Chaos and uncertainty erupted on March 13, 2020. It was a Friday, of all days. I was in fourth-period PreCalculus completing an assessment when our substitute teacher, Mrs. Christine Newton, informed us in a worrisome, yet estimably composed manner that we would not be returning to school the following Monday.

When the bell rang, I observed a mixture of student reactions. Some were celebratory, others concerned. The raw and untamed reactions from students made the halls appear closer to a zoo than ever before. North Kingstown High School was closing due to the spread of COVID-19. 

The promise of a two-week vacation turned to four weeks. The four weeks turned to the rest of the year. Distance learning was our primary and only form of education for approximately three months. Summer approached, yet the eerie question remained: What will the next school year be like? 

Jump to September 15, 2020. My first day of senior year was spent online: a reminder of the struggles from the spring. At that time, distance learning was uncharted territory; come September it was only slightly navigated. The day was short, with a mix of first-day jolts and assignment confusion.

September 16, 2020 was my first day in-person. I arrived at school five minutes before the start of the day. I should have been beyond excited: I had a parking spot for my 2008 Prius! For the first time, I felt like a senior at North Kingstown High School. My thoughts shifted to the other senior privileges I would enjoy this year. I drew a blank. Nothing. 

My first course of the day was Physical Education. When the masks were on, the students’ smiles were off. I looked at the sophomore and junior sections of the gymnasium. They sat on their assigned bleacher spots tired, beaten down, and very much depressed. The most notable experience during the class was our “mask-free time” where the class stood five yards (fifteen feet) apart on the football field and took off our masks. Everybody did. The five-yard line became my new best friend. It was such an inconceivable privilege: the ability to inhale fresh air. Although I comprehended the science and importance of mask-wearing, I too felt they were uncomfortable at times. Eventually, we had to put our masks back on, and the muggy stench of cloth took over once again. 

Concert Choir presented itself with different opportunities and obstacles. All the students were spaced apart from each other in the auditorium with masks on. In a seventy-minute period, the singing duration of the class was only thirty minutes (to prevent COVID transmission). When there was time, the group cracked jokes and asked about everybody’s summer. We were a baffled, yet optimistic, crew making the best of the difficult situation. 

Next came snack time in AP Statistics. I noticed that students were reserved about taking their masks off in order to eat. Some students peered around at others chewing before they would remove their own masks. Yet as time passed, each student became more comfortable with devouring their quick snack. There were only eight minutes to eat. Hence, little time for hesitation. The learning portion of the class followed a similar suit with my previous in-person math classes. 

Last came Journalism. As a class, we mainly discussed the conditions and regulations currently in place. We shared stories about our experiences throughout the day. Some of them were laughable, yet at the end of the day, it was still a reality.