Students Transition into a Different Lifestyle

Students have been forced to transition to a new daily routine – online school, isolation and, in many cases, different sleep schedules.

This is due to the outbreak of COVID-19, an extremely contagious virus that can have deadly consequences.

With the closure of school, almost every business and social distancing, it leaves students wondering what they should do now.

EMMA BURNS

Senior Emma Burns has been quarantined  for two weeks with her mother and older sister, Megan.

She gets out of the house occasionally to walk her two dogs around the neighborhood.

To stay in touch with people she cannot see, she has been using Snapchat, and also different methods than usual, such as letters and FaceTime.

Burns misses having a routine more than anything – getting up, seeing friends and being busy.

Burns has experienced various emotions during this crisis.

“It’s definitely harder because seniors don’t get another chance to do these events like juniors and underclassmen do. Lots of things ended abruptly, and it’s hard to get closure for it,”said Burns. 

She wakes up at around noon every day, then makes breakfast with her mom.

To stay busy during the day, she bakes, reads articles and cleans around the house.

A new hobby she has picked up is gardening with her family – currently, they are building a fence.

After her day, Burns will usually go to sleep at about three a.m. 

HAYDEN MCGARVEY

Senior Hayden McGarvey experiences a different way of handling the quarantine.

He lives with his mother, father, brother and brother’s girlfriend.

McGarvey leaves the house quite frequently for work, bike rides and to see his girlfriend.

He is an essential worker at Walmart, where he works four days a week as a stocker.

When working at Walmart, workers are allowed to take two weeks unpaid leave if they feel unsafe or are becoming sick.

McGarvey took his two weeks to keep the virus from reaching him or his family, but he headed back April 17. 

“It feels dangerous, but after a while you get used to it,” McGarvey said.

Luckily, part time workers got a $150 bonus for working during the pandemic, and they keep their workers safe with masks, gloves and protective shields.

He misses school, jazz band and being able to see his friends every day.

“It’s disappointing that everything leading up to the end of high school is never going to happen. And that’ll be something that we’ll think about for the rest of our lives,” McGarvey said.

His routine starts with waking up at eleven a.m.

Throughout his day, he practices snare drum and marimba, plays Minecraft and connects with friends via Snapchat and Instagram.

He also bikes on the rail trail from Glen Rock to York twice a week to stay active.

Once the day is over, he heads to bed at one a.m.

ADAM ROHRBAUGH

Sophomore Adam Rohrbaugh is not as disappointed about school ending since he has a few more years.

He lives with his father, mother and older brother.

Rohrbaugh seldom gets out of the house, only to ride his bike.

He has been quarantined for about a month with his family.

He stays in touch with his friends by being in an Xbox party or using Zoom or FaceTime to video chat.

“The situation makes me feel somewhat relieved that we have a break, but also worried about what could happen next,” Rohrbaugh said.

His day starts off by waking up around 10:30 a.m. to eat and shower.

He tries to do a little school work and get outside of the house for a walk every day.

The rest of his time is spent playing video games with friends.

Rohrbaugh then goes to bed at around 1:30 a.m.