The postponement of events

COVID-19 has impacted the lives of people all over the world, and Westminster students and faculty are no exception. The need for social distancing has resulted in the cancellation and postponement of several school events this spring. This decision has affected the seniors more than others at school. The seniors do not get to participate in the final activities they had been looking forward to, such as senior spirit week and the final countdown. Prom, baccalaureate, and graduation have been rescheduled to July 30 to Aug. 1. Freshmen were never given the opportunity to experience their first PDC. It was initially postponed to May 3, but the organizers eventually made the decision to cancel it entirely. 

Spring sports were not given a proper end to their season. The crew team did not get to experience a regatta this year. They were never given the chance to view the results from all of the hard work they had been putting in since the beginning of January. The school play, Macbeth, will no longer be performed. The actors and actresses did not get to show off the production they had been working on for months. None of the high school students got to experience Field Day, something that they all have been looking forward to since the beginning of the year. Freshmen had been hearing about how amazing high school field day is, and they could not wait to experience it for themselves. Of course, this change in events hasn’t only affected the faculty and students at Westminster. 

People all around the world are having to adapt to this new way of life. The 2020 Summer Olympics were initially set to happen in Tokyo, Japan, this year, from July 24 to August 9. However, due to the severity of the Covid-19 outbreak, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), decided that it would be best to postpone this year’s games to a safer time. They are hoping that the situation will improve and that Tokyo will be able to host the Olympics from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The leaders of the Olympics believe that the games stand as a ray of hope during these trying times. The Olympic flame could be the light at the end of the tunnel that the world will eventually see. It was agreed that they would keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. 

According to senior and student body co-chair Elizabeth Carter, after numerous meetings with the administration, it has been promised that the seniors will get a graduation at some point. It depends on when it is safe for large groups of people to gather.

“This time period seems like a negative right now,” said Carter, “but hopefully it can turn into a positive if we reach out to our communities and get closer through these hard times.”

Westminster actors and actresses may not be able to perform Macbeth in person, but that won’t stop them from finding another way to showcase their talent and hard work. They will be creating a virtual video project, where everyone films themselves doing scenes, and at the end, compile it to make a movie. Ninth-grade Macbeth actress Emma Foley is disappointed about not being able to participate in Field Day and not being able to attend her freshmen PDC. 

“I feel pretty sad, but I know that people are trying their best to make up for it and do things in place of what was planned,” said Foley. “I really appreciate that, especially with Macbeth. I know that they are working really hard to make this video project, and I think that it is really cool.”

Senior Kunal Poddar has been looking forward to graduation and the other perks of being a senior since he was a little kid. For him, it’s been tough not being able to finish off his senior year the traditional way.

“It feels terrible. I’ve waited since sixth grade for this,” said Poddar. “I walked by the Mudslide when I was in sixth grade. I really wanted to be a part of it, and now I just can’t. I feel bad about it, but I know that it is necessary.” 

Poddar believes that one of the long term consequences of this outbreak will be that people will practice better overall hygiene. Right now, proper handwashing and practicing good hygiene is important to keep the infection from spreading. People all over the world will need to continue to adopt improved hygiene practices to prevent another pandemic.

The season of spring sports has been cut for all Westminster athletes. The crew team didn’t get to attend a single regatta. Their first regatta was going to be the weekend right after the school switched to virtual learning. Their season started at the beginning of January, earlier than most other spring sports. The team worked extra hard to do well and show off their skills at the regattas, but they were never given the chance to do so. Ninth-grader Allie Stamps is unhappy that she won’t be able to complete the season. 

“I won’t be able to hang out with my teammates anymore or bond with them,” said Stamps. “The group of people is just really great. The time that we did have together was super fun.” 

It was disappointing to Stamps that she and her teammates weren’t able to achieve the full rowing experience. They never got to compete against other athletes, so the overall rowing experience this year feels incomplete. However, the team is trying to stay in touch and reflect on the short season that they did have. Doing this makes it feel like they have a sense of closure and not as though the season ended so abruptly.

The Westminster community is doing all that they can to help students transition to this new way of life and learning. The faculty have been innovating and adapting to virtual classrooms, attempting to make the transition seamless and accessible to all students. Even though the loss of traditional events and an unprecedented way of learning may seem challenging, the consensus of students and teachers alike is that if we stay connected with one another, we will get through the COVID-19 crisis together.