In fall of 2019, high school students across the world woke up early to prepare for school. Cars filled the streets with noise and the air with pollution, taking the students to another seven hour day spent in a classroom. In a matter of months, that all changed.

“At the beginning of distance learning it was very messy and unorganized, so it was kind of overwhelming and stressful to manage all my work on my own,” Ariana Rodriguez said about her freshman year.

This was a popular sentiment among the students. What routine had developed in the first semester of the year had to be altered as schools transitioned into online learning. But that change hasn’t been all bad – despite the difficult times, there have been upsides.

Teens battle sleep deprivation every day between school and extracurriculars. With start times pushed back, Andrea Mazariego, a junior, admitted that during quarantine she “just rolls out of bed to do the basics like brush teeth, brush hair, and change before starting the day.” Synchronous classes have also been shortened, allowing for more time during the day to complete work. In a way, quarantine has given students a way to win that fight against sleep deprivation.

While students’ sleep patterns may be healthier now, the same can’t easily be said for interactions with their peers. Not only are schools closed, but many extracurricular activities have halted to ensure students’ safety. But in an age of such advanced technology, there is no keeping students from communicating. Junior Keira Lamb explains that conversations haven’t stopped during quarantine, though it has lessened; texting just isn’t the same as talking face to face. 

The holiday season is fast approaching, and with it an increased sense of excitement in seeing extended family and friends, even if it is six feet apart. Lamb looks forward to “seeing family this holiday season… since it’s been so long since people were able to meet. It might be nice to have something fun and nice to talk about,” she says, “to get our minds off all the craziness in the world.” 

These holidays are unprecedented, but they are also a light through the storm clouds. The quarantine has brought people together in a way that seemed impossible at the start; it’ll be remembered not as a force to keep family from each other, but a reason to cherish their time together.