Fevers, dry coughing, shortness of breath— all symptoms that are now commonly known as the coronavirus, or more specifically, COVID-19. When I first began to hear about the illness, I was quick to dismiss the thought. I never considered how serious the outbreak would later become and the impact of it was initially a shock. Like many other high schoolers, I was looking forward to a break from school. I was desperate, counting the days down to the seconds before we could all go home and enjoy our well deserved spring break. Little did I know, we'd get a much longer break than the one we were looking forward to.
Being in quarantine has taken a bigger toll on me than I had originally thought. It's lonely being stuck between the same four walls for who knows how many months on end. Humans thrive off of connection and communication, something a lot of us have been lacking due to the separation. I didn't think I'd ever want to go outside this much in my entire life. I miss random, little things I didn't even know I cared about. Things like the feel of the cold air biting into my skin when I would walk to my bus stop every morning, the ache in my hand from my pencil that I get whenever I write too much, even the taste of the revolting cafeteria food. You never know how much you appreciate something until you don't have it anymore. I never really realized the truth behind that sentence until now, all thanks to the coronavirus.
Though it isn't pleasant, quarantine is necessary. Many families haven't understood how serious the outbreak is, so I've had to see a lot of pictures and videos all over social media of my friends hanging out, having fun without me. I couldn't wait for spring break. I was excited to go to pool parties, see my friends, travel, all the basic activities teenagers were looking forward to, but I didn't get to do anything except catch up on sleep. Being a normally introverted person, lounging around for days at a time isn't uncommon for me, but being cooped up inside for so long has been driving me crazy. It might just be the fact that I can't go outside that makes me want to go outside even more, but that's not an excuse to give in to my desires, a vital concept families haven't yet seemed to grasp. Though being positive is the best way to cope with the less than ideal circumstances.
On the bright side, which there surprisingly is one, distance learning hasn't been that bad so far. It's a lot simpler to manage and complete assignments at a faster pace. On the down side, online schooling has been messing up my sleep schedule and led me to a pattern of laziness (more than usual) that's getting in the way of just about everything. I haven't gotten any exercise these days and I know my peers definitely haven't either. Just taking the occasional walk doesn't cut it like some seem to think. Adolescents need the proper amount of physical activity and sleep in order to thrive as an adult, never mind keeping up with their schoolwork, which is already in an iffy place since cheating is so much easier for students to do with technology at their fingertips. Everyone's grades have been going up, which seems a little suspicious, but you didn't hear it from me.
The coronavirus has affected the lives of so many individuals. The summer Olympics, graduation, the Kentucky Derby, prom, employees out of work, VidCon, shows, the Daytime Emmys Ceremony, Coachella, the Boston Marathon, concerts, Wimbledon— and pretty much any other event you can think of that you might've been looking forward to. In order to move on with our lives, we need a solution. Everyone needs to educate themselves so that they're informed with what's going on in our community and stay inside so they don't infect others or get infected. As a united nation, it's our job to protect those in it. People we love have been dying, suffering and grieving. I know I don't want to miss out or have to watch anyone else get hurt, but not enough of us understand how serious COVID-19 really is, and that scares me. It should scare you too.

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Devious licks – a recent TikTok trend that has skyrocketed in popularity within the past few weeks – has been inciting chaos in schools. The infamous trend encourages students to commit "licks", otherwise known as theft. Students then record themselves as they either steal or savagely damage school property, which they publicly post, consequently exposing their identity and crime at once. This has resulted in the disappearance of items such as soap dispensers, mirrors, lockers, televisions, expensive computer equipment, and even toilets. Unquestionably a costly trend, school officials are determined to bring this troubling matter to an end.
This trend originated from a TikTok user known as "jugg4elias", who uploaded a video of himself holding a box of masks that he had supposedly stolen from school. The caption read "a month into school... devious lick", which then led to an uproar of students following suit with similar crimes. Hoping for the trend to stop, multiple arrests transpired in attempts of discouraging more kids from joining in on the mayhem. Three minors located in Polk County Florida who participated in the trend were recently arrested for their offenses. Their misconduct was related to a stolen soap dispenser and damaged sink, and they will be faced with criminal charges. Oviedo High School has been similarly impacted by these licks, though not to as grave of an extent.
A counter-trend known as "angelic yields" has also been circulating. Unlike devious licks, this new trend has had a seemingly positive impact. It involves students donating, replacing, or returning previously stolen objects. Although not as popular as the original trend, it's certainly less disruptive. It's been overall considered a productive change in comparison to its counterpart. After collectively garnering over 235 million views, TikTok banned the "devious" hashtag and others alike as an attempt to end the harmful trend. Users now misspell the phrase under similar tags and continue to post their crimes, although the injustice has heavily died down.
Paranoid about more crimes taking place, teachers and staff alike are incessantly interrogating students. Students are stopped and questioned in the halls for merely walking by. They're hesitant to even let us use the bathrooms. Custodial staff have also been burdened with cleaning up continuous vandalism, as well as school security being forced to constantly have their eyes open for the next lick to come. It's simultaneously unfair to students, staff, and teachers. It's almost also comical how such a worldwide disturbance all stems back to one unknowing TikTok user – the source of all this havoc.
For rebellious students, devious licks may seem fun or like an easy gateway to gain popularity, but the matter is much more serious than it may first appear. Having criminal charges on your permanent record pre-graduation could easily tamper with college acceptance and future career opportunities. The lingering boredom that remains from a semi post-COVID society is one component worth considering when it comes to the root of this conundrum. Regardless of how tempting it might be in the moment, lifelong legal consequences are not worth it. The endless hours custodial staff spend mopping the dirty toilet water covered bathroom floors, scrubbing away inappropriate phrases scribbled in sharpie, and reinstalling stolen items due to a meaningless TikTok trend, are not worth it. The imposed stress forced upon teachers and the eternal questioning of innocent students is not worth it. Not in the slightest.

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Suicide rates among LGBTQ+ students are rising. A variety of unfortunate circumstances that are related to our societal structure are at fault, school being a definite reason. The measures that school staff are willing to take determine whether or not a student may consider taking their own life, especially on top of all the mental health struggles queer people already experience on a regular basis.
One particular incident involved student Amelia Rodriguez – who identifies as non-binary and pansexual. They remained seated during the daily pledge of allegiance, which prompted a student to take a photo of them and post it on Snapchat with various transphobic remarks captioning it.
"The dean seemed pretty understanding when I first told him and said he would talk to the kid immediately,but he didn't so the post stayed up for 24 hours," they said. "Multiple people saw me and recognized me from the post. I got laughed at all day."
The student who took the photo was reportedly spoken to, but it's unknown if he received any legitimate consequences for his wrongdoings. Instances like these encourage more people to harass queer students with the knowledge that they won't get in
any serious trouble for doing so.
"I wish school could just be a safe environment for people like me," Rodriguez said. "It isn't fair that LGBT students have to worry about safety to the extent that we do, and cishet people don't at all. Not in the same ways."
If more schools simply took action in situations like these, as they would with any other incident, it would take an unimaginable amount of stress off the shoulders of queer youth. With coming out, transitioning, dealing with unsupportive environments and an abundance of other concerns, students do not need – nor do they deserve – the extra stress of staff not taking them and their demands as seriously as they do with other student matters.

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For centuries, queer people have been shamed, shunned, tortured, murdered, and worse. They've been kicked out of their homes, outcasted from society, bullied by classmates, and humiliated before their peers – all because of their identity not fitting into the "norm" crafted by our civilization and its dated religious values.
Though, throughout the past two decades, we've begun to see more LGBTQ+ representation in media and even daily life. There are now gay characters on our favorite television shows, our local Target has a pride section, our history teacher has a rainbow flag hanging beside their desk – all things that never would've been considered acceptable in the past. In fact, you'd be hung or tortured to death for even thinking about it.
A fitting example of this would be the annual Come Out With Pride Festival presented by The Glass Knife that took place this year in Orlando on October 9th. Entire streets were covered in rainbows, enormous glitter-covered floats strolled down the road as watchers cheered in glee, queer people proudly paraded through the crowds with the sort of confidence that was unheard of not too long ago.
Despite most of them being complete strangers, there was a homey atmosphere full of people who were proud of their identity and how far the world has come. It was a place welcome to everyone in the community whether they'd been out of the closet for years, were still in the questioning process of their identity, or even a mere ally.
While there continue to be areas of improvement, the velocity of acceptance of the community has increased at an unimaginable rate. Considering the pattern of history, this is a substantial change from how queer people used to feel toward themselves and how they identify. Instead of being ashamed, they're now able to feel unconditional pride within themselves.

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For Americans, Halloween is a beloved western holiday in which the community collectively dresses in frightening or comical costumes, children traveling door to door for trick-or-treating while adults celebrate with a drink or two.
Despite how differently the holiday is celebrated today, the earliest trace of it is Samhain, a Celtic festival where they celebrated what was thought to be an opportunity to communicate with deceased souls. Despite its origin, numerous people celebrate the holiday in their own fashion.
"I actually got married on Halloween," said history and psychology teacher Kimberly Cox. "We still decorate and go trick-or-treating every year because of how much we love the holiday."
Although the day is most popular amongst the United States, it's celebrated distinctly by various countries. In Mexico, the holiday more commonly known as the "Day of the Dead" or Dia De Los Muertos, is viewed as more of a religious and respectful celebration of lost loved ones. Though often mixed up, the day is not their own Halloween celebration – but instead an entirely different holiday on its own.
"I personally think [Halloween] has gotten better and better with time," said junior Sean Finnegean. "Because of events like Halloween Horror Nights that promote it, each year it's always even more fun than the last."
The Celts, Europeans who lived two-thousand years ago, initially believed that the dead had returned to earth, throwing a bonfire, dressing up in animal skins, and hosting a communion with the dead in celebration. When the Romans conquered the Celts, Samhain blended into Roman culture, and eventually the consecrated holiday of commemorating deceased relatives was drastically altered by the countries that celebrate the event.
But the holiday has been increasingly Americanized over the passing years. What was once a sacred day to grieve over deceased loved ones has become a night of free candy, scary movies, apple bobbing, haunted houses and extravagant parties.
"Because it's been so colonized by Americans, there are always promotions for goods that have nothing to do with the original meaning of Halloween," said freshman Joyce Tang. "The day is now associated with all these irrelevant things and no one really knows the true history of Halloween."

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The effect of COVID-19 left millions of people in a catastrophe. Loved ones suffered painful deaths by their lonesome in isolated hospital beds. Workers went unemployed and were unable to put food on the table for their children. Families and friends were separated, not being able to merely hug or see each other's faces unless through a screen for an entire year.
It was a devastating period, economically and socially. Though a much less talked about aspect of the virus' effect on society is the time socially-developing teenagers lost due to a necessary quarantine.
"Social patterns like approaching people have changed a lot," said junior Jesreel Cruz. "And because of that, teenagers have missed out on a lot of important time that would've given them those communication skills that are needed to interact with society."
This time spent alone has led to a lack of social skills in teens. It's been more difficult to make friends and caused school to be even more exhausting—though while there have been many negative effects from this period of isolation, not all of it was unwelcome.
"I had time to reflect on who I really was and not who I was pretending to be," said junior Amelia Rodriguez. "It gave me room to think for myself about what I really wanted and not what other people told me I should do or want."
A year spent alone allowed adolescence to be more in tune with themselves and discover things they otherwise wouldn't have had the time to learn. For many people, it was a vital stage of self-discovery and acceptance.
"I believe that everyone had time to reflect on themselves more," said junior Tara McCarthy. "Of course there was bad stuff going on, but there was also a lot of good hidden within that."

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Mental health care has been stigmatized for centuries. Families avoid it at the dinner table, bosses dismiss its importance, and educators gloss over it in school settings – but within recent years, society has begun to embrace the previously forbidden concept.
Rather than past tortuous forms of treatment like cruel electroshock therapy and forcing the depressed into convoluted insane asylums, people are now normalizing practical talk therapy and psychiatric care. This includes the discussion of it being brought into classrooms, though many students are against the current approach schools have taken.
"The school mental health training lacks an emotional side to it," said junior Grace DeCoursey. "So much of it is outdated with stereotypical views, and it's almost hypocritical of the school to preach mental health while damaging the mental health of students at the same time."
DeCoursey added that because many students base their self-worth off of their academic achievements, it's easy to become depressed or develop anxiety if their confidence is lost, and many teachers don't seem to understand the sizable workload teenagers have on their shoulders. This becomes a vicious cycle and is a serious weight dragging down the mental stability of adolescence.
But the problem is rarely the teacher themself. Individual teachers aren't always qualified or trained to be attentive to all of student matters. Mental health is an intensely complex subject and teachers have hundreds of kids that they see on a daily basis. While it's possible for them to be more forgiving about homework assignments and many have been given the recent chaos due to the pandemic, they can't be expected to pick up on every single student's mental state. However, solutions are possible and attainable.
"I think they should bring in real mental health counselors and have them talk about the complex matters a Nearpod can't cover on its own," said junior Naman Doad. "I don't think we should shy away from bringing in real life experiences and talking about the darker, more traumatic side of things just as much as we talk about the solutions to them."
Bringing in professionals would be much more beneficial to students in this way. Having them available on campus is helpful, but not enough on its own. People want a more personal approach that goes beyond staring at a screen that's providing generalized advice.
Some students think that the material is thorough enough, but agree that the method could be better executed in a way that's accommodating for all individuals.
"The mental health training is effective in terms of what it goes over, but how it's presented in a class could be improved upon," said senior Louis Tocco. "They need to make it grab and keep people's attention."
On the other hand, there are students who desperately want and need help but are too afraid to reach out for it. The system built has made it extremely difficult for students to be honest about their feelings because they're constantly afraid of being Baker Acted – a law which allows the involuntary institutionalization of a person at risk of potentially harming themselves or someone else.
Students are wary to open up about their traumatic experiences and what internal battles they're fighting because of the county policies that have been mandated. The fear of being unnecessarily institutionalized holds them back from speaking to their counselor or a mental health professional, which then prevents them from receiving the help they need.
"Not all therapists are the same, but after the experience I had with a counselor, I will never be opening up about anything personal that has happened in my life," said junior Kiana Wilkerson. "I'm afraid to seek out help because they might use my words against me and cause me harm."
If there was a more effective system set in place, it would greatly benefit those who are struggling with their mental health. Students won't be vulnerable in a setting where they don't feel comfortable or safe enough to do so, which results in an influx of issues like anxiety, depression and suicide attempts.
According to America's Health Rankings annual report, the rate of suicide in adolescence has increased to an unimaginable degree throughout recent years. It's become the second leading cause of death among young people between the ages of ten to nineteen, making it vital to properly educate students while they're still in that dangerous age range.
"In the last few years, the addition of district mental health counselors and workshops has been a great shift in promoting mental health awareness," said licensed mental health therapist Crystal Conley. "That being said, I believe there is still room for growth. Many counselors are stretched thin due to the amount of money provided to the district to be utilized for mental health."
Society may be moving in the right direction, but the main concern is whether or not it's moving fast enough. There are teenagers out there today that are in need of psychiatric care but are terrified to receive it because of the structure behind mental health education and the unimpactful way it's presented to them.
Now is a fragile time in any teenager's life. They need real guidance from a professional mental health counselor that will genuinely reach and benefit them. It's possible to achieve this, but not before adjusting the broken system.

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SCPS families are now being offered virtual training concerning youth mental health first aid for parents. There are ten free sessions on mental health topics regarding how parents can support their children while also supporting themselves.
These virtual training sessions are typically an hour and a half long, consisting of two components: the topic overview and fifteen to thirty minutes of an open discussion afterward. This allows parents the opportunity to consult with district workers that can provide them with guidance on the material being taught.
"I think this training will really benefit adults and their children," said Shawna Brown, mother of a sophomore at Oviedo High School (OHS). "It'll allow people to be more open-minded and patient with each other when they previously weren't."
The specific curriculum includes mental health 101, mental health support services, restorative practices, social emotional support for your child, supporting your LGBTQ+ child, teaching your child mindfulness, communicating with your teen, coping skills for your teen, supporting your elementary student, and parent self-care. These sessions are all hosted Wednesday evenings at 6:00 P.M. from March 2, 2022, to May 25, 2022.
Last year, a local foundation that supports mental health initiatives, Ali's Hope, provided Seminole County with a generous grant so that they were able to focus on parent mental health and community outreach. The overwhelmingly positive response inspired them to continue these efforts into the coming years as well.
"We hope that by providing more information, parents can be more informed and proactive in dealing with their own mental health challenges," said Mental Health Web Series Coordinator Cassandra Palmer. "It is in everyone's best interest to continue the work so that we can support families in Seminole County."
This addition of mental health training will considerably benefit parents and their children. Now that the subject is becoming less stigmatized, it allows room for proactive discussions between students and their parents. Kids will be more willing to be honest about the problems they're struggling with if their parents are understanding of them, and mental health training is an exceptional method of achieving such.
Parents will learn more effective ways of getting through to their child, and students will feel safe enough in a supportive environment to open up. Rather than suppressing the inner battles they're facing, students will now have the confidence to speak up.
"This is a great resource and opportunity," said parent Myrna Gomez. "It's important for SCPS to continue informing parents and offering these resources for families."

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As the school year grows closer to the end, the excitement of prom sparks among students. With asking out your crush, renting a fancy limo, and searching for the perfect attire – prom is a unique, significant event in the life of all high school teenagers.
The anticipated night is one they'll hold in their memories for years, though unfortunately not everyone is able to enjoy it due to the hefty price. There should be a way for every student to take advantage of this right of passage.
Prom tickets first went on sale for 80 dollars and are now selling at a whopping 90 bucks per ticket. Since the cost is so high, many students are unable to attend, but all people should get the opportunity to appreciate this ceremonial event.
For many, prom is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. It's a chance to have fun with your friends, celebrate the progress you've made throughout high school, dress up in fancy clothing, and relax for one night of gratification while surrounded by your favorite people.
Though with the expensive price, countless students are unfairly deprived of this traditional experience merely because they lack the finances to purchase a ticket. It's cruel to deny teenagers something they've been looking forward to their entire lives.
After the 2021 homecoming incident with no students being refunded their money, it would've been appreciated if the school put a discount on the prom ticket price. With those leftover finances, hundreds of more students would've been able to attend at a reduced cost.
Students could also potentially work off some of the price by volunteering for other activities that would help the school out. This would allow many more students to attend prom while still benefiting the school.
With the price of decorations, photo booths, reserving a venue and the meals being served, it's understandable why the tickets are so costly – but there are accommodations that could be put into place for those struggling with financial issues. If the fee was lowered even ten or twenty dollars, it would ensure the attendance of so many students who were dying to go.
Prom shouldn't be an event for only the people who can afford it. Every single high school student deserves to enjoy the same experience, and it's possible to give them that with a little more structure and some better planning next time.

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At 7 a.m. on Aug. 10, Oviedo High School gathered to celebrate an entire century of education. Students, teachers, faculty, school board members, the mayor and many others showed up to recognize the day. Everyone's spirit permitted the day to go down in OHS history.
Black, orange and white decorations were located all around campus, along with several "cheers to 100 years" banners. In addition to the decor was a pep rally to kick things off. Cheerleaders, color guard, band, the drumline and dance team all participated in this celebration.
They performed, danced, and celebrated in unison. Everyone joined together to look back on Oviedo and how far the school has come with the continuous hard work from students and staff.
"We really wanted to showcase all of our students," said Dr. Rachel Menta, Assistant Principal. "And we want to allow our students to enjoy our centennial year and dig into what makes Oviedo High School the home of champions and scholars."
School board members Amy Pennock, Tina Calderone, Kristine Kraus, Karen Almond and Superintendent Dr. Serita Beamon rang in the school year with the old Seminole County school bell. They all stood side by side to ring the bell and commemorate the school's history.
This event left students thrilled to begin the new year. It brought excitement to all attendees who are passionate about OHS and how far its come. Board members were similarly happy to see everyone's spirit as they cheered together in support of the celebration.
"I was very excited to celebrate," said Pennock. "The energy that the students and staff showed set the tone for a great year ahead."
With a spectacular start to kick things off, students are sure to thrive in school another year – which is just one of many, many more to come for Oviedo High School.

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In previous years, students have been pulled from their class over a sliver of their thigh, an exposed shoulder, or even a mere tank top beneath the unforgiving Florida sun. Instances of unnecessary restrictions like these among SCPS students have sparked a controversy over the dress code for decades, but thanks to a recent change in policy, that no longer has to be an issue.
After considerable pushback from unhappy students, the Seminole County School Board approved a change on July 26, 2022. With the improved adaptation, the goal was to form a "safe, orderly, professional atmosphere for all students". The new guidelines allow students to wear what makes them comfortable while still having the ability to express themselves as they wish.
These new requirements include: tops have straps and cover from armpit to armpit, down to the thigh is covered, and pants completely cover the buttocks with no undergarments exposed. As a result of this, individuals can now wear weather appropriate clothing – including the addition of hats.
This progressive change is an incredible victory for several reasons. Not only does it benefit students, but staff as well. There were too many flaws within the old system and the new one is much more accommodating for everyone.
In the past, the strict guidelines were unfair and often seemed targeted toward traditionally feminine clothing. It also did not take into consideration the different body types of students and how the same piece of clothing could be considered acceptable on one person, but not another.
To put it simply, dress codes in general have a history of being sexist. Many women felt singled out by the former policy and would be forced to miss vital class time when their outfits weren't deemed appropriate by it. This was a major source of discomfort, causing them to feel sexualized for their fashion choices.
Additionally, the new code is much easier for staff to enforce. Teachers often felt uncomfortable dress coding students because it could then create conflict between them in the classroom, but that no longer has to be a concern for any faculty members.
By broadening what the policy permits, everyone is able to live more comfortably, people no longer have to feel targeted by unfair regulations, and students are able to express themselves better. High school years are often spent experimenting with self-identity and fashion choices are only one inevitable stop along that journey.
It's evident that the new dress code is a tremendous victory for all SCPS students who have been eagerly hoping and working toward achieving this positive change for their community.