Due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, various local and national leaders have ordered stay-in-place requirements. Despite this, Fresno Christian students are expected to keep up on work provided daily by their teachers. Teachers are now utilizing Schoology, an online learning management system, to post assignments as well as Cisco Webex, an online video call system to talk one-on-one or as a class.

During these times, The Feather staff aims to continue publishing articles and updating social media. Feather adviser for the past 23 years, Greg Stobbe shares the importance of The Feather during this time.

“It is our responsibility not only to share the news,” Stobbe said, “but it is important to share changes to our school learning environment and provide information that our community needs especially during times like we are facing right now.”

Finding ways to fill the boredom
Toryn Triplitt, ‘20
March 30, 2020

“As someone who rarely spends a whole week at home, this has gotten increasingly difficult. I often found comfort in my routine of going to school, riding my horse, completing my homework, then having sleepovers with my best friends every weekend. To have my entire day to day life uprooted when I am almost done with my senior year really threw me off. I miss my friends, I miss the gym, I miss socializing. It really has made me realize how much I take for granted in my day to day life.”

New routine
Laura Rauscher, ’20
March 28, 2020

“COVID-19 has been making a huge impact on all of us, especially us seniors. I particularly had to go back to my own country because of the fears of my family. Having classes online is a good way to stay connected with my teachers and my classmates. Not knowing if my dream to wear a cap and gown with my friends might be canceled is something that is stuck on my mind. However, this is for our safety, I’m glad I’m here with my family and I’m able to spend more time with them.”

Finding joy in the little things
Avery Jones, ‘20 
March 28, 2020

“As seniors, eventually classwork starts to get a little easier as you prepare to graduate, and you look forward to all the fun activities planned. A month of that happiness was being taken away from us seniors. Sitting in my house while in quarantine, I came to the realization that I could either sit in my room and dwell on the negatives or I could make the most out of the situation. I’ve learned to appreciate all the family dinners, game nights, and late night movies but most importantly I have learned to rest in God’s faithfulness through these hard times.”

Appreciate what you have
Megan LeBlanc, ‘20 
March 28, 2020

“Throughout my school year, my mind was consistently overwhelmed with homework, sports and college applications. Once I found out the news about our school being shut down due to the coronavirus, it surprised me that a feeling of sadness rushed over me instead of excitement. I realized that a huge part of my senior year was being taken away from me and it made me feel like I should have appreciated the days I had in school more.”

Art business
Addison Schultz, ‘21
March 27, 2020

“Working from home for me includes the same amount of work, in fact probably more now that we have so much extra time, but I enjoy the ability to work out my own schedule. I am currently running my art business so I’ve received quite a few orders which I appreciate as it takes my mind off of homework for a few hours. I think the transition from campus to home has actually been pretty smooth. Though it may be challenging to work through content without a teacher by our sides, I’m grateful that we have each other to lean on and can enjoy some extra free time.”

Concerned international student
Kenneth Hu, ‘20 
March 27, 2020

“Due to the COVID-19 quarantine time period, online classes became the way we get information from teachers. Online studying requires discipline; sometimes it’s hard to stay focused while no teachers are around. It’s scary how fast the virus was spreading.  Yesterday, I went out for the first time in two weeks to buy daily necessities. I put my mask on and tried to stay away from people as far as I can, half of the people I saw had no mask on, which could potentially spread or get the virus without even knowing.”

Reduced workload and stress
Vijay Stephen, ‘21
March 27, 2020

“So far, my experience with working from home has been great. I feel like in the classes I take, the workload has been generally lightened, it just feels like more since we are home. But, I also help my parents a lot because they own a few hospice homes and they need to feed the elderly people they care for. Unfortunately, due to the mass panic, stores are running out of food so we have to run out finding mass amounts of supplies that we would already normally need.”

Adjusting between homesickness and schoolwork
Serena Zhao, ‘21 
March 27, 2020

“This is, by far, the most chaotic time I experienced in the four years of high school. I was looking forward to a successful senior year filled with excitement, but when school transferred online, it almost ended my senior year unexpectedly. As an international student, from hearing my home country starting the new coronavirus to witnessing spreading of it myself in the U.S, I had a hard time accepting the fact that I possibly will lose the chance to go back home this summer.”

More downtime
Summer Foshee, ‘23
March 27, 2020

“I’d be lying if I said I disliked social distancing. While I enjoy seeing my friends at school, I also like working on assignments whenever I want to. With school closed, I can spend more time with my family and riding my bike. I’ve taken advantage of the pleasant weather by working on assignments outside and taking walks. I’ve even tried cooking new recipes with my brother, like homemade mac-and-cheese. I can understand why social distancing is hard for extroverts, but as someone who is okay with spending time alone, I’m savoring this change of pace.”

Problems brought by the virus
Luke Wu, ’20
March 27, 2020

“Due to the epidemic, learning has become a form of online learning. Homework and teaching have also become much easier. Since it is online, we can know what lessons and assignments will be made this week. This helps us to better plan our time. Online office time is also enough to help us get a response from the teachers when there is a problem. As a person who is not an American citizen. I feel more panic. Since I am senior and I need to make sure that I can graduate, I have to stay in the US to complete my schoolwork to support me to go to college.”

More cons than pros 
Brayden Iest, ‘21
March 27, 2020

“At first I believed that this quarantine schooling offered me more time to do things apart from schoolwork. However, it actually feels like the work never leaves my house. The beneficial part of going to school was how I talked to my friends when I became frustrated with my work and bounce ideas off of them. Now face-to-face interaction is limited to screens on top of the screen time I already have from my work. However, there exist pros to this situation. For instance, I spend more time with my dogs than previously and I receive more sleep than usual.”

An extrovert’s nightmare
Logan Lewis, ‘20 
March 27, 2020

“When the announcement broke that school would be canceled for a month, I was really excited. I thought school work would be really simplified and I would party everyday with my buddies. It started that way, but then the situation got worse, and I couldn’t be with my friends. All my favorite coffee shops and restaurants closed, leaving me with nothing to do except stay at home all day. I’m really upset at this whole situation, and I pray daily that this situation will come to pass soon.”

Fight the virus and consider entering university
Mars Hou, ’20
March 27, 2020

“A few days before the suspension, I realized that the school was about to close, so I went to the Asian supermarket and bought a lot of food, water, materials and toilet paper in order to prevent going out. These days at home, I choose to do rope push-ups in the yard to strengthen my immunity. The right amount of exercise can not only improve the physique but also reduce the invasion of the virus. If you need to go out, you must wear a mask and not just wash your hands. Now I also cook at home, with fish, pork, beef, noodles, rice, etc., and my cooking has been greatly improved.”

Reorganization opportunity
Zoe Bull, ‘23 
March 27, 2020

“This year has brought many changes to how we live our lives. Aside from being a major inconvenience, this virus compels you to think out-of-the-box in terms of activities and social events. Not only have I had much more on my plate, I’ve also gotten the opportunity to organize and plan my own schedule. From homework to clothes and old items, I’ve reorganized just about everything in my life. So though it’s been difficult, it’s been quite the perspective shift, overall changing my view of how we live our lives on a day-to-day basis.”

Challenging adjustment
Jewel Chandler, ‘21 
March 27, 2020

“Though I enjoy being in control of my own work schedule, it has also been a challenging adjustment for me. I often find it difficult to stay motivated to complete school work as I am more prone to procrastinating. Even though I don’t get the opportunity to speak with my teachers in-person, online classes have really helped hold me accountable for finishing up my assignments. I also appreciate the steps that teachers have been taking to ensure their students are staying on track with their work.”

Seeking structure
Morgan Parker, ‘21 
March 27, 2020

“This quarantine has brought to my attention how much I require a routine in my life. It is tough to get assignments done on time and find things to do. I have had a hard time not seeing my friends and classmates. I miss social interaction. Luckily, my family keeps me entertained and I have enjoyed spending this time with them. I have occupied myself by going on runs and trying out new hobbies. Even though this is not an ideal situation, it is important that we stay safe.”

Peace in the pandemic
Faith Monroy, ‘21
March 27, 2020

“When I heard school was being closed until further notice,I was on top of the world. Fast forward two weeks into this new learning I stand by my original feeling. I think this new experience for our generation is crazy. My favorite thing about this experience is the ability to let me learn at my own pace. I get to sleep in, work in the afternoon, and continue my studies at night. I am a night person and focus more, in my opinion, later in the evening. All though some may say this is bad for extroverts I’m feeling good.”

The following tweet from the SPLC features further thoughts on COVID-19’s impact on student journalism.

Reflections from high school journalists as they shelter in place. https://t.co/qLMnR9IQvZ

— Student Press Law Center (@SPLC) April 9, 2020

Missing the distractions
Sarah Smith, ‘21
March 27, 2020

“The experience that I am going through is mentally overwhelming. I used to use school as a distraction and would just skim through my days as if they were just pages in a magazine. Now that I am home and do not have the privilege to go out and see my friends, I am constantly reminded of past memories and what I could be doing during this time.”

Enjoying a blank schedule
Bryce Foshee, ‘21 
March 27 2020

“The first week away from school and friends taught me two things: the daily grind and tennis practices were more fun than I realized, and I was more sleep-deprived than I cared to admit. With school gone, I have time to catch up on sleep, homework, hobbies, cycling and reading. There is something missing, however, and it is spending time with friends. The danger with alone time is I tend to focus on myself, which is a habit I will have to get out of. Other than that, I am enjoying a lengthened spring break.”

The following tweet features a Feather article that further explains Fresno Christian’s alternative learning model systems.

This week, @fresnochristian has been using @Webex to hold online classrooms for students at home. Through @Schoology, students can submit work and re-watch lectures. These online platforms are awesome, read all about how we are using them on #TheFeather!https://t.co/pKuxzkxOFw

— The Feather Online (@thefeather) March 26, 2020

Missing Friends
Kyler Garza, ‘21 
March 27 2020

“The daily routine of getting up in the morning to just have the simple pleasure of hanging around friends all day drains me socially. But this experience has helped me focus more on myself and catch up on much needed sleep. This has really affected me since my birthday is soon and can now not throw the party I wanted. Besides all the negative and unfortunate events, I’m enjoying the extended break from school.”

Pushing on the brakes
Richie Cortez, ‘20 
March 27 2020 

“Throughout my senior year life has moved pretty fast, I never really got the chance to just take a breath. Whether it was soccer practice, school work, serving at church or just hanging out with friends, I was always on the go and looking for something to do. I’d rather be out with friends going on adventures and drinking coffee, than being in my bed and watching Netflix. I love being out and looking for new things to do. Now that everything is so much different I’ve had time to settle in and take a breath.”

Overthinking 
Celeste Castaneda, ‘21
March 27, 2020

“As soon as Mrs. Ainley sent out a message to the choir that our trip to Nashville was canceled, I realized how real this all was. I was aware of the outbreak of the COVID- 19, but never gave it much thought because I didn’t want to stress myself out, but once those announcements were made, fear entered my mind and body and I had a reality check. I no longer have my everyday distractions of school, and social media is constantly reminding me of everything that’s going wrong. On top of that, I have three younger siblings who I have to watch, feed and clean up after while my parents work. I have been finding it difficult to do online school while babysitting. One thing that really helps is music, whether it’s listening to it or playing it, I find peace in the storm.”

Staying hopeful
Thy Pham, 20’ 
March 27, 2020

“I feel that even though I now have a lot of free time, online school for me is still quite difficult. Many times, I did not know where to find the assignments, how to do them and how to submit them because there is no teacher to guide me closely. Given the scary current situation, I have tried my best to keep my distance from people, not going out and finding new hobbies to do at home such as exercising, dancing and singing.”

Peace in the eye of the storm
Kyle Clem, ‘21 
March 27, 2020

“Throughout the school year, I’ve had the experience of always feeling rushed. When I first found out that the school would transition to an online learning setting, I was curious of what that would mean. After beginning online classes the first couple of days, I discovered that this alternative provided relief for the struggle I dealt with the previous semester. The amount of work that needed to be finished had remained the same, however, the new system provided time to accomplish what was needed at a steady rate.”

The following video gives insight to how students and staffers are staying connected and healthy from home.

How has the coronavirus impact you? Are you having any struggles with learning? Sound off in the comments section below!

For another join the discussion, read Join the Discussion: Alternative learning at home. For another article, read COVID-19 affects family routines, time spent with grandparents.