On Saturday, March 14, Haddonfield Superintendent Dr. Mussoline announced that schools would be shut down for two weeks starting March 16 to March 27 in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Now, schools throughout New Jersey are closed indefinitely. These decisions are necessary for the health and safety of the community, but many students are scared and uncertain about the future.

On Monday, March 9, most students struggled to wake up and come to school. The last thing they wanted to do was take notes, read books, and study for tests. Flash forward three weeks later, and they aren’t even sure if they will even be back in school before the summer. For some, it may seem nice at first, to have an early “spring break”. But it isn’t spring break. We wake up, do our school work, exercise, and are back inside by 8 pm. We can’t hang out with friends, visit our grandparents, or go to practice every day at 3 pm with our teammates. Additionally, the Disney trip for seniors was just canceled on March 25. We know that all of this is for our own good, but students, teachers, and parents are constantly wondering, “When will this go back to normal? Will my family be okay?” 

Freshman Thea Spellmeyer expressed, “I’m worried that… we will have to teach ourselves everything and then do more homework on top of it. I miss seeing my friends and having a schedule to stick to.” Parents, teachers, and students alike can all relate to this statement. Thankfully, the teachers and administrators have done a fantastic job at making themselves available to students by teaching them through google meets and zoom, making sure students are not stressing out too much, and trying to bring positivity towards the whole ideal. Hopefully, those affected by the coronavirus will soon recover, the spread of the virus will slow down, and life will go back to normal. Until then, it is necessary to keep making the best of things and staying positive during this difficult time.