52 thoughts on “Blog #135 – Reflections on the year 2020-2021”

1. Kasen Korstanje March 14, 2021 at 5:11 pm

   1. If I could go back to March 11, 2020, I would tell myself to go with the flow. All through the quarantine period, I was worrying about the future. I had many things and events be cancelled, and I’m sure everyone can relate to this. I was so stressed about what was going to happen, and if more things were going to be called off. I thought that by wishing and praying, the virus would just end and everything would start back up again, but this was definitely not the case. In fact, there was very little, if not nothing that I could do to affect the course of the virus. I wish that I had known to just be chill and go with the flow, because I would have worried less about all of the crazy stuff that went down in the past year.
   2. I’m glad that more people are becoming aware of the racism and other wrongs that clearly exist in our nation. After the many events that sparked the protests, I think that more and more people became educated about what really was going on in America, and they chose to take a stand because of it. Along with the protests came awareness about racism in the states, and more people began to notice, including me. If it weren’t for others who spoke out about what was going on, I would not have the knowledge of these subjects that I do today. Hopefully, the protests have taught others that racism unfortunately exists today, and we must speak up.
   3. I thought that Governor Whitmer’s measures were reasonable. I understand that she implemented them in order to keep Michigan healthy, and to protect Michigan’s citizens. I was so surprised by the number of people who weren’t willing to comply with the mask mandate, and those who protested when the Governor paused sports. That really shocked me. There are people all over the world suffering from this virus, and some people felt like they had to protest because they couldn’t play their sport. Events for everyone else were cancelled too, but these people just felt the need to protest and put the safety of others at risk. Governor Whitmer was simply looking out for everyone’s health and well being, and I understand that! I understand that by following these rules, set by health officials, we will overcome this pandemic soon.
   4. My favorite memory was the summer! I was able to gather safely outside with my friends, and enjoy the nice weather. Another one of my favorite parts was the very early quarantine in March. I thought that after 2 weeks, we would return to school and everything would be normal. I didn’t care as much back then, and I was optimistic and thought everything would work out. My least favorite part of this last year was whenever I received an email that cancelled something that I wanted to do. I got emails canceling concerts I was going to play at, important rehearsals, and a big flute event I had been looking forward to all year. This hurt because flute is such a big part of my life, and it was hard having to let go of a bunch of important flute things at once
2. Belle Mason March 15, 2021 at 2:12 pm

   1. The first thing I would tell myself in March of 2020 would be to take care of myself mentally. 2020 was a really tough year and I would tell myself that it is ok to feel mentally drained and unmotivated. Another thing I would tell myself is to not stress about school. Everybody is in the same boat and it is not a first priority at the moment, so it is ok to not be perfect and give 100% all the time. The third thing I would tell myself is that it is going to be ok eventually. All of the things that I was stressing about with school, extracurriculars, and the pandemic, it is all going to work out. There is no need to get worked up over small things, and just learn to appreciate all the small things that life has to offer. The final thing I would tell myself would be to spend more time with my family. This is something that I learned gradually over the pandemic, specifically within the past few months, but I would tell myself to set limits on my busy schedule and take time to spend with my family because right now, that is the most important thing.
   2. At the beginning of the BLM movement and in the beginning of 2020, I was sadly not aware of the severity of the racism that was growing in the country. I think that the BLM protests were years in the making and well-needed in our country. I am proud that these issues came to light, but disappointed in the fact that it took this long for a nation-wide awareness check to take place. I am also sad to say that it highlighted some unpleasant beliefs in our country such as the sayings “Blue lives matter” and “all lives matter”. I am very happy to see some of the changes to society such as the push to support Black Owned businesses. I also appreciated the term “white privilege” beginning to surface and how people were educated to the fact that “white privilege” is not a bad term, but a term to bring to light the privilege white Americans receive, just for being white. It is not an offensive term as we have been treating it in the past. We have come to realize the problems in our society because of this and now are working on ways to fix them which I think is great.
   3. My thoughts on Governor Whitmer’s stay at home orders are that I understand them and was and am in full support of what she has been doing to try and mitigate the spread of the virus. When the first stay at home order was enacted, I was completely ok with doing just that. My father works in the hospital so I really understood the importance of following the guidelines and only going out when it is necessary. My family did just that, we stayed home. Although I understand this shutdown, I also understand others points of view. I understand that this shutdown caused many businesses to close because they weren’t allowed to open. This pandemic in general has been very hard for many small businesses and I completely understand how many of those people would not want to follow the shutdown and would not be in support of what Governor Whitmer has been doing. With that being said, I think that if everybody had listened to Governor Whitmer during the first shutdown, we might not have needed the second one. With her second stay at home order, along with the first, I was, again, in full support. I think that as a state, we really needed to listen to Governor Whitmer’s decisions because in the end, she is just trying to keep us safe, and if that means not being able to eat out or get a haircut, I am ok with that. Her shutdowns were for our safety and in my opinion, we should all have listened and followed her guidelines.
   4. I have a couple favorite memories of this past year. One of them is a general memory of spending more time with my family. My family really needed the shutdowns to show us how little time we had been spending together and to really push us to set aside our busy lives to hang out. Because of this, we started eating dinner together every night, which we did not used to do, as well as playing cards after dinner or watching a movie. Because of these things, my family was brought closer and now we appreciate spending time together and make it a priority. Another of my favorite memories from this past year was towards the end of the summer. My birthday was over the summer but sadly I was not able to do anything with my friends. Later, towards the end of summer and the beginning of the school year my friends and I got together at my house. We have a big table in my backyard so we all sat, socially distanced, with masks on, around the table and talked and hung out. I hadn’t seen them in person in months, so this day was very special to me. It reminded me, again, to appreciate the small things in life and to appreciate all the people that are close to me. One of my worst memories of this past year was at the very beginning of the pandemic when my dad was working 50ish straight days. He was so stressed, being at the hospital and working with Covid patients, and I remember him doing nothing but working and watching Covid reports. At this time, my whole family was stressed about the pandemic and it was just all up in the air at that point. School was shut down and we all had no idea what was going to happen and how long this pandemic was going to last.
3. Kirsten Jasinski March 15, 2021 at 7:32 pm

   1. The advice I would give myself would be to not get so upset when everything was getting canceled. I was absolutely devastated to learn that high school soccer season was not happening. I think I was definitely one of those people who got caught in the whole “it’ll only be two weeks” when in reality I should’ve known deep down nothing was going to get better anytime soon. I would also tell myself to use my free time wisely and have some sort of schedule or routine. Playing sports and staying active was the only thing keeping me sane through those summer months.
   2. I was glad to start to see people advocating for change, but it is very sad the way everything went down, especially the violent killing of George Floyd. I just wish some of the protests weren’t so violent, and I don’t think the violence helped the BLM movement in any way. But then again it shouldn’t have had to get to that point in the first place. I was happy to see that people started to recognize that white privilege is real because it is a real thing, and I think it impacts the way society thinks.
   3. I understand where she is coming from on the stay at home order in the Spring, she was trying to keep people safe and keep the numbers down, which I think worked for the most part. The stay at home order in Fall seemed less effective though, I’m sure it was because everyone was so over this whole stay at home stuff, but I get the intentions behind it, I just feel like maybe there was a different way to implement such things so that small businesses and restaurants weren’t so devastated. This is probably a biased stand point, but I also thought the first thing to go was always sports, I feel like Governor Whitmer picked on sports a lot. Like how are we going to be able to go to restaurants and stuff but we still can’t play sports, I didn’t really understand that part, but I’m sure there was good reasoning behind her decisions.
   4. I have some really good memories from quarantine. After spending March, April, May and June not leaving the house at all, Alli and I started hanging out with friends, socially distant and wearing masks of course, and we would go on super long walks, or go ride our bikes around downtown birmingham or downtown berkeley, just to get out of the house and do something was nice. We were very concerned about being able to see our grandparents because my grandpa has underlying health conditions, but In August we were able to go to Ohio to see them, and our cousins came too. We played soccer in the backyard all day long, and then we had a picnic outside, it was so nice to be able to see everyone. My grandma LOVES when we come and visit, so after our trip in August, we wanted to surprise her for her birthday which was September 11. She was so happy to see us, and I loved being able to spend time with her and my grandpa because we see them about 5 or 6 times a year, but with covid we didn’t see them at all until August. My other favorite memory was one of our friends/neighbors, Gabby, got a boston terrier in May, and so we hung out with Gabby and Luna pretty much everyday in the summer, riding our bikes, running, walking, doing whatever, and we became really close friends because of it, so I guess that is the one positive thing I could walk away with. My worst memories from Quarantine are one, having soccer season canceled, I was really looking forward to that, and two, finding out my grandpa in Florida got covid, (not the one we saw over the summer) and worrying if he was going to survive, because things were not looking good for him at all, but he was ok in the end. Lastly, would not be getting to see my family that much, I love spending time with my grandparents and cousins and not being able to travel and see them as much as we would normally do was really hard for me.
4. Ella Blank March 16, 2021 at 9:36 am

   #1. I would tell myself to make the phone calls that I hesitated on. Even if people don’t pick up, they will be excited to see that somebody was thinking about them. Don’t forget to call your family members either, and send pictures when you can. I would also tell myself to pick up a hobby. It took me way too long to find something I could relax while doing that didn’t involve a screen. I would tell myself that camp will be canceled so don’t lose sleep over it and start counting down the days until summer 2021. Finally, I would tell myself that 1 year from now will look completely different and your world will change. However, we are finally on the path back to normalcy and vaccines are on their way to the vast majority. Be patient.
   #2. I thought that it was amazing that people were finally being held accountable for their actions. Even if they didn’t have legal repercussions, cancel culture worked against them to show the whole world that discrimination in any form is unacceptable. BLM protests being talked about in more mainstream areas lead to great family discussions. As a white person, I will never know what Black or BIPOC experiences feel like firsthand. However, this was a great time to ask questions and educate myself on ways to improve. It also made me really reflect on my white privilege and recognize situations that might have ended differently if I was a person of color. The fact that many of these protests were run by Gen-Z also shows that the world is improving and becoming a better place for all people.
   #3. I think that Governor Whitmer should be given a lot of props because her job got a whole lot harder in the past 12 months. Nobody ran to be a public servant or leader with the idea that they would have to tackle a global pandemic. There were two main things that I was most upset about. The first one was the closing of school and making school work not mandatory. I do best when I have a schedule and I can plan out my day. With the world all flipped upside down, I wanted structure. Instead, I barely heard from some of my school friends and teachers for the whole third trimester. I wish that schools would have given us more things to do (not necessarily mandatory). Teachers also had their jobs flipped around, but for students who rely on school for a sense of normalcy and structure, the spring was really hard. The other thing that upset me the most about the shutdown was the cancellation of spring sports. I have been looking forward to high school softball since I was 5 years old. To try out for a team and not know if you made it or what team you made was extremely frustrating. It was also hard knowing what team I made later because selfishly, I wanted to have had the opportunity to play that season. Yet at the same time, I knew that people were dying from COVID so I felt awful for wanting to play at their expense.
   #4. My favorite memory was driving to Maryland over Labor day weekend to see my grandparents and cousins. We rented an RV, which was way more fun than I thought it would be. The only not so fun part was trying to back it up their driveway in the dark with lots of very hittable trees. Although we were socially distancing the whole time, it was great to see them again and play games. My worst COVID related memory from the past year was not going to sleepaway camp. That was hard because the directors were trying their best to run a session, so we were caught in limbo over whether we would go or not. I had the best summer of my life there in 2019, and I knew that the summer of 2020 would be the last time that I was able to go as a camper. Fortunately, I have plans on the calendar for this summer to go there, but it was mentally draining to wonder each day if you would wake up and have camp to look forward to or not.
5. Samuel Goodman March 16, 2021 at 10:51 am

   1.
   If I could go back and give myself some advice, I would tell myself to remember to breathe. With everything that occurred and to the rapid rate it did, breathing and taking a minute to processed everything is really important. I was getting ready for my lacrosse season when COVID hit and almost everything I did was canceled. It was like being in limbo. I did my best to make the most out of it, but it was hard when I couldn’t do the things I loved or see the people I loved. It was really tough adjusting to the new life we had to live. Being forced into isolation doing the same thing over and over again was like groundhogs day. Getting back to some sort of normality made things easier, so when my friend and I started working over the summer and having a schedule it made things easier.

   2.
   I will never believe the death of unarmed civilians by the hand of someone meant to protect and serve us is ok. I understand fully the issues that are faced by people of color in America and I understood the protests. Protesting is an American right and I was happy to see it being used for the right causes. When the rioting occurred I mainly was disappointed because destruction and violence only feed a stereotype it doesn’t get a message across. It is important that people are becoming more aware of these issues. I hope more strides can be made to create equality because that is a basic human right. As someone who has faced discrimination for being Jewish, I hope to see a more active role in support for all people because I do feel that some minority groups are still lacking representation which is unjust.

   3.
   The stay-at-home order was necessary to me, especially in the beginning. With all the conflicting information about how to prevent the spread, the one consistent was to stay home. As much as it was annoying to be stuck at home, there were still things I could do to pass the time. It didn’t affect me as much as it did others, which I really feel fortunate to be able to say. I didn’t really struggle with isolation and depression as others did. My family still did a lot together and being able to play video games with my friends was the most I could get of a social feeling. I understand people not wanting to obey the stay-at-home orders but they should’ve at least tried to protect others. She was trying to protect people and prevent the spread of COVID, so it is understandable that she would want to do anything in her power to help protect people.

   4.
   The summer was my favorite memory. Being able to finally see people again made a huge difference. I got to see friends and be distanced and outside enjoying the weather. It was fun to play sports and hang out with friends again. I also got to see family when they would come to visit outside and at distance. Having the ability to be distanced and outside made everything easier. It helped regain a sense of normality. I spent a lot of my summer with friends doing random things and also working. I didn’t care as much about the lockdown and distance over the summer because distanced hangouts were still better than none. Just seeing people made everything feel better.
6. Allison Jasinski March 16, 2021 at 11:09 am

   1. If I could go back to March 11, 2020 I would tell myself to just go with the flow and don’t get your hopes up. Everyone was in the same boat and everyone was missing out on sport seasons and other events that they were looking forward to so there’s no reason to get stressed or angry about it. Another piece of advice I would give myself would be to spend this time wisely. At the beginning of quarantine, I did a lot of stuff around my house that I didn’t have time to do before because I was so busy (like color coordinating my closet), but after those initial two weeks, I started to get lazy. I wish I would have spent more time focusing on becoming a better soccer player instead of watching five episodes of Grey’s Anatomy each day. The last thing I would tell myself is to appreciate the little things because now that I’m looking back, it was the little things that helped me get through quarantine.

   2. I was glad that more light was starting to be brought to the issue of racism and the privilege white people have in our country because many people did not think it was real. I was surprised at how many peaceful protests took place across the country and how frequently they were happening, but I was saddened by the event that sparked these protests, the murder of George Floyd. I hope that in the near future, we will see some real changes.

   3. I think that Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders in the spring and fall were reasonable. The case numbers in Michigan were starting to get out of control and these orders were the only way to keep people safe. I was angry that some selfish people decided not to follow the orders. I would see on social media that people were still gathering in large groups, inside, without masks and it made me angry because my family and friends were doing everything we were told to and taking all the precautions.

   4. Some of my best memories last year were spending time with my family. Once it started to get warm outside we would go on super long bike rides almost every night and sometimes we would stop at Dairy Deluxe and get some ice cream. My friend Gabby lives behind me and she got a quarantine puppy, Luna, so I also have a lot of fun memories with them. We would go on long walks or just sit on the driveway and talk and play with Luna. On the 4th of July we got to see my grandparents and cousins! We drove to my grandparents house in Ohio for the day and we played soccer outside with my cousins, had a nice picnic, and played games in the garage. My grandma was so happy that everyone was there because she loves when we come and visit. One of my worst memories from last year was worrying about both sets of my grandparents and their health. We had a few health scares throughout the year, but they are all doing well now. Another bad memory was the high school soccer season being cancelled. I was coming back from ACL reconstruction surgery and I had worked so hard to get back on the field and make varsity and I did and then everything got shut down.
7. Faith Whitted March 16, 2021 at 12:43 pm

   1. If I could go back to March 11, 2020, I would tell myself that at the end of the day, the little moments are what count the most. When quarantine first started, I wasn’t too bothered by Governor Whitmer’s stay at home order, but as time went on I began to feel a bit stir-crazy. I was so bored and couldn’t think of anything to do. Then I remembered something my mom told me about one of her friends. She said that as long as she had known this particular friend of hers, the friend had always given herself something to look forward to. So I decided to do that. I would plan a phone call with a friend, or pick out a movie to watch over Netflix party with some friends, or pick out a new book to read. This new mindset helped me to appreciate the little things in life, which ended up helping me make it through quarantine with a positive attitude and a grateful heart.

   2. I was honestly devastated after the killing of George Floyd. The scariest part of the entire thing was looking at my parents and knowing that there wasn’t really anything that they could do about it. They were just as hurt as I was. In addition, some people even tried to justify the killing of this unarmed black man by exposing his past and what kind of person he allegedly was, which was really frustrating to me. Despite the horrible situation that the country was in at that time, I was extremely proud of all of the different groups of people coming together to take part in the BLM movements. I was happy that there were so many commercials and ads on television supporting these movements. It made me hopeful that people were beginning to “wake up” to the racism around us.

   3. I wasn’t too upset by Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders. I understood pretty early that the pandemic wasn’t something to mess around with. I’m a homebody, so chilling out at home wasn’t really new for me. I’d say that I was more upset for the senior class, especially the ones that I had come to know through marching band. I just hoped that they would have some way to celebrate their huge milestone in some special way.

   4. My best memories are the times that I spent with my family. My dad cooks really good food, and when he cooks for us he likes to turn on his speaker and play music while he works. My family is also obsessed with Duraflame logs, so through the winter and fall our fireplace was running constantly. I also did Netflix Party with two of my friends a few times. It was fun to chat while we watched movies together. One of my worst memories was when my grandmother got Covid at the beginning of the state shutdown. My parents didn’t tell me that she had Covid at first because they didn’t want to worry me, but I was still worried about her because she was really sick. She ended up being just fine in the end.
8. Maggie DuRoss March 16, 2021 at 2:04 pm

   1) If I could go back to one year ago and give myself advice, I would tell myself to just let go of any expectation that things will go back to normal soon. I’d tell myself that I’d be stuck at home over the summer, that nothing will be safe by then. I vividly remember how no one in school took anything seriously until school was canceled. March 12th was the first day there were confirmed covid cases in Michigan, and no one could pay attention to the documentary we were watching in class. I would tell myself then not to blow everything off that day, because that would be my closest thing to normal for a while. Take it slow and remember to enjoy the little things. It’s gonna suck for a while, but I have friends and family to help get me through, and I needed to remember that.

   2) My first thought about the spark of BLM protests around the country was honestly a mix of both vindication and confused anger. I was glad the evils of systemic racism and police brutality were finally beginning to be brought to light, but I couldn’t understand or believe as to why it was just now getting traction in 2020. Innocent Black people getting killed for no reason in America is nothing new, and the Black Lives Matter organization was officially founded in July of 2013. I was a little upset that all the adults in my family knew about George Floyd from the day he was murdered and never told me. I ended up finding out from a friend’s Instagram story at 1 am. I remember watching the footage of George Floyd’s murder itself triggering a debilitating helpless rage in me. I felt powerless and angry and I wanted to single handedly fight the world. I remember seeing BLM become the biggest international movement to ever surface in history, both feeling pride and shame, wanting to do more. Although they’re surface level changes, I liked reading companies’ statements in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, hearing about sports teams finally making efforts to get rid of their racist team names and/or mascots, Aunt Jemima syrup changes, and Disney World changing the racist Jim Crow theme of Splash Mountain to a Princess and the Frog theme, Disney’s only Black princess movie. There’s an overwhelming amount of changes that need to be made, but seeing a nationwide push for change was something.

   3) I didn’t mind the stay-at-home orders. I was devastated when everything I had to look forward to in the coming year was canceled but I wasn’t about to try to become one of those people who ignores statewide mandates and puts themselves and others at risk in order to “fight the power.” I feel like I should have more to say on the subject, but I really don’t without getting insanely repetitive.

   4) I’ve said this way too many times but the absolute worst thing for me personally in the past year is being stuck at home all summer instead of being out and about the whole time. I kind of sunk into a little bit of a depression over the summer. I had no interest in almost anything except staying holed up in my room reading. Also because of covid, I haven’t seen some of my family since winter break in 2019. One thing I’m so grateful for is that covid became a concern in America in mid March, just a few weeks after my family got to go on a vacation over mid-winter break. I can’t get over how lucky our timing was. Over the summer my family went camping and on a U.P. trip, which was great, a nice distraction from how the world was on fire around us. I started driving and got my permit. My friends and I got a lot closer. There was a lot of bad, but there was also a lot of good.
9. Lily Dittrich March 16, 2021 at 7:58 pm

   1)
   I would tell myself even though it seems like the entire outside world has stopped, use this time to work on yourself. I know that sounds super cheesy, and old me would say that I was fine how I was, but there is so much more room for growth, so much time to work on old hobbies, and finding new ones. You are going to have to face a lot of things you don’t want to about yourself, and I’m not going to lie, it’s not going to be a fun early spring break, but use the time that has been given to you. School closing will probably be the biggest change in your life, but you will get used to it. Enjoy the summer, don’t worry, you can step outside without a mask while you are alone. Spend time alone, without the family, soon everyone will get sick of each other, so don’t feel guilty for setting boundaries. Things will be different, try to stay positive.
   2)
   I feel as if only surface level changes have been made. Yes, it is good that Land O Lakes has changed their marketing, and yes, systemic racism has been brought into the light, but there needs to be permanente changes in the government, police force, and news broadcasting. The protests mostly stayed peaceful, but now the protests have mostly stopped, and when they were going on, they were getting a lot of bad news coverage. The federal government overall has done very little, killers in the police force are still free and have not been charged, and there are still people in power who discriminate based on the color of someone’s skin. It was good that the public spoke up, and hateful monuments were taken down, but there is still more that needs to be done.
   3)
   The Governor’s orders make sense to me and I support them. Even if she did lift the stay at home orders, I would have continued to act on them. It would have been selfish to act as if nothing had happened while a global pandemic is going on. Even though me and most of my immediate family are low risk, others are not, and it is my job, as someone who is healthy and low risk, to help those who are of a higher risk. In a time like this, we all need to work together for the health of everyone. When I see someone without a mask, all I can think of them is ignorant. If a small nuisance can save the lives of people, why contest it? I work out in a mask, work in a mask, and continue my life with a mask, it’s not that bad, and it helps keep people safe.
   4)
   I would say that my worst memory is slowly realizing I’d probably not have a normal summer. Summer to me means little to no responsibilities, hanging out with friends and family, and going out and trying new things. All of these things were stopped because of covid. It really got to me, and I felt like I was slowly going crazy inside all the time. My family never wanted to go on hikes with me, and I am the only one without a drivers license, so I could not drive myself. It really felt like I was the only one in my family who hated being inside.
   My best memory is a mix of all the little things I’ve done. I’ve had time to work on myself and new hobbies. I have learned new things about my family, and while it was bumpy at the start of quarantine, we have mostly learned what everyone needs, be it space or comfort.
10. Ava Gailey March 16, 2021 at 11:32 pm

    If I could go back to March 11, last year I would tell my past self to take initiative. Take initiative in my relationships, goals, and health. I noticed a strain was put on some of my relationships during quarantine because I was never the one to reach out first. To keep a relationship thriving and healthy, there needs to be equal effort put in by each party. I could have made more progress in my goals if I had started earlier in quarantine, I would have been much more advanced now. Lastly, I wasn’t taking care of my body in those months between quarantine and school starting. Yes, I was washing my hands, and wearings masks, but I was too focused on what I saw on the outside than how my health and wellbeing were on the inside.

    As the BLM protests spread across the country, I saw the truth about how black folks are attacked based purely on the color of their skin. Before the movement started, I knew racism existed in our country, but I knew nothing of the microaggressions, lynchings, and predudice. This movement let me see the privilege I have with the white skin I carry. I thought these protests were great because they let their communities and government show that they are tired of the killing and racism towards black people. Through blood, sweat, and tears, change is slowly being made. George Floyd’s death, I believe, was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the black community, but he did not die in vain. His death was horrible, but what sprouted as the result of it magnificent.

    I know some people don’t like Governor Whitmer for the orders she put in place, but I personally thought she did a fantastic job with it. As soon as the first covid case popped up, she sprung right into action. Michigan got put on a lockdown for a couple of weeks (I can’t remember if it was 2 or 8 weeks). If this order hadn’t been put in place, Michigan could have been as worse as some other states like Florida or New York. Yes, lockdown wasn’t fun, but I think we all grew as a country during this time. I personally did a lot of yoga, walks, baking, and painting in quarantine, and that made it much more tolerable. The second quarantine was much more bearable than the last one, most likely since we had already done it before, and we had school to take our minds off of being stuck inside all day,

    I think my best memory from this year has got to be summer 2020. I hung out with friends almost every day, and on days that I wasn’t, I was baking or doing art. There’s a specific day in mind that reminds me of summer this year. I had just gone to Dairy Queen with my friend and went to a field near my house afterward. We stayed till sunset talking for hours, then we realized it was already dark out and she sped home so she wouldn’t be late for curfew. The worst memory from this year is probably first trimester of this school year. It honestly went by in a blur, but all I remember is my mom would only let me see two friends because of covid, and I was struggling a lot, mental health-wise. It was very poopy 0/10 do not recommend.
11. Eleanor Limbaugh March 17, 2021 at 8:52 am

    1. I don’t think there’s any advice I could give myself from a year ago that would have improved my situation. One of the things I’ve hated most about the pandemic is how little control I have over anything. I don’t get to decide what I do, where I go, or how I do things. I sit in my basement all day waiting for someone to let me go back to school, or see my friends, or do any of the other million things I had to put on hold. There’s no way I could’ve prepared myself for this, and there’s not really anything I can do to change my situation or make it better.

    2. I fully support everything that Black Lives Matter has been doing over the last year. Black citizens have every right to be angry and fed up with the way that they’re treated, and I think that the protests represented a culmination of that. I was shocked to see how the protestors were being treated. I think I knew on some level that systems of government and policing in America are racially biased, but it’s one thing to know that and a much different thing to see it demonstrated right in front of you on live television. I haven’t really been impressed with the changes that companies and institutions have made in response to BLM. There’s a quote by Malcom X that goes “The white man will try to satisfy us with symbolic victories rather than economic equity and justice” and I feel like that’s a lot of what has been happening. Taking Aunt Jemima off the syrup bottle or cancelling Dr. Seuss isn’t going to solve systemic racism. It’s nice that we’re no longer buying products or reading children books based on racial caricatures, but still. I’ve been interested in women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights for a long time, and I can spot performative activism when I see it.

    3. I think the stay at home orders from the governor were a good call. Through all of COVID, Michigan has been one of the states with relatively low numbers, which I think is at least partly due to good leadership from the state government, especially the governor. Even if the restrictions had been lifted and people were allowed to move around and be in public as they liked, I know that my family would have still been in strict lockdown because we knew it wasn’t really safe. The stay-at-home mandates were harsh, but I think they reflected the reality of the situation, and following them gave people the best chance to stay safe. I don’t think they would have dragged on and become obnoxious like they did if people had respected them to begin with.

    4. One of my best memories is doing cross country in the fall. The cross country team is small, and all practices and meets are held outdoors, so we were able to have a relatively normal season while still staying safe. Going to practice was my first real social interaction since last spring, and I really needed the chance to be outdoors, mess around on campus, and talk to other kids. Which sounds really pathetic but I was basically alone all summer so it’s true. One of my worst memories is from the summer. Last summer was really hard for me. Summer is my favorite time of year, and I didn’t get to do any of the things I normally love about summer like going to camp or sleeping over at my friends houses. I felt like I had no control over my situation, and I felt so disillusioned to the world around me. It was really hard as a brand new high school kid to watch millions of people die from a preventable illness while the federal government did almost nothing to help them. It was really hard to watch people be needlessly brutalized by police officers who were supposed to protect them. I felt like I had been lied to, and that the world wasn’t the kind or fair place I’d been led to believe that it was. I’m a teenager. I should be worried about my homework, or what I’m going to wear to a football game, not about whether the government is going to take my rights away or if a cop is going to kill me because I exercise my constitutional freedom.
12. Matt Meilinger March 17, 2021 at 10:45 am

    If I could go back to the start of the pandemic, I would tell myself to stay motivated. At some points during the COVID pandemic, I lost motivation to do anything. I would sit around all day, watch YouTube and play video games, even when it was a really nice day. I spent too much time inside, and didn’t go outside very often which I regret. If I could go back, I would tell myself to enjoy the nice weather, and spend time with others as much as you can while staying safe. This pandemic has made me realize that spending time with friends isn’t something I should take for granted. We should cherish every moment we spend with the ones we love.
    I think the BLM protests were a good thing, and it’s great to see people fighting for what they believe in. The unprovoked killing of any human is wrong, and it’s a great thing that people are sticking up for what’s right. I also like how musical artists are putting messages in their songs relating to BLM. I think this is really effective in spreading awareness to the music industry of the issues our country has. I was also happy to see that most of the protests were peaceful, but the violent ones disappointed me. This was not the right way to portray the BLM movement.
    I was mad that Governor Whitmer shut down things for so long, but I think it was probably the right thing to do. I think the precautions she took to stop the spread of COVID were necessary, even though it angered many people. I was fortunate to not suffer as much from the quarantine as others did. I could play video games with friends, and spend quality time with my family, which I am very thankful for. As much as it made me angry, I completely understand why we needed to do it. I also understand that some people were very angry about the order, and went out of their homes to socialize. I don’t support this, because this is helping the spread of the virus, and will only extend the quarantine.
    My best memories of this year were during the soccer season at Groves. It gave me a chance to socialize with my team, and get out of the house. I also made varsity, which helped boost my confidence. We had a great season, we beat Seaholm twice, and I got to spend a large amount of time with my teammates, which was really fun compared to the months I spent inside without human interaction. My worst memories of the year came from multiple different parts of the quarantine. At the beginning of the first trimester, it was hard to do virtual school. Sitting around all day without human interaction was tough at first. Soccer season helped a lot, but the time between school and practice was super boring. Once I was done with homework, I had nothing to do. All of my friends were doing homework, so I couldn’t play video games with them. Playing by yourself is fun for a while, but gets really boring after the first couple hours. My worst memories originated from boredom, because I didn’t have anything to do.
13. Lea Milanini March 17, 2021 at 1:33 pm

    1. I would very much like to go back to March 11, 2020, to tell myself that the shut down of schools and the stay-at-home orders would not be over in a couple of weeks, but would rather go on for a couple of months. I would also have liked to know at that date that the French exam I was so hardly preparing for would actually not be taking place for me that year. I devoted a lot of time to learning the different materials for this exam, and in the end, the French Minister of Education stated that the exam would not happen, two or three weeks before the exam was to occur. Those notions were most certainly not unuseful to learn, but I have now forgotten some of them (and will have to go back into studying for the next French exam I’ll have to take eventually).
    2. Those protests were needed for people (minorities) who felt like they weren’t being accepted and treated as equal in today’s society. I was surprised to see the extent to which those protests went; they were conducted throughout the entire world. I think that the peaceful protests were good and had some right-minded intentions behind them. They even allowed people to rally behind a common and positive cause during those hard times created by the pandemic. However, there were some protests that turned out to be violent, and I believe that those were not right, and that they shouldn’t have happened. We shouldn’t try to stop police violence by actually being violent ourselves. I also think that protests in general, if not respecting the safety protocols regarding Covid-19, were not a good idea, as they were auspicious to the spreading of the deadly disease.
    3. I believe that Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders were necessary to try to keep the number of cases, and even the number of deaths, as low as possible. I understand that some people may not have been happy with those orders, and would have liked to get out of their houses (and some even did go out and see friends); however, I think that those individuals that violated the Governor’s indications did not do the right thing, and did not truly care about others. In fact, it is by going out and seeing others that the virus is spreading and carrying over to more and more people. When thinking about the orders that have been given in Michigan, I think that we were pretty lucky. In France, people were really locked up in their homes, and were only allowed to go out to go grocery shopping, or to go to work (only people who had a work that required them to be in-person could actually go to their work’s location). You could get arrested if going out for any other motive. I think that that was a more effective method to try to stop Covid-19. However, the measures were stopped too soon (the French population was getting angry, and the President Emmanuel Macron removed the measures during the summer vacation, and never really reinstated them afterwards).
    4. My best memory from this past year was the period where we had to stay home. It allowed me to reflect on myself, and mostly to take time for myself. I was able to have a workout routine. I also created a blog to share some musical videos. I had the opportunity to dedicate more hours to practicing my violin. I spent some valuable time with my family (we had walks around the neighborhood, we played board games and watched movies together). I do sometimes regret this period that was spent away from the stress and obligations of school and society overall.
    My worst memory from the past year was not being able to go back to France to see my extended family this last summer, and even at Christmas. My parents, my brother, and I had hoped until the very end that we would be allowed to return to our relatives in Europe. Unfortunately, we were not (we could have gone back to France, but wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come back to the U.S.). The last time we saw them was in the summer of 2019, and three babies have been born since then, one of them being my second cousin. It is really hard for us, not having seen them for real in so long. We know it’s difficult for them too. We try to have video calls over the phone, but it’s just not the same.
14. Emerson Lagrou March 17, 2021 at 2:22 pm

    1.If I could give myself advice, I think that it would have been to stay in touch with people more. When we first thought that we would only be at home for a couple weeks, I didn’t really concern myself about staying in touch with my friends, and before I knew it it had been 6 months and I’d barely talked to anyone. Also I would tell myself to get onto reddit a month earlier than I did and buy some GME or bitcoin.

    2.When the BLM protests started to spread my thoughts were mostly that it was something good coming out of an otherwise pretty bad time. The way I saw it, everyone had more time and was kind of restless to do something that wasn’t netflix, so nobody really had excuses as to why they could be part of the movement. I felt like the injustice wasn’t new, but the people’s willing to do something about it was.

    3.My dad is the State Surgeon of the Michigan National Guard, so he had been dealing with covid prep since before it was even in the state. This meant that I wasn’t really surprised when the shutdown orders were made, although I was concerned that I had left my fencing stuff in my locker at fencing(it is still there). I felt kind of frustrated when there was more shutdown orders in the fall because I felt like we only had to keep staying at home because some people were to selfish or stupid to follow the initial stay at home orders, which was keeping the virus spreading.

    4.I think my best memories are of cooking. Over this past year I have made bread, sourdough bread, baguettes, shakshuka, macarons, king cake, biscuits, english muffins, wontons, curry, and so much more. I always loved cooking but staying at home gave me the time. My worst memories were probably when it was in the middle of the winter and it was too cold or wet to spend a lot of time outside, and I just felt like I was trapped in the house. Other than that, I was supposed to see Zac Brown Band in concert the weekend that lockdown happened, I had gotten the tickets for christmas. I was also supposed to see Elton John and Buddy Guy, but those were canceled too. Also, Kenny Rogers, Charlie Daniels, and Charlie Pride all died this year. It seems like Willie Nelson and Kris Kristoferson are the only two old country singers left, and if you’ve seen them you know they sure don’t have very long.
15. Malena Price March 17, 2021 at 3:20 pm

    Advice- If I could give myself advice for everything that was about to happen, it would be, to love things while they are happening, instead of wanting things I cannot have anymore. I needed to appreciate my friends, and family, and routine while it was there, I always complained about my life(and I still do), and always look back on how good those times were. Before covid, I never wanted to go to school, and then when I couldn’t go to school anymore I realized how much I missed it, the same thing with the first months of covid, and the summer… I’m still struggling at doing it, but if I knew to appreciate things I had I would’ve been a lot happier during the process. I would also tell myself to invest in zoom.

    BLM- coming from Spain, where I had never experienced or seen internalized racism, I was hurt and surprised when I heard about the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Amhad Aubery. But what surprised me most is how widespread the videos of these men getting murdered were. It scared me that the only way people are empathetic is when they see with their eyes these horrible moments. It helped me realize that most people don’t even think systemic and internalized racism is a thing until they see horrific, painful, and cruel moments it presents. I was very happy when I saw parts of our nation protest for what is right and try to uncover these issues and show them to the public.

    Gov Whitmer Issues- I think the first lockdown was adequate, many people still needed to realize the severity of these issues and I think it was a good way to present them. I also think the second lockdown in the fall was necessary, people weren’t abiding by the new rules and many more cases were being presented, even though it was tough for me because we were supposed to be enjoying our basketball season. But the end of the second lockdown, in January, I thought was completely out of line. Governer was opening casinos and restaurants, where people of high risk could go, but high school students couldn’t play sports. I think she had been handling it well at the beginning, but after a while, I started to heavily disagree with her actions and opinions.

    Best and Worst Memory- My best memory this year was the summer, although it was limited, I met so many new people and had a lot of fun seeing my friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. I was open to trying new things and it was great to get out of the house. I also really enjoyed my AAU season, although it was shortened I still really enjoyed getting out of Michigan, playing basketball, and getting a new perspective. My worst memory was probably all the family issues and tensions covid created. There were times where my house was so hectic my father had to take me and my brother to our grandmother in Connecticut, or where my dad had to take me on road trips. Covid created a lot of stress for my family but at the end of the day, it made me learn and realize a lot of things about myself, my growth, and my surroundings.
16. Lily R Schafer March 17, 2021 at 5:22 pm

    If you could go back to March 11, 2020 and give yourself some advice, what would it be and why?
    god i would tell myself to keep my friends close and maybe get better at socializing. id also say to reach out to he school for some sort of actual help, and not the garbage that the counselors send. this pandemic has ruined every aspect of my student life, my gpa, my ability to learn online is near zero. the school also literally didn’t care. i think i would have told myself to transfer while i still can to somewhere that actually cares. Or maybe I would tell myself to get on with physics theories and start inventing a time machine (jokes).
    What were your thoughts as the BLM protests spread across the country (along with some amazing changes and actions by companies and institutions)?
    i think that the usgov could do more. while the recent changes are very very good, there are still many aspects of todays society that are rooted in anti blackness. i also think that there are alot of other very important soietal issues that need immediate attnetion that are being overshadowed as well, but one at a time is good.
    What were your thoughts about Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders in the spring and then again in late fall?
    in terms of socializing- frankly, i didnt care. I could stay in my room, doing physics stuff, planning the next 25 years of my life, wallow in self pity and hatred toward the school all I want. in fact, it prevented me from accidently seeing people I’m not friends with anymore near by which was fantastic. in terms of school- i wanted to DIE. everytime I heard of another lockdown extension, I could feel my performance in school dropping worse and worse. even more, the counseling department treating my like stupid- I was full of rage.
    What is your best and worst memories of this past year? Why?
    I think I’ve made it very very obvious what my worst memory of this year is (all of it) and how enraged I have been throughout this year, and my performance for exams. seriously! i studied for 3-6 hours A DAY and i still did… mediocre. its like a punch to the gut, with an added insult of my entire academic career ruined. a close second would be my best friend suddenly ignoring me (its day 146 if anyone wants to know) I honestly cant even remember that much from this year for whatever reason, but I guess the best memory for me is solving physics problems in my room. or ALMOST winning a debate tournament through a crappy online season. or registering for the sat early. I really like physics and math haha. or maybe finding two (2) teachers that I like talking to
17. Ciera Green March 17, 2021 at 6:34 pm

    1. If I could go back to March 11, 202 and give myself advice one thing I would say is don’t overthink and breathe. Through a lot of the summer and most of this pandemic my anxiety was at an all time high because I have never lived through a pandemic and I knew that the leaders of the country were not taking this thing seriously so I didn’t when it would be over. My mom kept talking about how I probably wouldn’t go back to school until my junior year and how we would be wearing masks for the next year and a half probably and at the time it just seemed really far away. Thinking about not going back to school seemed terrible. I felt like I was missing out on the fun years of high school and that I was going to be the only student virtual and just be socially excluded from all of my friends and all the fun. Now that I’m looking back however, the time really flew and things didn;t turn out the way I thought they would. Everyone was virtual first tri and even with the cohorts in second tri there are still a lot of students virtual, and at this point I don’t even want to go back to school the rest of this year because I don’t even have friends in any of my classes. So my advice to myself would be that it isn’t as bad as I think and that times will get better.

    2. I was very angry. I knew that racism was real in America and that police brutality against black people has always been talked about since I was little. I’ve had the conversation with my parents about what to do if I ever got pulled over because I am black, I just never truly realized just how real racism still was. This police officer really put his knee on the neck of a man that was screaming he couldn’t breathe, and stayed there until the man died. The fact that this white police officer was literally caught on camera murdering George Floyd and he still wasn’t charged angered me. When I saw the protests on the news I wanted to join in and be a part of it, I had never seen people fighting for the lives of others like this. We learn about all the protests from the civil rights movement in school but I never thought history would repeat itself. I thought it was insane that police officers were really attacking protesters fighting for their lives. I couldn’t physically participate in protests but I did my best to spread awareness and sign petitions and things like that because I was just as angry. I was relieved however, that racism was being brought to the surface. I felt that white people really saw racism first hand and they realized how real it was. They could no longer defend this “all lives matter” idea because they saw what was going on. I think the Black Lives Matter Movement specifically this summer really opened a lot of people’s eyes.

    3. The stay at home order didn’t really affect me because I was already a homebody besides having dance almost everyday I actually genuinely enjoyed just being at home. After a while I did start to get bored though. I was doing dance through zoom, my mom had moved everything out the living room so I had this huge open space for dance and I was really busy with that basically the whole summer but I also just had empty time to do nothing. I finished all 17 seasons of grey’s anatomy and I would be awake until around 6 or 7 in the morning but I was really ready to see my friends because the stay at home order was dragging on a little long.

    4. My best memories of this past year were the things I did with my mom. Normally I see her after school and after dance and then on the weekends but we were in each others faces a lot more than usual this year because we didn’t have anywhere else to go. We baked lemon cakes, and failed, we made donuts, and failed, we tried to make fancy smoothies, they were gross, and we did a lot more but there was just a lot of laughter and fun times that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have that time together. My worst memories from the past year were wiping down groceries. We would stock up on way too much food and just stand in the garage for and hour or two wiping down every single item scared to touch them without gloves on and it was just dreadful.
18. Hayley Bedell March 17, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    #1- I would love to give some advice to the Hayley of March 2020, and just prepare her for the looming hell ahead. First, I would tell her to take a step back, and take advantage of the time she is being given. The world isn’t ending, it is just forcing you to slow down and readjust. So, find some new hobbies, clean that closet, spend time with your family, and don’t let these precious moments go to waste. Second, I would tell her to get her eyelid checked out as soon as the restrictions are lifted. Chalazions are not fun, and have tainted every picture of quarantine Hayley. I hate it. Third, I would tell her that online school is not that serious. Relax, let your dog in the camera view, drink that hot chocolate, lay in bed. What are your teachers, and their arbitrary rules, going to do? Send you the Zoom link for detention? Exactly. Don’t worry about it! Lastly, I would tell her to appreciate change. Your friendships will change, your personality will grow, you will mature, Becca will be moving back in, school will be online for a while, and you have to be class president through a completely unprecedented time. Don’t waste away your time by hating every aspect of transformation. Accept it, and be happy about it. In the end, it all worked out for the best, and look at me- you’re still here, and arguably better than before. Oh also, don’t text Jim happy birthday, please trust me on that one.

    #2- The death of George Floyd was a wake up call for me, as it was for plenty of other Americans, nationwide. I was disgusted by the way he was murdered, and by the way many tried to justify the officer’s actions. The murder of an unarmed Black man, by an institution created to help people, will never be okay. In the wake of his death, as the Black Lives Matter movement took news media, social media, the nation, and the world by storm, I was genuinely amazed. Obviously, I was outraged by all the events leading up to the strength of the movement, but it also brought me hope. The vast majority of people were masking up and peacefully protesting in the streets to get justice for those who were treated poorly, and to put marginalized groups in an equal seat at the table. I was honestly a little shocked by some of the corporate and institutional changes being made during this time. I just wasn’t expecting it, but they further emphasize the power held by the people leading the movement. I was pleased by the fact that Confederate statues were being removed, and generally pleased that businesses, corporations, and establishments were correcting themselves and supporting the change (even if it was fueled by the media). Even though the hashtag is no longer trending the same, I am still left feeling disgusted and hopeful. It is horrifying that the blatant racism, hatred, and violence continues to exist, but I know that change will come. There is still much to be done, we’ve only taken the first steps, but I hope that this takes us one step closer to a more ideally inclusive and equal America, for ALL.

    #3- I don’t think Governor Whitmer gets enough credit for passing her stay-at-home orders, especially because Michigan was among the first of many states to do so. For context, I want to pursue a career in law, public policy, political science, public service- anything in that general field of work. So, when I see a politician presented with an issue as pressing as the Coronavirus, I think to myself what I would do in that scenario. In the spring, it was obvious that Michiganders were not limiting their contact with other individuals, nor were they heeding any COVID guidelines. As Michigan’s leading force, what else can you do in that scenario, in the best interest of the people? I think Whitmer’s stay-at-home order was necessary. It made people slow down, and realize the seriousness of the situation, to then further flatten the curve. When we were shut down again in the fall, I had the same exact thought process that I had in the spring- what else could a leader in this position do, in the best interest of the people? I couldn’t come up with any other solutions. Feel free to call that a lack of creativity, but considering the severity of the situation and the carelessness of individuals, how do you make people cooperate in the best interest of everyone? Clearly, mask orders weren’t working, so what else could a leader do to try to keep the people safe? I know plenty of people saw these orders as a mark on their civil liberties, which I understand, but what I don’t understand is why they can’t just cooperate. Nobody is calling you weak, the socialists aren’t taking over- just respect the rules while we need them (but that’s a rant for a different day). In short, I’m glad these orders were put in place at the necessary times. They were instituted with the best interest of Michigan, and prevented a more aggressive spread of the Coronavirus.

    #4- Over the course of this past year, I learned how to find the silver lining. That being said, I am able to reminisce on some really special memories. When we were first put into quarantine, I was forced to become best friends with my parents and my siblings, so we played Sequence and Mario Kart every single night. Alyssa and I were always team red, and Becca, Johnny, and my dad were team blue- my mom liked to watch. When summer came around, we had bonfires every night, made s’mores, and got ice cream at this place called Dairy-O. Concerts are a no-go right now, but my favorite band put together a virtual concert experience. I was able to get tickets, and my entire family watched together- it was incredible. However, the day I was elected as Class President will always be the most special to me. Even though we weren’t able to celebrate with a fancy dinner, or anything of the sort, the vivid memory of my entire family engaged in a group hug, with the restored feeling of confidence, is truly heartwarming and unforgettable. Even though I got really good at finding the silver lining, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I hate bugs, I just hate them. There were several times this summer that I faced near death by bugs. A firefly got stuck in my hair, a spider crawled up onto my backpack, a great black wasp landed on my leg, I was constantly bombarded by mosquitos, and I discovered that beetles are genuinely terrifying. I had my chalazion removed over the summer, and that was interesting. They put medication into my eyelid, clamped my eyelid back, and made an incision. It really wasn’t that bad, it lasted 10 minutes and I was casually talking with the doctors during the procedure, but it hurt afterwards. I also lost trust in a lot of my friends in July, and faced the loneliest moments I have ever lived through, but that’s neither here nor there. In the end, I like finding the silver lining rather than describing the bad memories.
19. Lauren Kamp March 17, 2021 at 7:22 pm

    1. I would tell my March, 2020 self to relax and enjoy spending time with my immediate family. During the first lockdown, I took the reduction in schoolwork and responsibilities for granted. I rarely had more than two hours of school, I got to bond with my family, and I had loads of time to read, craft, and enjoy the Spring weather. Also, my Dad who often travels for work, was able to work from home so it was nice being able to spend time with him. Looking back, I now realize the early months of the pandemic were a unique, once in a lifetime experience that I wish I would’ve savored a little more patiently.
    2. The BLM protests were powerful and thought provoking and I felt like I was witness to America’s growth. Throughout our APUSH class, we’ve been reminded of the centuries of African American mistreatment in the United States. While the protests escalated, I imagined an important chapter in the country’s journey for equality was being written and would be discussed in future APUSH classes. Personally, the protests had the right idea, but I was discouraged to see them occasionally use violence. While the argument can be made that violence was necessary, it runs contrary to my beliefs in civil, peaceful protests. In the end, the BLM movement successfully challenged everyone to consider their conscious and subconscious attitudes on race.
    3. Governor Whitmer’s handling of the pandemic was necessary, but difficult. The line between science and politics felt blurred given the divided atmosphere in America and the looming national election. I felt that Governor Whitmer found herself in the middle of that conflict when I would have preferred, she did not. Considering that no one knew how to deal with a pandemic, I think that Whitmer did fine. In the moment, I was angry at her for not opening up things sooner for the summer. Looking back, she had her reasons and future history classes will decide which state or national response was the healthiest.
    4. My favorite memories of the last year revolve around my summer swim team experience and relaxing at the lake. Given the extraordinary and changing nature of the pandemic, having a semi normal summer experience was extra special. Fortunately, we were outside and our competitions were virtual so we were able to piece together a great summer. The worst experience would be the subtle and uneventful Christmas season. Typically, we see a lot of extended family through a series of gatherings and celebrations. While we had a few, it was a largely quiet Christmas.
20. Grace Khamis March 17, 2021 at 7:41 pm

    If I could go back to March 11, 2020 and give myself advice, it would be to find a hobby. With all that time stuck at home, I spent most of it sitting around on my phone when I could have been doing something more productive. I could’ve used that free time to my advantage and done something good with it like find a new hobby or work on improving myself, but I sort of took it for granted. Now, I’ve picked up a few new hobbies like jewelry making and ice skating, but I wish I took the time back then to work on it a little more. Who knows when I’ll get this much free time again.
    Honestly, I was pretty blind to the whole racial injustice issue before George Floyd. Obviously I was aware of it and I knew that it was awful, but I wasn’t aware of its intensity until the BLM protests. That’s when it hit me that this was a huge problem and it needed (and still needs) to be stopped. It was terrifying and angering to be hearing all this news and I knew something had to change. Over the summer, I went to two BLM protests with a few friends and I did everything I could to sign petitions and spread awareness to the issue. I was glad to see people and companies all over the world stick up for this issue as well. Now, I’m glad I’m more educated about the topic and I wish to do anything I can to improve it.
    Although many people complained about the stay-at-home orders, I knew they were completely necessary. Of course it wasn’t ideal, but it needed to be done. I knew that the sooner we locked down, the sooner life could go back to normal. I just wish Governor Whitmer was a bit more strict with the lockdowns and I wish more people took it seriously because obviously things didn’t change much. I think that if they were taken seriously, things would be a lot better by now. I heard that things are pretty much back to normal in Australia because they had a really strict lockdown. I wish Governor Whitmer would put us under at least one more so we can be over this already.
    One of my best memories from this year was probably my birthday. I was expecting to spend the day at home with my family since we didn’t really have anywhere to go, but my mom surprised me with two of my best friends Ava and Rachel and took us out to dinner. Another great memory was biking around town all summer long with my friends Ava and Zosia, especially biking to Dairy Queen and Market Square every week. One of my worst memories was many events getting cancelled like banquets, concerts, and especially summer camp. I had been looking forward to camp since the previous summer and it just didn’t happen which was a bummer. Another bad memory is my mental health plummeting during quarantine (and still now if we’re being honest) when there wasn’t much I could do about it. As Ava said in her response, very poopy 0/10 would not recommend.
21. Kaitlyn Sanders March 17, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    1.) Advice – My advice for myself to help my past self make it through such a sucky year would be a couple of things. 1.) Write in your journal more – it’s therapeutic and gets everything off your chest, 2.) Know that it’s okay to have a bad day and it’s okay to want to just have alone time, you aren’t hurting anyone in the process, 3.) Make a list of something you’re grateful for everyday and a few things you plan on doing/accomplishing during that day/week/month, 4.) Pay attention in class, I know it’s long and annoying at times, but in the end it will only benefit you, 5.) When you’re sad or angry instead of locking yourself in your room for a week and binging Netflix, go for a run and listen to some good music – it’s also therapeutic, and lastly 6.) GET ENOUGH SLEEP – that really goes for the rest of your life, but especially now when you have low energy and motivation, getting enough sleep will help get you going. In the end it’s going to be harder at some points, but everything will be okay.

    2.) BLM – When I heard of another death by cop to an unarmed black man I was devastated that this country hadn’t been fighting against issues like this longer. Sure I get it being in quarantine gives us nothing to do, so now we are all opening our eyes to the real issues going on around us, but this should’ve been addressed at such a high level wayyyyy before now. It’s disgusting how some people stand by this and let horrific things like this happen, and even try to back up any reason why systemic racism in America is acceptable….because it’s not. But the bright side is we all did come together, and feel the pain together, and try to fight back against the internal issues this country faces. Many voices were heard and they will continue to be prevalent.

    3.) Stay-at-home orders – Obviously the stay at home order wasn’t that big of a surprise, this was bound to happen. Did it make me mad, a little bit, did I get over it, yep. My season was cancelled and I didn’t get to even start my sophomore year out right by hanging out with friends and enjoying summer prior to the school year. However, I think the stay at home orders needed to be put in place because we all need to realize that being selfish is the last thing we should be doing in times like this. In the end this decision was – in my opinion – the best option, because if you look at other countries like Australia and see how they’ve been Covid free for about 4 months now, you’ll realize that if we all come together and follow the rules life will be back to normal.

    4.) Best/Worst Memories – I think over this past year my best memories were made with the little time I got to spend with friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I was also able to go to Florida prior to the travel bans, that was some much needed time away from school and issues going on back home. This last summer I got to play travel basketball before the orders were put in and I got to see some of my best friends who I haven’t been able to see in awhile – from up north. This whole year was pretty crappy so i think that’s one of my worst memories, but also online school was terrible and I just feel dumber but other than the covid aspect of everything life has been up and down. I am however, hopeful for a healthy/safe and fun return to normal life, even if there are changes made I am hoping only for the better.
22. catherine bean March 17, 2021 at 8:49 pm

    1) If I could go back to March 11 one piece of advice I would have given to myself would be to be more productive. I know it sounds like a dumb thing to say, but in quarantine, over those four months, I did absolutely nothing all day. I stayed up till four in the morning and woke up at one and did the same thing every day. While my family was working out every day and being active I sat in bed eating food and watching TV. I had no motivation to do school even though the work was not that hard. Not being productive during that whole time really backfired when things started to be semi-normal again. For starters my tennis game was trash, I was so out of shape and I basically forgot how to read and write. So when school came rolling around I was getting all these writing assignments that my mother had to help me with because I could not do them. Looking back at this past year I wish I could tell myself these things in march so I would not have been in the same situation I was in during the fall.

    2)During the start of the pandemic, I would say Whitmor’s original orders were okay because no one understood the disease and they were very protective. Her order shut down offices, restaurants, etc, and required us to stay home. As time went into April the modifications to the orders were too restrictive. Specifically, the prohibition against visiting your neighbors, going on motorized boats, and even visiting a second home was idiotic. Her overly restrictive orders caught the attention of Trump. Once that happened and he started negatively commenting it caused the protest and the militia groups to become much more militant. The Fall orders shutdown indoor eating and bars. To me, it’s unclear whether they had any effect because the virus serged in Michigan in December and January.

    3)The Black Lives Matter protest that swept across American during June was the largest in the country’s long history of mass movements for civil rights and social justice. At least 15 million Americans demonstrated in 2,500 towns and cities, setting off a tidal wave of support. Even in places like London, Cape Town, and Tokyo Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest for equal rights. The BLM movement was completely necessary. What had transpired in this country between black people and the police was disgusting and inexcusable. It was incredible to see people of all races marching in solidarity for this cause. Just two weeks of protesting has created more change in America than there has been in many years. Lawmakers signed a bill that will repeal the 50-a legislation. Dallas Texas, along with other states banned chokeholds and any other air-way restrictive techniques.

    4)This past year has been such a blur but my best memories from this past year were during the summer. The cases were much lower this summer, my parents started to be less strict with their rules. I was able to see my friends every day and actually leave my house to go somewhere other than going on a walk. But the one thing that sticks out the most to me is when my family and some of our closest family friends decided to rent a house in aspen for a month and quarantine altogether. We were finally able to be outside and now have the same type of stress we would have had if we were in Michigan. When we were there it almost felt like covid was not existent, we were outside everyday hiking or biking. We walked into town every day to have lunch, and the dinners were just the best part, they lasted hours and hours. We would wake up the next day and do the same thing again. It was honestly one of the best couple weeks. Another highlight from my summer when I was able to see my best friends from New York who I have not seen in months. Aside from all the fun things this summer, one bad memory is when my brothers left for college, I was so used to having them home for all of the quarantine. It was weird being the only child for the first time in my life. While it was sad to see them go I am happy that they are at school.
23. Drew Ruprich March 17, 2021 at 8:55 pm

    BACK IN TIME – If I could go back in time to talk to my past self, I would definitely tell myself to not worry too much. A deadly disease outbreak can be scary and stressful, so I would like to have known that things would be OK. Also, appreciating the little things would have been a good start as well. In March-May of last year I did try to find a couple new hobbies and exercise more with all of the free time I had. But, I felt bored, tired, and lazy a lot of the time, too. Without a busy everyday life, I didn’t feel like doing much. I would tell myself to find a way to get more motivated, especially during the start of the school year in September.

    BLM MOVEMENT – Regarding the BLM movement, I see it as a spark of hope in a disappointing society. The killing of an unarmed black man should never be tolerated, so I thought it was good to see that people across the country were beginning to take a stand against systemic racism in America. Because of the many people stuck at home last year, I think that the protests were getting more attention and the willingness of everyday people to take action was improving. I also liked to see the attention that the movement was getting in the media. I saw commercials, news, advertisements, music, articles, etc. all focusing on the importance of the movement. I was a little disappointed, however, in seeing some of the peaceful protests turn violent and seeing many protests stop happening after the movement died down in the following months.

    STAY AT HOME ORDERS – Considering that Michigan has some of the best statistics in the country regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, I think that both the spring and the fall shut-downs were necessary when clearly our numbers were rising. I was angered by having to stay at home, missing activities/sports, or not being able to see my friends, but in the end, it made the most sense in regards to the severity of the virus. I was also very fortunate to be able to stay with my family and play video games online with my friends, but not everyone was so lucky. I like to think that although the stay at home orders sucked, it could have been so much worse if Gov. Whitmer hadn’t given those orders when she did or at all.

    MEMORIES – My best memories from the past year were definitely during the summer. This was when I finally got to see some of my extended family. I saw my cousins and spent a lot of time up north and at their lake. And, as boring as it was, I kind of enjoyed the break we had. I got a lot of time to relax, exercise, play video games, study, and play board/card games. Another great memory from this past year was going to my friend’s cottage right before school started. We went fishing, tubing, etc. and had a lot of fun. One of my worst memories from the past year was worrying about my grandparents’ health. Besides COVID-19, my grandpa had a leg injury that ended up causing him a lot of pain and a lot of hospital visits. We were all very worried about him and are happy that he is getting better. Another bad memory of this past year could be the realization of how bad the pandemic really was. I remember that we were given just two weeks off of school initially. I was skeptical, but I assumed we would eventually go back to school sooner rather than later. Realizing that everything would not be back to normal by summertime and that school would be online for much longer was really tough for me.
24. Mark Bossio March 17, 2021 at 8:56 pm

    1.If I could go back and give some advice it would be to not worry. I would tell myself that I would make it out ok. I would also tell myself how things would be different with school and how to mentaly prepare for it. I would make sure once school started, to get out of my house more and get some fresh air. I would also tell myself to invest in up and coming things like Zoom, and companies like Pfizer, as well as Game stop. Then I could have money to help my family out, and help other people out. I would just get more money, and that would be pretty cool.
    2.I was happy that more attention was being put onto the issue of racism. I’m happy to see changes being put into effect, but I’m sad to see that a man’s death had to initiate these changes and bring light to racism happening in our nation.
    3.I feel that the stay-at-home order was a good choice and the right thing to do to ensure everyone’s safety. I think that the restrictions were reasonable and the only way to slow Michigan’s cases. I was mad that people wanted to go out to do whatever they wanted, putting everyone’s lives in danger because they were too selfish to listen, because they think the world revolves around them. I hate how they would spew their stupidity like “it’s unconstitutional”, and “it’s infringing on my rights”. But I didn’t really mind the stay at home order at all, sure it was sad that I couldn’t see my friends, cousins and grandparents, and couldn’t celebrate holidays 0r my birthday with them, but it was what had to be done to make sure everyone was safe.
    4.My best memory was being able to see my grandparents towards the end once they were vaccinated. After not being able to see them for so long, I was happy to see they were ok, and they were happy to see me. I also am really looking forward to seeing some of my friends I haven’t seen in a while. One of my worst memories was seeing the world crumble into panic and despair from my T.V. That was scary not knowing if you or your loved ones weren’t going to make it out. The past year has just been a whole lot of that waiting and worrying about yourself, your family, and others, but I’m hopeful that we made it mostly through, and we can return to some normalcy, but the past year has been a really scary experience.
25. Hailey Young March 17, 2021 at 9:16 pm

    1. If I could go back in time to give myself advice on the upcoming year, it would be to not focus on my body and just focus on being healthy. I would also tell myself that just because you don’t talk to people every day doesn’t mean they are no longer your friends. I became anxious, and focusing on the negatives was something that I used to do in the original quarantine that stressed me out to the point where I wouldn’t talk to anyone for days straight. I would tell myself to remember how good I have it and that I am lucky to live in a household where everyone gets along.
    2. The BLM protests inspired me to do and be better. I thought these protests were needed, and I was happy to see many people enthusiastic about them. It was finally time for people to listen because even with quarantine, black deaths were still happening at an unproportionate rate. I was glad to see the entire world coming together for a common cause that supported equality. It made everyone confront themselves and others to see and treat people as equals. The countries racist past and present selves had to be fixed and changed, and the BLM movement started this.
    3. I thought Governor Whitmer’s two stay-at-home orders were needed and a good decision. This is because the numbers were going up, and the only way to get people to follow Michigan procedures is to force a stay-at-home order. I think it was a safe and needed order because it put the people’s safety first. Even though this made everyone isolate, it made sure we could go back to normal at a faster time. While the two stay-at-home orders didn’t affect me much, I see how they would be annoying to parents or other adults in charge of feeding people and/or going to work. It was annoying for me because of the school changes, but I still got to face time friends and talk to others. The communication I was able to have with others because of the stay-at-home order made me realize who my closest friends were and who I missed the most. It was a learning experience, and even though I wouldn’t want another stay-at-home order, I thought they were needed.
    4. This year was an emotional rollercoaster for me, giving me many different memories. My best memory from the past year was when I went to Indiana with my camp friends, and we stayed there for a week. This was when the country was opening up during the summer, and the people I saw are by far my favorite people I know. This was my best memory because it got Covid off my mind and I got to see my best friends. My worst memory of quarantine was school starting in the fall. This was my worst memory because school stressed me out and gave me a new way to learn, which I didn’t like. It also made me go crazy about grades which is never suitable for anyone.
26. Rachel Mercer March 17, 2021 at 9:16 pm

    Some advice I would give to myself on March 11th of 2020 would be to stop worrying so much about school shutting down and start worrying about how you are going to handle this pandemic and time alone with your family. I would tell myself to start being realistic about the affects covid could have on my life and consider that is more than just something that takes away your time with friends and relatives. I would tell myself to recognize the effects it will have on the future, social gatherings, and normal daily activities. I would tell myself that everything will work out and, even though we have been saying this for a year, we will get through it. I would also advize myself to stop thinking that this isn’t reality. I would tell myself to start viewing this covid time as normal life and stop wasting the time you have to yourself that you could use to better yourself. Even now I wish I took advantage of the time alone I had with myself to focus on my mental and physical health and better myself.
    As the Black Lives Matter protest spread throughout the country, I felt like I needed to do more to show my support for the movement and try my best to educate myself and others around me. I talked to my parents and brothers about the protests and we all had similar ideas. We all recognized how important it was to support the movement and kept each other educated. It was not a new thing to me to see the police killing black people or people of color, but I had never shown my views on it even though I should have. When everybody started to talk more about it, I opened up on my opinions as well. I went to a Black Lives Matter protest in Birmingham with my whole family. I wasn’t afraid to say what I felt was needed when talking to my friends (over the phone) or family. I spoke up and tried to help educate others and myself. My brothers got involved in conversations with me about this and they helped me understand certain things and form my own opinions on it all.
    I had nothing against the stay at home orders. I wish I would have used them to my advantage and tried to use the time better. I was afraid of getting the virus and didn’t want to put my family or anyone else at risk. I couldn’d understand why some people would speak out against keeping themselves and others safe. People wanted to have their normal life back, but I knew after a little while into this pandemic, normal life was a long way away and for some people, life would never be normal, especially for the familys who had lost loved ones to this pandemic. At the very beginning, I was upset to see that the one year we would have school on my birthday was gone and I was upset that we would be locked down on my birthday as well. As April grew closer, I realized the reality of us going back to school after spring break or even going back to school during the 2019-20 school year was decreasing. Even as it looked like things would start opening back up in May, I didn’t have high hopes. I told my friend, who’s birthday is on May 31st, we would still be shut down for her birthday, but she was more optimistic than me. I felt that during this time I was acting more as a realist than my normal, optimistic, self. In the fall, when we shut down again, I wasn’t surprised and I wasn’t saddened by it. It almost was a relief to know that some people would be kept safe over Thanksgiving, when we would normally be gathering with family.
    I had many good memories from this pandemic, but I also had many sad ones. I’ll start off with the sad ones so we can end on a happy note. I remember when this all started how worried I was. I started to worry as soon as we picked my brother up from college. I was so concerned because he was getting out of school while my other brother and I were still going to school. We had school the next day and all I could think about was school shutting down or not shutting down. At the beginning, I also remember wishing that this was all fake or a dream. It was hard for me to understand how it got this far especially since I have been watching the corona virus grow since late december. In early November, I got the coronavirus. Thankfully, I didn’t give it to my brother or parents but I had to quarantine for 10 days alone in my room. It went by quickly, thankfully, but it was rough at first, being sick and having to go to school online. It was also very difficult to see my grandparents wanting to go out and do things normally at this time and my family having to tell them why it was such a bad idea. My grandparents’ friend they have known for a very long time got covid around the same time I had it. He got very sick and passed away a couple months later from it. It was a sad time for them and it hit them hard. Their friends’ death was what helped them stay socially distanced because they saw how it hurt him and his wife. Although there were many bad memories made, there were many good ones. I spent more time with my brothers over the quarantine. A couple of times we even watched a movie together. I went skateboarding with my brother in the summer and we spent time together as a family. I called friends all the time over facetime and we talked for a very long time. My friends and I zoomed on my birthday. My grandparents learned how to zoom and even got an Ipad that they can now facetime me on (which they do every weekend now). I have made many good memories over this year and I could share them all with you, but we would be here for a long time. This year has been sad and draining, but I believe I have found some good and learned how to enjoy things even when they don’t go to plan.
27. Chase Richardson March 17, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    1: If I could go back to March 11, 2020, I would tell myself that there was a long, horrible road ahead, but not to get worried. The first thing that I would mention would be not to take Covid as a joke; It is super deadly, so be careful. The second thing that I would tell myself would be that you will get through this, but don’t get discouraged, and be sure to do some sort of physical activity every day – it helps!. The third thing that I would tell myself would be that online school next year will be hard to get used to, but stick with it and all will be good. Finally, I would tell myself that I should invest into Gamestop in late december 2020 ( you will understand this part later).
    2: I was not aware of the racism that was present in the US, but after the sad death of George Floyd, the media was sure to show everyone the severe racism that was present in the country. The Black Lives Matters protests were mostly peaceful, but there were also some violent protests that caused a great amount of damage to some cities. I feel as though the violent protests were uncalled for, but I am happy that the racism in our country is starting to be addressed; once you can identify the issue, you can start to start to change it.
    3: In my opinion, the Gretchen Whitmer stay-at-home order was important. It helped the covid cases subside when the numbers were skyrocketing. In both the spring and in the fall, covid cases were rising exponentially, and with the stay-at-home orders, the case numbers decreased. The stay-at-home order didn’t really affect me too greatly because in both the spring and in the fall, I was learning virtually and not participating in any sports.
    4: Within the past year, I have created some good memories. Some of my favorites include creating a slip-and-slide in my friends´ backyard with a tarp and dish soap and water, and swimming. I feel as though it was harder this year to create good memories because of the restrictions on things you could do, but good memories were still able to be made. Most of my good memories come from summertime, or the winter sports season this year. Last fall, things were really dry for me, since I didn’t do much except for online school. Even though this year was really hard at some points, I felt as if I was able to make the most of it.
28. Max Young March 17, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    1) Some advice I would give to myself back on March 11th, 2020 is to not take anything for granted. My family was really struggling during this time and I thought it was the best thing to ever happen because I didn’t have school. I wasn’t taking anything serious with schoolwork and just staying on track. I was slacking around and just being lazy. This was definitely the worst time I had to encounter during COVID. My dad had COVID right at the beginning and my mom was working non stop hours at the hospital. We never knew when she’d be home, so Hailey and I basically had to do everything on our own. Also, we’d have one of my best friend’s mom get us groceries and supplies because my mom had no time with her work and my dad was sick. This was just a terrible time.

    2) I was in favor of the BLM protest and believed that they were mostly good except for the vandalism and robberies. The social injustice that was going around was very obvious and change needed to occur. These people who were protesting were just expressing their thoughts on how unfair black people get treated compared to white people. The only way or change to occur is to use your voice, you can’t be quiet and just expect change. I ended up going to a BLM protest in Birmingham which I thought was a very good experience that most people should have. There was absolutely nothing wrong that was happening. We were just using our voices and standing up for what we believed in.

    3) I believed that Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders were the best possible decisions under these conditions. All the Governor wanted was to make sure that this state/community will be as healthy and safe as possible. I really gained respect for her when she stuck with her philosophies/styles throughout this whole pandemic. She never got intimidated by the reopenings from other states and the pressure she got from the people on opening the state back up. Yes, I never really was in favor of her decisions because I wanted to go out, eat at restaurants, see movies, etc but I can’t complain that much because she put mine and many others safety in front of having fun. I believe she handled this perfectly and still is and doesn’t get the respect or recognition for the great job she’s doing.

    4)I’ll start with the worst memories from this past year. My worst memories were definitely right after our school got cancelled for 3 weeks. My dad was really sick and we didn’t know if he’d get better and my mom was working non-stop trying to take care of all of her patients. Hailey and I were basically on our own for everything. It was really bad. My best memories were having fun with my friends with the limitations that were going on. Whether that was going on walks, bike rides, playing football, or just hanging out with my friends outside. After the first shut down I realized not to take anything for granted, so whenever I was able to leave the house I tried to make the best of it.
29. Ian Duncan March 17, 2021 at 9:28 pm

    #1 If I could go back to March 11, 2020 I would tell myself that everything will be alright, and to buy toilet paper. But, mainly I would tell my past self that I will make it through the hard times and I will be a better person because of it. Everything came so fast at the start, and it left me very angry and saddened. With some advice, my mindset could have completely changed leaving me in a better mental position. Knowing that everyone was going through hard times, and I would not be alone as the world changed around me. We still do not know what the future holds with coronavirus, just as we didn’t know a year ago. But, I do know that I have become a stronger person because of everything I have gone through.

    #2 As with many people, I suspect, I was very naïve on the topic of racism and racial discrimination. The BLM protests made me realize that racial discrimination faced by POC was not a very rare occurrence. That it was a constant challenge for people of all ages. The killing of George Floyd was a first hand viewing experience of police brutality for me. I’ve seen reenactments of police brutality in historical movies, but nothing as eye opening as this. Great strides have been made because of all the collective outcry. Certain brandings have been changed, but that does not reach the core of the issue. One worry that has resulted from all the protests is the division in the country it has brought. The political/social tension in this country is nothing I have ever felt before (granted I’m only 15). But, I am extremely worried for the future.

    #3 My original reactions were frustration. I was coming off an injury at the time, but I was still participating in sports. Sharing the sentiment of my teammates I was angry at Whitmer for shutting down everything. As the severity of covid came to light, I realized she had probably made the right decision. With all the crazy new discoveries, staying at home was definitely the right decision. The fall orders in my eyes weren’t so great. There could have been a better way to manage covid without crushing people’s businesses and everyday lives. Not going back to school or anything crazy, but a small increase in opportunities for people to reclaim their lives/jobs. For the most part, Governor Whitmer made the hard, unpopular, decisions to protect lives.

    #4 Sports for me largely helped to keep me motivated throughout lockdowns. Being able to play sports again, and see others was very refreshing. My best memories in return came from playing sports like Football and Swimming. Laughing and messing around like before while playing sports had me lost in the moment. Those 2-3 hours in a day seem very inconsequential. But, when you are able to let go of all your struggles, it helps a lot, especially during a time like covid. Summer overall was a great time for me. One of the worst times for me personally was right when covid hit, and when school started. Right when covid hit, like many others, I lost a lot of normal everyday events in my life. My daily routine was flipped upside down. I lost sports, school, social interaction. It was a tough time. Then right when online school started, I did not know how to adapt. I was so used to not having to learn, when school started I was blasted with struggles. I did not have motivation to do anything. The first couple of weeks adapting were bad. Luckily, I persevered through it and kept moving forward.
30. Austin White March 17, 2021 at 9:42 pm

    If I could give advice to my past self before quarantine, the first and most important thing I would say is to just take things as they come. Now I’m not saying that I should not take the virus seriously, but more of a warning to not panic and just follow the guidelines. I would not tell myself about how serious the virus would be, but I would just tell him to read about the virus. Now for money, I would tell myself to invest in DogeCoin as soon as possible, then make sure to sell around 7 cents in order to get max profit, the price for stocks were so little at the time that if I knew this, I could make thousands of dollars if I only spent a few. One final thing, PAY ATTENTION IN SCHOOL, online school that is.
    My thoughts as the BLM protests were happening throughout America was mainly positive. It was saddening to see what had happened to people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and I still thought it was crazy that people still attempted to justify what had happened to both of them. Honestly, I had to stay away from “the other side” of social media for a bit after that because of the way people were talking about George Floyd’s death. I still think it’s crazy that people believe that systemic racism is not occurring throughout the US.
    To be honest, the spring stay at home order was kind of a relief at first. Third trimester was by far my most difficult trimester that year and I just thought it was a nice time to catch up on sleep for a few weeks. I think that that month where we didn’t have any school was one of the best months ever. I just stayed inside and played Minecraft for hours with my friends while chatting on Discord. The fall shutdown was less than ideal, I knew it was coming and was necessary due to the massive spike in cases in Michigan, but it was so poorly timed. The hockey season was just about to start for us until that happened. We couldn’t even practice with our actual coach until much later, not to mention all the game time we lost.
    Kind of already touched on my best moment this year, which was that first month without school. I think I enjoyed it so much because of how many of us saw the virus as a short term thing. I just thought that we could just wait it out and everything would come back to normal but that did not happen. But regardless I did enjoy playing with my friends and sleeping. My worst memory was the January 6th insurrection of the capitol. I learned throughout quarantine that our nation was very polarized but just to see that happen by the kinds of people that were there was disgusting. I couldn’t believe that is what this country has come to, just one group of people being fed one big lie, by one big guy, and people still believing it even until after the election and the countless tries by the former POTUS to try and justify his loss in the election.
31. Katherine amend March 17, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    Truthfully if I could go back in time to March 11th I would tell myself many things. One would be to enjoy the last 2 days of school, say goodbye to your friends. HUg them tell them how much they truly mean to me, and how they have helped me through difficult parts of my life. Secondly I would tell her to spend time with my family and call my grandma and aunts and uncles. I would also play much harder during the tennis tryout just days before march 13th. I was truly so excited for the upcoming season, I was about to make varsity. I was so close, the decision would have been announced on march 13th the day of the shutdown. You could believe my utter disbelief when all sports were canceled.

    The Black lives matter protest was an important event in 2020 because it showed police brutality and overall racial injustice. The murder of gorege floyd was the final straw we see 3 police officers slowly killed gotge floyd one with his knee in his neck and some standing by. But this was not the first time we see the murders of brenoa taylor and eljhah mclain, they all deserve justice. I believe the BLM movement is very important to our day and age, we simply couldn’t take it anymore. We see at groves we have a great amount of diversity where in other areas we see much less like seaholm. This is important because wherever you go to school has an effect on your beliefs, and other beliefs. We see with BLM we protested for George floyds murders to be arrested and charged. We wanted everyone else who has lost their lives to racial injustice get justice. And that is what the BLM movement is. We protested and got sprayed and had rubber bullets shot at us but we resisted. Black LIve Matter is very important, we have to protect our minorities and educate the racists. And this is amazing for companies because we see companies that back BLM get supported where if chick fil a doesn’t maybe more people will go to popeyes. Overall Black Lives matter is extremely important we need to educate everyone and protect our black-americans.

    I will always back Governor whitmers stay at home orders, sometimes we have to give up our right to eat out to save lives. It was definitely difficult back in march when everything was shut down so suddenly, it was hard for families all over, including mine. I agreed with her orders back in April and March. I agree with her orders now. I was truly heartbroken when all sports were canceled. I believe some sports should have been allowed like sports you can social distance in some examples would be tennis, baseball, softball etc. Sadly we still do see people not paying attention to the orders like back to last summer people protested the masks and stayed at home order. LIke I said sometimes we have to take sacrifices to save lives. And as a resident of Michigan I stand by governor Witmer and appreciate all the work she has done for us. WIthout her I believe that our state’s cases would have been much higher and we wouldn’t be in good hands without her.

    My best memories had to be spending time with my family. My dad used to travel a lot of work at least twice a month and due to covid he couldn’t travel, so I got to spend more time with him. And I appreciated it the most because I built that close relationship with him that I can look back on today. I also got closer with some friends in my neighborhood. There are some girls less than 3 years apart from me that live only a couple blocks away. They are amazing to me. I knew them already but now we are so close we hangout every week multiple times. One of the girls Is now my legal god sister, and I am so thankful for her. But the hardest part was being so isolated, I am a social person and that was very hard for me. It was also hard to see my parents stop loving their job because they couldn’t travel. I felt the most isolated in late September. I was going through a really difficult time in my life and just wanted to be surrounded by people. But due to Covid I couldn’t.
32. Diego McIntyre March 17, 2021 at 10:06 pm

    If you could go back to March 11, 2020 and give yourself some advice, what would it be and why? This can be funny, serious, whatever.
    If I could go back in time a year and give myself some advice it would be three things. The first one would be that you don’t have to do ANY school work. This would be one of my pieces of advice because in the final tri of last year I put a ridiculous amount of time and effort into making sure I got exactly 70 percent of my work done. This turned out to be a huge waste of time as we learned that you could’ve passed without doing anything. The second thing I would tell myself is to invest in toilet paper and masks because people would end up buying them by the truck loads. This could help me make a quick buck before a lot of job options would close for a while. The last piece of advice I would give myself would be to enjoy the summer to its fullest. Despite being unable to go on trips and other things, I would want past me to make the most of the summer as possible. I wasted a lot of time just playing games and know I really regret it.
    What were your thoughts as the BLM protests spread across the country (along with some amazing changes and actions by companies and institutions)?
    I think that the BLM protests across the country were very much needed. Police brutality against people of color is all too common in America and I believe that without these protests the issue would continue to be prevalent in society. It really forced big corporations to be put into the spotlight as well and helped to improve the livelihoods of people around the country.
    What were your thoughts about Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders in the spring and then again in late fall?
    I’m not one to follow politics too closely so I might not know a lot about her policies. Despite this I believe the stay at home orders were appropriate considering the dangers of covid. If people had cut down on their partying and other activities with large groups of people, then Governor Whitmer wouldn’t have to issue the stay at home orders in the first place. They are to protect lives not to try and mess with you. It can hurt business but when lives are on the line, I think it trumps all.
    What are your best and worst memories of this past year? Why?
    One of my best memories this year was at the high school league meet. It was probably my favorite because of all the work I had put in over the months of training and practice had finally paid off. I dropped nearly 15 seconds in my 200 freestyle as well as went all time bests in my other races. My relay even ended up winning the meet for the team. One of my worst memories from this year would definitely be every single morning practice at swim. There is this thing we would have to push as part of the workout called the prowler. I also had terrible shoes that were very slippery against the floor so when I tried to push the prowler, half of my steps were wasted because I kept slipping. After using it your legs feel awful and you wonder why you keep doing this.
33. Luke Goodwin March 17, 2021 at 10:48 pm

    1. If I could go back in time to March 11th, 2020, I would tell myself that the following pandemic wouldn’t end after the original one-month lockdown. Or after two months. Or three. Or even a year. I found myself continuously looking forward to events as well as everything going back to normal when in reality, little to no progress was made and there was very little to look forward to. Had I known this, I would have made many different decisions during our time off last spring and I wouldn’t have assumed we were going back to school this year at all.
    2. The unlawful death of George Floyd was a tragedy that sparked many influential protests from Black Lives Matter as well as a lot of unnecessary outrage from the cancel culture group. While I one hundred percent believe that black lives matter, I do not agree with many of the actions of the Black Lives Matter protesters. I understand that many of their protests were peaceful despite their outrage, but as for the rioting and looting during their few violent protests, which caused billions in damages and had small business owners defending their businesses with their lives, was completely uncalled for and negatively affected the image of the organization. The protests also sparked the rebirth of the acronym ACAB, which stands for all cops are b*stards, which is completely untrue. In very few instances, yes, a police officer does something unlawful and should be punished for their actions, although labeling all police officers as b*stards is extremely unfair, especially considering the countless good deeds and selfless acts that they do for their communities. The cancel culture group has been less focused on solving real-world problems, and more focused on making sure Mr. Potato Head isn’t labeled as a male because God forbid we have a male toy. They were also focused on canceling children’s books written by Dr. Seuss decades ago, along with many more unneeded changes.
    Big Gretch’s stay-at-home orders were carried out much longer than they needed to be and they restricted humans from living a semi-normal life. They also astronomically devastated our economy by shutting down small businesses and completely ruining the restaurant industry. While she claims that her lockdowns were successful in saving lives because of “science and data” that she has, although she has failed to release it to the public, which raises the question of whether or not she really is saving lives. A comparison of Florida, with a population of 21.48 million citizens, and New York, with a population of 19.45 million citizens, can show that policies concerning the coronavirus can be rather useless. Although Florida(1,989,000) has had more cases than New York(1,803,000), Florida(32,530) has nearly 17,000 less deaths than Ney York(49,444). The reason for New York having more cases could be partially due to Andrew Cuomo’s and Gretchen Whitmer’s flawless idea of throwing the coronavirus patients in retirement homes with the most vulnerable people in our society. I can’t see how that’s a bad idea. It’s now catching up to them as Big Gretch is potentially facing felony charges for her actions. Gretchen Whitmer has no business governing our state and has proven that she is unfit for her position with her insanely long lockdowns and lack of providing evidence for her actions.
    My favorite memory of the last year was the summer as a whole. This is because I spent much of it up north in a mostly conservative area, which gave me more freedom as to what I could do regarding the lockdowns. I also had a good time there because I went with my friends and family. One of the worst parts of the last year has been the social deprivation that I along with the rest of the kids my age have experienced. This combined with my wishful thinking that we were going back to school left me constantly disappointed.
34. Liv Chapman March 17, 2021 at 10:53 pm

    n’t know where to start with this question. My first piece of advice I would give myself is watch your mentality and well being. The next few months are going to be some of the most lonely and boring months of your life. I’ve always relied on sports and my friends to cheer me up and distract me from everything crazy happening in my life, and without that it is going to be difficult. Make sure to check up on yourself every once and a while and make sure that you’re doing ok. Mental health matters and is one of the most important aspects of human life. Feeling exhausted and mentally strained isn’t normal, but it is ok to take some time and fix those feelings. I would tell myself that there is worse going wrong in the world than my freshman year varsity lacrosse season being cancelled. I know it’s easy to zero in on personal issues and things being taken, but you have to look at the bigger picture and realize how fortunate you are to be healthy and safe. There’s a thousand things I wish I could have told my fourteen year old self in March, but one of the last things I would have told myself is to make the most out of it. Take the time you are given and improve on things you never had time to focus on. Try new things and venture out of your comfort zone. Also, I would advise my March 2020 self to run more… you will be out of shape for lacrosse and hockey later.

    I think it was absolutely amazing. I can never express how good it felt to see people being held accountable for their actions. Though I was so happy to see change in progress and participate in protests, it was absolutely heartbreaking to see the amount of american people killed at the hands of police. It really hurt my heart to face the reality of police brutality and violence, that being said I was proud that we didn’t just give up, we fought and continue to fight. The entire BLM movement gave me a better perspective on the oppression and challenges that those of colors face every single day. The BLM movement that continues to fight today and everyday, opened my eyes to the unjust and unfairness of our police system and treatment. It broke my heart to see so many innocent people being attacked solemnly based on the color of their skin.

    Personally, i think the stay at home order was just right. In the moment, there was a lot of panic and confusion as to what truly was going on around the world. At the moment, the stay at home order may have seemed out of proportion and uncalled for, but I think that if we didn’t stay isolated and locked down, that covid cases would skyrocketed even more than they did. When the governor called for our lockdown, it really felt as if my whole life was falling apart. Everything i had looked forward to was gone, i felt so sad and robbed to be honest, in retrospect, it had to be done and there was worse going on around me.

    My best memory from the past year would probably be making varsity lacrosse freshman year. Though we never had a season, I was so beyond accomplished and proud of myself. Ever since 6th grade, I’ve been so eager to play high school lacrosse, the gap of skill level between high school and middle school lacrosse is very very significant. It’s more of a fast pace, more aggressive, and overall just more fun. Being the only freshman who made varsity will forever be one of my biggest accomplishments so far that i will never forget. My worst memory of this year would have to be a combination of everything that was taken away from me. My lacrosse season, tennis season, volleyball season, club lacrosse season, my birthday, seeing family and loved ones, trips and many recruiting events were all things that were cancelled this year. It really sucked so see things slip so easily out of your grasp so fast. It hurt even more because there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t change what was happening around me, I simply had to “just deal with it.”
35. Jack Abbot March 17, 2021 at 11:19 pm

    1. If I could go back to March 11, 2020 and give myself some advice the first thing I would do was tell myself to take advantage of this time off, learn new skills, practice sports, bond with family, and not develop lazy/bad habits. Secondly, I would tell myself to take advantage of the stocks and buy carvana and chipotle. Lastly, I would tell myself to try and keep a decent sleep schedule.

    2. When the BLM protests spread across the country I was happy to see so many people stand up against police brutality and the injustice blacks go through. I thought It was about time that confederate statues were taken down. Also, I thought the NBA did a good job supporting and spreading awareness for BLM. The t-shirts and names on the back of their jerseys were constant reminders of the movement.

    3. When Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders came in the spring I was happy at first because it felt like an early summer, but I didn’t realize how distant the protocols were and how much my regular day was going to change. I was very eager after the first week to go and hang out with my friends, or do literally anything outside my house, but I couldn’t because of quarantine. When the second stay at home order came in the late fall I was annoyed. I was excited for basketball to start up, was ready to go back to school, and dreaded the same lockdown that happened in the spring.

    4. My best memories of this past year include going to see my uncle at his lake house, basketball tournaments, getting my braces off, sailing, watching movies, learning new skills, playing cards/board games with my family, video games, Ohio State beating Clemson, and rest. These were all good memories because I either bonded with family, got to do something out of the house, or did something productive. I appreciated the small things that quarantine took away from me a lot more when things opened up a little more. Sometimes it just felt like I was taking a break from quarantine, like I wasn’t in a pandemic. Some of the worst memories of this past year were the days where I was so bored I just sat on my phone, trying to do online school, going to bed at 5 am, and Ohio State losing the NCAA football championship. Looking back these were bad memories because waking up so late just makes you lazy for the rest of the day, online school was just a tuff adjustment, and Ohio State getting crushed was a hard day, real quiet in my house.
36. Mori Miller March 17, 2021 at 11:31 pm

    1.If I could go back to March 11, 2020 and give myself advice, I would tell myself to find something useful to learn or important to do during the pandemic instead of sitting around looking at screens all day. I would have rather done something useful with my time than playing video games and sitting on the couch. I didn’t know how long the pandemic would last, so I would tell myself that it lasts a lot longer than anyone thinks. I would also tell myself that times would get worse before they get better, so be strong. Thankfully I have been able to stay free of covid for the entirety of the pandemic, so I wouldn’t need to tell myself to worry more or be stricter with covid rules

    2.When George Floyd was murdered by the state, I didn’t know exactly how to make sense of it. I had heard of other cases such as Trayvon Martin, Philandro Castille, or Botham Jean, but never experienced it as it happened, seeing all the headlines and news about it. I didn’t know many things, but I knew that the unlawful murder of black people had to come to a stop by any means necessary. I was always in full support of black lives matter protests, and donated money to the cause along with talking to many people in opposition to it and helping them understand that black lives matter isn’t racist or terrorists, and just wants to protect black americans from police brutality.

    3.When Governor Whitmer ordered the stay at home orders, I hated them. I wanted to see friends, go places, and have a more normal life. They limited my freedoms and were a major inconvenience to me. However, human lives are more important than my feelings, or anyone’s feelings. I don’t think anybody liked the restrictions, but they were 100% necessary for the wellbeing of Michiganders. The orders saved lives, and I am very grateful they were implemented here by our Governor.

    4.My best memories of this past year have come at times when life seemed a little normal. Having a great soccer season, being able to celebrate my birthday with friends, and being able to take safe trips were great moments that stood out in a very very bad year. The worst moments were when Covid had complete control on my life. I had my last year of camp cancelled, along with many other things I was really looking forward to. More bad times were when I had potential exposures to covid and had to stay quarantined in my room with nothing to do. I am fortunate enough to not have lost anyone from covid, which i’m sure is a low point for everyone who did.
37. Alexander Moore March 17, 2021 at 11:59 pm

    1. If I could go back and give my past self advice before entering quarantine, I would make sure I maintain some sort of schedule. During quarantine, I had virtually no schedule and did whatever I wanted to do. I would stay up late and sleep in a lot and I wish I kept a normal schedule. I also would tell myself to understand that a lot of normal things such as school and sports are going to happen regularly. Masks are going to be an essential part of the future so I should get used to wearing them. I would also tell myself to expect the Football season to undergo a lot of changes. At one point we were scheduled to play in the spring then all of a sudden we had a game in 2 weeks. Most of all I would remind myself to spend more time with my family because we are usually very busy.
    2. The BLM protests made many Americans realize how big of an issue racism in America is. Many people knew that racial injustice was real and that black people face discrimination, but the murder of George Floyd made people realize how serious the issue is. I was happy to see that media and organizations were supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Everyone was coming together to face a problem in America and pushing for change.
    3. I think that the stay-at-home orders issued by Governor Whitmer were necessary to keep everyone safe. I wasn’t bothered by the stay-at-home orders in the spring because I got to chill for a while. In the summer, I do wish that things were normal but I knew that all the regulations were still necessary. I wish that We had stayed in lockdown for longer so that we could be back to normal by now.
    4. My worst memory during the lockdown was being inside for so long as summer started. As the weather became nicer I wanted to go outside more and spend time with friends and family, but I was unable to. Being stuck inside for so long made me very bored. My best memory during the lockdown was the football season. After being in lockdown for so long I was able to get out of the house and finally do something. Going to football was something I enjoyed and I was just happy I was able to see friends there again.
38. Mike Ajluni March 18, 2021 at 12:23 am

    1.For me personally I would say the biggest thing is cherish each moment. I had a feeling something like this was coming as I heard about the spread of the virus, but for whatever reason I was just focused on other stuff. Thinking about it more as I type this I think one thing I was thinking about too much was the future. I was trying to answer what’s next and figure out my plan if there was a lockdown or something like that. While I do not regret that part of it, I wish I enjoyed the regular stuff of life more, like seeing my friends consistently and enjoying their company.

    2.I was not surprised it happened, but the result of it was surprising in the best way possible. It was amazing to see everyone come together and unite for a cause that needed much more attention than it had gotten in the past. It was cool that everyone no matter the background wanted change and although there is a lot of work to be done still and there probably will be for a while, I feel the protests are the start to change and the start of something special in American History.

    3. I agreed with them fully at the time and still do now. I felt like the only way to keep the people safe was the lockdowns, and results showed as during lockdown Covid cases dropped. However once we got out of lockdown, cases went back up which I expected. The one thing I can say looking back was I do not think it was possible to stay in lockdown for a long enough time to prevent cases from going up a lot. However I still think Gouvener Whitmer did a great job handling it and did what she could.

    4. As tough of a year it was, I had a lot of great memories which will last. I met lots of new people who were very close to me now, became a lot closer with some people who were important to me, bettered myself in many ways including mental and physical health among other stuff, and found new things that I enjoy a lot now. Probably my best memory was the start of lockdown from March-May. That was one of the times I was at my happiest as despite all the negatives in the world. School was fully online without zoom and not stressful, and I was doing lots of things that made me happy like playing video games with my friends for hours while staying up late, watching new TV shows, getting healthier in many ways, and lots of other things. Probably my worst memories were the few covid scares I had and having to quarantine for 2 weeks.
39. William Penoza March 18, 2021 at 12:26 am

    1. I don’t know what advice I would give to myself. I know that I would tell myself that the next year was going to be the best and the worst of my life. I would tell myself that the most important thing is to stay motivated. The first two trimesters would be a struggle with my own motivation. I am confident that I would be better off as a student in the third tri. I don’t think, even after a year, if I could find any good advice to give to myself.

    2. My opinion on the Black Lives Matter protests is complicated. I guess that I would have divide the protests and the riots. I think that the message is great. I think that we were showing that, as a nation, we could start to make more steps to rise above racism. I think that the protests were great and showed a fantastic message. I think that the problem comes when people took advantage of the confusion and the mess to execute their twisted idea of fun. It started with blind fury and I think that a few people made some mistakes and it set off a chain reaction. The most publicized story was obviously the wreckage of public land. I think that the more chilling stories were the ones about groups people going after individuals (weather they deserve it or not) with weapons and the intent to hurt or even kill. I read about a police officer who shot and killed a black man and was found not guilty of any charges in court. The story was told as police officer kills young black boy (I don’t remember the exact headline). Not only was the “boy” 26 years old, he was charging the officer with a knife. There were rioters who found him and fired a shotgun into his house. The shotgun was fired into a room with the officer’s <1 year old child in a crib. On top of all of that, the officer was black, the “protester” was white. I think that the shame is that we, as a society, let anyone who said anything (true or not) cause outrage and destruction on our cities. The great message and fantastic goal was outshined by the impulsive rage. We will see the pictures of the riots that show people losing property, houses, and in a few cases, their lives, in the textbooks that we show the next generation. Nobody will see the pictures of protesters, public figures, and even cops trying to work together to make America a better place for everyone no matter their race. I think that is the real shame.

    3. I think that, in the end, Governor Whitmer did a great job dealing with the pandemic in its prime. She was put in a very hard place as a leader of a state. It seemed that her number one priority (keeping her people safe) was near impossible. On one hand, she had to keep the covid numbers down. On the other hand, shutting down business’ would cause the owners to go without pay and in some cases be in serious financial trouble. There are a few things that looking back I would have changed. Being a student athlete I feel the need to say this(the following is from an email I sent to state reps): “School sports play a HUGE roll in the lives of many children across the world. For some kids its all they have, and some others are relying on them for scholarships. As this time goes on I keep hearing about students who hurt themselves, even killing themselves because they cant stand staying off the field or ice any longer. Being a hockey player, I am part of a tight knit community. In the past month I have heard about three suicides related to hockey. It always seems that you know a guy, who knows a guy, who knew said fallen player. It has hit hard every time.” I personally think that Whitmer should have let us play sports earlier than she did. All in all, she has done a vey good job keeping us all safe and I would be willing to bet that she gets re-elected next time she is up.
    4. As I said in question one last year was one of the best and one of the worst years of my life. In the beginning of the summer a friend of mine introduced me to her friend group. Now, almost a year later, we are the tightest friend group I’ve ever been a part of. It is almost unnerving how much time we spend together and talking on social media. In fact, one of them has become close enough to get invited to the family football games a thanksgiving and the pond hockey games. My cousins and I love playing with him and I don’t think that would have ever happened if it weren’t for the shutdown. I am extremely close with my cousins because of one man, my grandpa (I am going to use this to Segway into the bad memories). The horrible year of 2020 turned worse for me on November 5th when my grandpa, who played a huge roll in my life, passed away in a freak/horrific accident. My dad and uncle raced up to see my grandma when it happened, this was one day after I was exposed to COVID-19. My entire family (minus maddy who was living in Minnesota for school) had COVID. I remember sitting in my bathtub with the shower on praying that my grandma would make it through COVID without any serious complications. She did, and so did my great aunt, mom, dad, uncle, aunt, and both cousins. We all made it through with maybe a little loss of smell on the other side. We were able to join together as a family for the first time (feeling safe due to our new anti-bodies) at thanksgiving. Through tons of tears and hugs we have become even closer as a family. Long story short my grandpa was a near perfect man who took family seriously, it was his thing. In his life he saw both his sons’ families get along and love each other, and in his death he brought us all 10 times closer together. If you were to just take the good things that happened this year and compare it to other years this would be the best year of my life, but if you did the same with the bad it would be the worst year I will ever have.
40. Dylan Stojanovic March 18, 2021 at 12:40 am

    1. My advice to myself would be take more of an advantage of the free time I had during the lockdown. My quarantine was essentially waking up at 1pm, doing my online work, and then playing video games until 3-4am with little productivity. I wish I took baseball more seriously and had continued to practice during Covid as I feel I would be a lot better player than I am now. I also would’ve told myself to try to keep relationships. I have a group of friends I hang out with on a regular basis, but outside of that a lot of my friends a year ago I haven’t talked to much since and I will need to catch up with them again.

    2. I think the BLM protests were a good thing for America to spread awareness about police brutality and racial injustice. I think the more important part of the whole BLM movement was to spread awareness and I think it did that goal even if to some it was a negative. For me personally I had a much better understanding after the movement grew in the spring and summer months. There are some negatives I believe that sprouted from BLM, such as the riots that happened across the country after the murder of George Floyd and overall how much tension the left and right were but I would put it more on the president for how he handled the situations. Overall though, I think BLM will be looked back as one of the pivotal moments for racial equality.

    3. Despite many trashing governor Whitmer I think she did a fine job. When Michigan was becoming a hot spot for Covid, Whitmer did a great job and Michigan fell from top 5 in the country in cases to barely top 20. I disagreed with how states like Texas and Florida rushed to open back up and looking at how their cases went through the roof it seems like Whitmer handled it the best way possible. To be frank, Covid wasn’t going to go away until there was a vaccine. Whitmer did the best she could to keep as many people alive as possible and I condemn her for that.

    4.My best memories were way back in deep quarantine how different things were. I watched a show called Outer Banks in one night and went to bed a 7am. I would play on Xbox with my friends 24/7. Quarantine got me so crazy that I had a phase where I was signing non-stop when I’ve never been a singer in my life. The freedom that we had during this time was amazing and while I would never want to do it again, that period of time will always have a space in my heart. The bad memories came more after the first lockdown ended. During the lockdown, having no sports left a mark considering how big of a fan I am of the MLB. However, the worst memories was after May/June when it seemed like every day was a blur and doing the same things at home all day were boring. Things picked up more in the summer, but the months of May, June, and July were all one blur.
41. Chelsea Wallington March 18, 2021 at 2:22 am

    If I could give myself some school advice a year ago, I would tell myself not to worry about anything because I got all of my hard classes out of the way, and I mainly had electives. When I first learned that school was closing down, I didn’t really care as much because my life does not revolve around school or school sports. When dance closed down, I was devastated because I did not want to be at home all of the time. I think I would tell myself that dance is going to get so much better. I was able to improve so much by doing 6 classes a week during quarantine and 7 classes a week plus camp classes over the summer. I think the best advice I could give myself right now is to just manage my time better and to just keep pushing through the end of the year because it is almost over.

    I think that the death of George Floyd sparked the conversation about racism. I think it kind of led to a turning point in acknowledging all racism. It also led to people of all races sharing their experiences, and it sort of united people together. For myself, I know that my eyes were opened to many racist things that have been normalized. For example, Uncle Ben’s rice and Aunt Jemima’s syrup. I honestly never paid attention to these things because I have been sheltered from these things. When it was announced that they were going to change these brands and completely erase them, I was very unbothered by it. I didn’t really care. The death of George Floyd led to people showcasing their racism, and that was harder to deal with. It is hard knowing that people are going to have these negative feelings over you based on something you couldn’t control. During this time on TikTok, you saw the black community start to divide. There would be discussions about micro-aggressions that were faced, and if you had lighter skin, your feelings were invalidated because you were always favored. I think that everything that happened really opened my eyes to the world. It is still hard to process everything.

    At first, the stay-at-home orders weren’t bad. I decided to look at it as a break from school. I think the only thing that really got me through quarantine was dance. When the weather started to get warmer, it did get harder. I missed old summer traditions like being able to go to the pool, hang out with friends, or going to the movie theatre. Overall, quarantine was not hard for me like it was for others because I am not that social due to dance and my personality. I think that we saw how selfish people can be by not wearing masks and going out. I understand that sometimes you just need to leave your house to get out, but, weirdly, people chose to go over to each other’s houses.

    I think the best thing this year was dancing in the summer and the regular season. Even though we went virtual, I was able to form new relationships with teachers and improve. I had so much fun doing summer intensives, and I will always cherish everything that happened in dance this past year. I think the worst things were school and being with my family. I think quarantining with your family can either build up or break down your relationship with them. If I am being honest it is so hard being at home and dealing with my family, but it has taught me how to find comfort and dependability within myself. I think the hardest thing is school. School for me is really demanding with dancing 11+ hours a week, especially since it is going to increase. I am suffering from a lot of burnout and a lack of motivation. I just feel like so much is expected from everyone, and there should be some sort of leniency on students, teachers, and everyone who is working.
42. Colin Keane March 18, 2021 at 5:54 am

    1. There’s a lot of things that I would like to tell my March 11 2020 self. First off would be not to get your hopes up about the coronavirus. I would say the government will keep delaying stuff for quite some time, and this probably will not be totally over by the end of 2021. Another piece of advice for myself in quarantine is go outside. I went outside a pretty fair amount during quarantine to play sports or just have fun but, I should be spending way more time outside. I would also tell myself to find a way to focus for online school. This will be super helpful for all of tri one and the start of tri 2. I could also tell myself to get on the teacher’s good sides and give my younger self some pointers / tips on how to do so. I would also like to tell myself to put more effort into your school work. I didn’t really try as hard as I could. But I should have really buckled down and tried to maybe study from time to time, and not to half ass some of my homework. This is because I was home pretty much a lot of the time and I should have put way more of my time and effort into school. I would like to tell myself to workout. Don’t sit on ur butt all day, have some fun and lose that quarantine weight :). Lastly, just try to keep in touch with all your friends. Don’t start drifting away because you didnt talk to them.
    2. Don’t get the wrong pointers here but at the start of all the BLM protests I thought they were an over exaggeration because I thought the black community had the same rights and were all treated equally. But this quarantine and school year opened up my eyes to all of the terrible things that are still happening with racism. Now I do support the BLM, but I do think that you can cut the police a little slack, some of these incidents were accidents and the cop must also feel really bad. Also yes I do believe that many products were using racist names and mascots including aunt jemima and the Washington Redskins NFL team. I do realise that all these things are bad but did you have to go as far to cancel a lot of them. Like one day they canceled a whole childrens TV show because they had a police dog in it. I feel like they went a little too far but I do understand where they are coming from.
    3. You know as much as I hated it I think it was the right call. This helped not spread the corona virus and I would say that it was kind of worth those painful months. Also if you are thinking that this was not the right call because the corona virus spread everywhere, but this toned down the virus a lot, I think. I was never really that mad at the governor because deep down in my heart I knew it was the right call and that she’s just trying to protect us.
    4. My best memories would probably be all the fun nights and days I had with all my friends during this past quarantine. Luckily after a little bit of my mom freaking out, she finally let me hang out with my friends in person (I have one tight friend group that did not wear masks inside, but we knew each other were safe and none of us went into public). My worst memories were probably of me sitting in my bed feeling lonely during quarantine.
43. Lindsey DeGrendel March 18, 2021 at 7:23 am

    1. Advice to myself would be to stay calm because we’re not in a zombie apocalypse. Although, it sure felt like it at times. In the beginning, around March 12th, my family bought a whole extra pantry worth of groceries and huge packs of water just in case the grocery stores closed. The thought of potentially having a limited food supply was horrifying and only seemed like something you’d see in a movie. Not only this but every time we got our food we’d disinfect every item and even use bleach to clean off some products. I wish I could have just told myself, the virus doesn’t commonly spread through objects! This would have relieved so much worrying, concern, and hassle. Another thing I wish I told myself was to be unbiased towards the media. Initially, I got all my covid updates/information from the mainstream news and social media, like Instagram. After my dad began to do some deeper digging, he found many other opinions on the virus. Although I don’t typically agree with these alternate media ideas, I give myself credit for being able to listen to someone else’s opinion whether it be right or wrong. Without becoming more open-minded, they’re so many interesting opinions I would have never considered.

    2. I believe the BLM protests have been beneficial in bringing awareness to the racial inequality within our country. Before BLM became publicized by the media, I didn’t know what the movement was, even though it began around 2013. It has opened my eyes to injustices black lives face on a day-to-day basis. Although some protests turned unnecessary violent due to excessive police force, I think the protests got their message across – that black lives aren’t treated equally, and it’s time for a change! A quote I’ve heard depicts the movement well is, “the alarm for racial inequality has been going off for years but America has been hitting snooze.” Last year, we finally decided to wake up, and face the reality that we need to see a difference in the way black lives are treated.

    3. Honestly, all the lockdowns are kind of jumbled together in my mind, I don’t remember the lockdowns separately but I know I don’t like them! Lockdowns are beneficial for decreasing the spread of the coronavirus, however, they are no fun. March through April I had a difficult time dealing with the lockdowns and being isolated so much, I didn’t enjoy being by myself. I wish we had known that we can still live our normal lives while still limiting the spread. We now know that we can go to school, play sports, go to the movies, and go shopping all while in a pandemic. It’s completely up to you whether you think it’s safe to use these amenities but I’m just happy the option is there. Lockdowns have proven effective in lowering cases but I think in the last year, we’ve spent too much time locked away and could have returned to a state of normalcy much sooner.

    4. One of my favorite memories is hugging my best friend for the first time after not being able to touch her for over three months, and socially distanced hanging out with all my friends at the park after not seeing them in person for what seemed like ages! Another is going to my grandparent’s house and playing outside in their back yard after my family hadn’t seen them for nearly a year. My worst memory was watching my mom suffer through Covid. She was considered a “long hauler” and was sick for nearly three whole months. Even after the virus was gone, she wasn’t the same. Her energy was always low, she was very tired and weak and couldn’t go out for more than 30 minutes at a time without needing a nap. I hated seeing her in that condition but I’m so glad to say that she’s made a full recovery. She’s back to the cheerful, energetic, loving mother she used to be.
44. Milan Tillman March 18, 2021 at 8:11 am

    1.If I could go back to March 11, 2020 I would tell myself not to waste the time that world was shut down. The amount of school that we had compared to the rest of the year was close to nothing, and I didn’t take advantage of finding a new hobby or reaching a goal. I would also tell myself that we would not be going back to school again for the rest of the school year, so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. I would also tell myself to try to stay in contact with my friends during quarantine, because I haven’t seen most of them since last spring. Lastly, I would tell myself to learn a skill that could help me in the future like investing in the stock market or learning how to do taxes.

    2.When I first heard about the death of George Floyd, I was numb but also extremely angry. I felt that situations with police brutality had been undermined for so long and there was no voice for POC. I feel like since more people were at home, the situation got a lot more attention than it usually would have. I feel like his death was the breaking point and people decided like we finally needed to make change in America. I was very happy when the protests started and companies started to change their policies because it showed that there was hope that change was to come. It was also really comforting to see that people all over the world were protesting as well, because it showed that systemic racism was no longer swept under the rug.

    3.I thought governor Whitmer’s stay at home order last spring was very necessary. It lowered the cases and allowed the state to open up a little bit during the summer. I like being home because before the lockdown, I was mentally drained and my schedule was always busy. I also got to spend more time with my family, because we used to all have packed schedules. I did start to get bored during quarantine, I felt like there was a lot more freedom with school being reduced. The lockdown in the fall was a little bit harder for me because things had already started to open up and I was kind of getting back to normal life, but I feel like it was completely necessary to make it possible for schools to open back up.

    4.My best memories of this year was taking bike rides with my family once I got warm and doing drive-by birthdays for my friends. The warm weather made quarantine 100 percent better, and going outside kept me from getting bored so much. My worst memories from the past year were losing contact with most of my friends and having a corona scare earlier this year.
45. Alex Koellner March 18, 2021 at 11:00 am

    1. If I could go back and give myself any advice it would be to spend as much time possible with family and friends because what I once took for granted is now a rare occurrence. After the start of COVID many family and friends of mine were unable to meet up anymore so I lost contact with many of them. I wish I could have spent more time with these people before I wasn’t able to see them for a very long time.
    2. I think that the BLM protests were good because they called for change and reform to many issues, however, I disagree with the riots that sprouted from a few of the protests. BLM worked to get justice for the terrible things that happened to George Floyd and others who were victims of corrupt police officers. Some changes were seen as a result of the protests and call for justice but some were not. Overall, I think that the peaceful protests from BLM helped to bring good change to America but I disagree with the few riots that sprouted from them.
    3. I think that Governor Whitmer’s stay at home order during the spring was good because she followed along with every other state in shutting down to try and stop the spread of COVID. This was mostly effective but the extent of it was a bit too far compared to the amount of cases and the release of this order from most other states. I disliked the second stay at home during the fall because the numbers weren’t showing the necessity of it, however, it did do its job and reduced the case numbers yet again. But this lasted too long and many citizens were outraged with the second order.
    4. My best memory from this past year was probably spending time with my family in Indiana at Thanksgiving. After the start of COVID I wasn’t able to see a lot of my extended family that live in Indiana but I was able to see them at Thanksgiving and have a nice meal to celebrate the holiday. This was nice because it was one of the few times I was able to see most of my family and it was good to catch up and make sure everyone was doing good. The worst thing from this past year was going into lockdown twice even though it was still enjoyable to stay home and play video games with friends, I was unable to see a lot of my friends in person. This was upsetting because I was rather bored after being in lockdown for more than a month and it felt weird to not see a lot of people like I was used to.
46. Kyle Konopka March 18, 2021 at 11:32 am

    If I could go back to March 11, 2020 I’d tell myself to follow my schedule and do my school work during the times that I would be in those times. I didn’t do that so it caused me a lot of unnecessary stress and I struggled with some of that.

    I fully supported the Black Lives Matter protests. Racism, specifically systemic racism, has been an issue in America since its founding.

    I believe that the stay at home order was a good decision. It was unpopular with a lot of people, but it was to protect the people. The data has shown that every time we open things back up, Corona cases also go up.

    Some of my best memories are of my bike rides around the area. I went on a lot of rides to calm my mind and I saw a lot of pretty things. I went on to Cranbrook’s campus a number of times and saw all the beautiful trails and houses. My worst memories are some of my deeper depressive episodes. I’ve always struggled with depression, but it has gotten much worse lately due to the isolation of quarantine.
47. Ted Little March 18, 2021 at 9:04 pm

    1. If I could give myself advice on March 11th, 2020, it would be to soak up and information and work towards any goal or passion that you have, because we have plenty of time. During covid you could come out of it stronger or drained. I feel like I got a lot out of it because I started working out, but at the same time I could’ve achieved some greater things because of how much time I had. Going into covid i thought “oh we’ll only be out for a few weeks, see you guys in april”. But that obviously didn’t happen, and if my mindset was the same as it is now I could’ve done a lot of things better. Hypothetically speaking I would obviously tell myself which stocks blew up, which sports bets to make, etc.
    2. Initially I fully supported every BLM protest and everything that was happening to promote equality, but as the year went on I learned more things and it changed my perspective a little bit. What sparked this was when the riots started happening and people were still fully supporting the Black Lives Matter organization I asked myself “am I being blind to what’s going on behind the scenes?” So I did some research and I found that I don’t support the Black Lives Matter organization, because the money that they’ve made isn’t going into black communities. Speaking up for justice and equality through protest is something I can support, but I doubt that the motives are there and people really don’t know what’s happening.
    3. In the spring obviously the stay at home orders were very new to me. I was trying to find out what’s happening with covid basically everyday. The cases were rising, and then time went on and it wasn’t going away so I realized we’re in this for the long haul. By the time fall came around I had regained some hope because covid wasn’t so bad around september. The lockdown was over, people were getting out more and I felt when people would say “when the weather gets cold we’re going to have a second wave” that it was just pessimistic and irrational. Then the 2nd stay at home order came in and I was frustrated because I wanted to go back to school and have everything normal again, but that just wasn’t the case. Covid cases were rising and I felt like we hadn’t made any progress.
    4. My best memories were being able to play fall ball at groves and having some people stay at my house for a few weeks during the summer. At my best it felt like everything was gonna be alright and life was great regardless of covid. My worst memories were hearing about family and friends getting sick and dying and all the setbacks we went through during the year. Sometimes I would think “will covid ever be over?” “is this how the rest of life will be like?” “will i get the experiences that people before me got” and it’s scary to think about those things.
48. Kyle Konopka March 21, 2021 at 9:51 pm

    If I could go back to March 11, 2020 I’d tell myself to follow my schedule and do my school work during the times that I would be in those times. I didn’t do that so it caused me a lot of unnecessary stress and I struggled with some of that. I’d also warn myself about how long the quarantine would be in effect. Even now I still have no idea how long I’m going to be stuck like this, but maybe I’d be able to prepare mentally a bit better.

    I fully supported the Black Lives Matter protests. Racism, specifically systemic racism, has been an issue in America since its founding. I had known about these sorts of things happening earlier but I never knew what to do about it because it wasn’t something that I could do alone. With the movement it felt like there finally was something. Like even though I’m just one tiny person I’m part of a much bigger group.

    I believe that the stay at home order was a good decision. It was unpopular with a lot of people, but it was to protect the people. The data has shown that every time we open things back up, Corona cases also go up. In the spring I was more excited and felt like it was an extra vacation and that school was essentially ending early. In the fall I was just tired of it. I still knew that it was a good idea, but selfishly I wanted it to be over. Even right now I still feel that way. I’m sort of torn between the two ideas so I don’t know what my true opinion is on the matter.

    Some of my best memories are of my bike rides around the area. I went on a lot of rides to calm my mind and I saw a lot of pretty things. I went on to Cranbrook’s campus a number of times and saw all the beautiful trails and houses. My worst memories are some of my deeper depressive episodes. I’ve always struggled with depression, but it has gotten much worse lately due to the isolation of quarantine. I feel like I have been stuck inside for so long. I just want things to go back to normal so I can hang out with friends and whatnot. I miss being able to spend time with people that I like and being able to relax.
49. Brandon Counts March 23, 2021 at 10:12 pm

    1. If I was able to go back in time and give myself some advice I would say don’t expect to have any fun for a while. When we were put in I was bored every single day because every day felt the exact same. I genuinely don’t think I was legitimately happy until me and my family went on summer vacation. I would also tell myself to keep a consistent sleep schedule because there was probably a week where I literally stayed up until 10 o’clock in the morning every day.
    2. I was disgusted about what happened to George Floyd and seeing what happened to him on video made my blood boil. The only positive that came out of that horrible tragedy was that it helped open up the eyes of those who are ignorant about police brutality, especially against black people. I’m happy that things like systemic racism and just racism as a whole are now being addressed and taken much more seriously. I also have no problem with the changes that were made because of how influential the movement is.
    3. I completely agree with the stay-at-home order in the Spring because Covid-19 cases in Michigan were rising and the safest thing for everyone to do was to simply just stay home. The stay-at-home order in the fall was a lot more controversial because many people were ready to go outside a lot more and try to get things back to normal. Although I think we were all a little upset over the order at the time, looking back on it that was definitely the correct call to make you consider that even right now the Covid-19 cases in Michigan are pretty bad so imagine what would happen if we didn’t get that stay-at-home order in fall.
    4. My best memory over the past year was probably summer vacation because it let me relax a little rather than constantly worrying about the virus. Summer vacation also helped me get my life back on track because it made me feel much more energized so I could be more productive with my time. My worst memory is by far the first month of quarantine because I was very paranoid about Covid-19 and it was just overall very stressful to deal with. The isolation also made me feel very lonely and completely exhausted, there were points in time where I really didn’t want to do anything besides sleep.
50. Elizabeth Culbertson March 25, 2021 at 6:20 pm

    Question 1 – If I could go back to a year ago, I would tell myself that my life will change – very fast. Honestly, the stay at home order didn’t shock me too much, I was actually excited to stay at home from school. I remember vividly wanting to skip school on the 13th because it was the due date to turn in my festival dress for Concert Band, and it was at my dad’s instead of my mom’s. I woke up to a cancellation of school for the next week, and I was already hitting up all of my friends to hang out. God, what a time. I was getting out of a rough period in my life on the 11th, crying a lot during school, and just kind of sad about what was going on in my personal life. I remember thinking third trimester would be better for me, and softball was gearing up. I would give myself the advice to not be super disappointed in things getting cancelled. Life sucked to be honest – I had such high hopes for third trimester, but it was shot down so many times. Also, I would tell myself to spend time with my sister and my family more, and open yourself up to your friends, but don’t be super annoying about it. The summer will be super fun, you’re gonna have a great time. Just be open to trying new things and not getting caught up in petty things.

    Question 2 – I feel like the BLM protests were a buildup of so many racially motivated killings and police attacks, but the case of George Floyd really shocked many people. I would cite that it’s due to the heartbreaking video released to the public of the police officer keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck for way too long to be deemed appropriate. I remember when I first saw it, I started tearing up because I hadn’t really been exposed to that kind of material before. Right away, I was posting about awareness of the event and links to sites you could donate to and petitions you could sign, but it’s the bare minimum. This prompt is also making me think about the Grace situation within the BPS community. I was up north, and I was so sad about it, because 1. I know the girl and 2. it really hit home with it being in my school district. Kim Kardashian posting about it solidified the idea that things were changing, and I’m glad they did. The fight is not over yet though – things still NEED to change, things are still not okay, but I’m glad more people are aware of these issues and hopefully we can keep fighting for a better future.

    Question 3 – I was honestly a fan of Whitmer at first. Looking back, I thought it was definitely the right move to shut things down until around mid-June, however, the false hope she kept insinuating really impacted my mental health permanently. I can vivdly recall sitting on my phone in May, being excited to be slightly opened up, only to wake up to another shutdown and more extensions. I like the measures Whitmer has implemented, I think most of them have been pretty effective in comparison to some other states. However, I find that many of these measures can also be contradictory – where I could’ve gone to a crowded mall when half of the people are not wearing masks, but I couldn’t have gone to a hockey practice or game with 10-20 people socially distanced, masked up, all over the ice. Now that COVID cases are increasing again, I think that we need to shut certain things down once again, or maybe see if the vaccinations and new testing programs can calm down the new spread of variants. It’s honestly scary, but sometimes I like Whitmer, but sometimes I don’t. And that’s not based off of my personal experiences with sports and schools. It’s either too fully shut down, making the people unhappy, or it’s not shut down enough, making the people happy, but cases rise.

    Question 4 – My best memories from this year definitely came from summer. I was out on my bike, in the sun and people’s backyards, more than I was inside of my own house. Biking everywhere with friends made lifelong bonds that I intend to keep for the rest of my life. So many vivid moments, laughs, cries, and painful sunburns made me the happiest person alive. It makes me even more excited for this summer, where I’ll hopefully be able to drive sooner than later. The worst part of my year was honestly this past trimester. My mental health was at an all time low, and hockey was extremely stressful on me. When you play goalie, you can feel all alone in your position because there’s nobody else who really understands how tough it is to brush things off. I’m the type of person who gets disappointed in myself really easily, so combining that with an average of 4 games a week and practices every other day made me tired and unmotivated. Also, my schoolwork began to get behind on schedule, which sounds ironic as I’m turning this assignment in a week late, but I’m always working to improve myself 🙂 I’m glad things have been a lot better, and I’m so excited for this trimester. Thank you for allowing me to reflect on this past year, it’s been a rollercoaster to say the absolute least.