This past year we have faced many challenges concerning daily life and education. Despite it all, we have overcome the obstacles we have faced. Students have adapted to learning through online platforms and are now able to safely go to school face-to-face, while keeping up with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Covid-19 guidelines by wearing face masks. 

Face masks allow us to live our lives while keeping those around us safe, but it is still a new challenge that schools, students, and teachers have never faced before. Together, we have endured long hours in masks and have different opinions on how masks have affected our lives from communication to our own comfort.

Masks have become a way that students can express themselves through different fabrics and colors, but sometimes it is too much and overwhelming for some of them. Many people think masks are made to hide your face when really you can use a mask to express yourself in many ways. 

“Masks can become irritating and are hard to breathe in,” says sixth grader Elise Armbrister. “My favorite masks to wear are the fabric and colorful ones.”

Many companies and businesses have been working to create masks that are effective and fun. Masks can become irritating after a long school day, which causes agony for some people, but it is worth the hassle. Various amounts of students also believe that it has become a simple task that has barely affected their lives. 

“I feel very positively about masks,” says eighth grader Agustin Regatky. “You honestly don’t notice after using it for a while. My favorite mask is the plain black one that I use every day.”

The past year has changed our lives in a way that will never be like before, but our staff and students have kept their spirits high while dealing with this new routine. 2020 surprised us with this pandemic and presented us with many obstacles that we had to overcome. Through it all we have done our best to stay safe and positive along the ride that we call Covid. At the end of the day, our school has shown that we can conquer any impediment that comes our way.

“I feel natural about masks and it has affected me by securing my safety because of Covid,” states seventh grader Jeronimo Diaz Fayad. “My favorite masks are the disposable surgery masks.”