong so this can be over with, maybe turn the cure over to the scientist cops so they can give the cure to people. 

Sincerely, 

Nikola Sokolowski