Impact of coronavirus on students

Closing schools does a lot in flattening the curve. A 2006 Nature study modeling an influenza outbreak found that closing schools can reduce the peak attack rate by up to 40%. 

Scientists from around the world have contributed to research to find the two factors that they typically examine during a pandemic: the reproduction number (number of people a person with a virus infects) and the series interval (time between one person developing symptoms and another person getting the virus). Authors of the study estimated that the series interval for the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is around four days, which makes it harder to contain and control outbreaks. Social distancing measures should be taken much more seriously. School closures should have been done much earlier. Although most of us who are younger would likely survive from such virus, it is so easy for us to transmit to so many other vulnerable people including teachers, parents, grandparents and the immunosuppressed. 

A big problem occurs when schools are closed for those who rely on public institutions for food and safety. Nearly 6 out of 10 California students depend on schools for meals. The district has been largely successful in providing food for those who need it. When programs such as these are put in place by the state government, it ensures that kids are staying healthy and not going hungry. 

Now that schools have shifted to an online learning system, it is evident that the amount of traditional academic learning being done has decreased.  

The College Board, the institution known to take over much of students’ academic lives, has also recently shifted its plans drastically. For one, they suddenly removed the March and May session of the SAT in centers worldwide. AP (advanced placement) exams, which 5.1 million high schoolers take to receive college credit, have shrunk from the usual three-hour exam to a mere 45-minute free response exam, which is now online, to follow the patterns of social distancing. Among students, it has brought about serious concerns over cheating and questions of whether such credit could actually transfer to universities. 

Extracurricular programs have also taken a hard hit. So many activities have been canceled and, while some of my peers are disrespecting the social distancing order by attending parties and going to the beach, most of us have been spending the time inside. For high schoolers in robotics, some teams (including mine) with access to a 3D printer are using their nerd skills to an advantage and have been contributing to a project to print out face shields for doctors in an effort to alleviate the shortages in the front line of this pandemic.

Although there are sacrifices that students have to make during this time, social distancing is the right thing to do during times like these. All of these small things we worry about don’t matter so much when each and everyone of our lives is what is important. There is always time for the college credit and the extracurriculars later down the road but, once a life is taken, it cannot return. 

With more free time open, I believe we can all take this as a time to explore interests that can be explored further while practicing social distancing. Usually, our lives are overloaded with running around from school to one extracurricular to the next. A cut to our academic lives doesn’t mean that we stop learning, and bit by bit I’ve been taking the time to learn more about myself and exploring my interests. 

Thanks to technology, pandemic moments like these have greatly improved. With video call platforms such as FaceTime, Google Hangouts and Zoom, we are still able to connect with friends and family without having to go outside. School and work can still be in session for many. Amazon and food delivery services still eases our ability to buy necessary grocery items. Health developments are expedited as scientists worldwide strive to create a new vaccine. Let’s hope this moment passes by quickly — we can all get through this together. 

Erika Pilpre is a junior at Aragon High School in San Mateo. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.