COVID-19 has made our world seem far from normal. People have work from home, K-12 students are doing their schooling from home, and colleges are sending students home early. In the news, COVID-19 takes up the majority of the news cycle, but during all this madness some people are finding ways to stay positive and entertaining.
Sophomore Emery Cleveland has been quarantined in her home with her mother and younger sister. Cleveland and her family do many things to stay busy and pass the time.
“Saboteur is my favorite game that we have ordered so far. Besides that, I’ve been crocheting and making candles,” said Cleveland. “My family has ordered a lot of board games and card games off of Amazon,”
Playing board games is just one way she spends her time. She is also busy cooking. “I have been cooking a lot more and I’ve been trying to cook things I normally wouldn’t cook.” said Cleveland, “Like the other day, I made fried chicken.”
Some other foods she has made are cake, bacon, and butter noodles. She feels inspired to try new things she didn’t think she could do.
“I think my family likes it when I cook different things,” said Cleveland. “ It gives them something to snack on.”
Someone else who has noticed some good change is Mr. Jim Wojtas, father of sophomore Hailey Wojtas. Jim has started working at home due to COVID-19’s conditions.

“Not that dinner time hasn’t always been kind of a special time for family time, but I’ve noticed as a family we talk a lot more about what we’re going to do for each meal and what we’re going to make,” said Mr. Wojtas, “It’s a time that we all get together and talk about things whether it’s how bored we all are with having to stay home because of coronavirus or other things that are going on.”
He also passes the time by getting outside as much as he can when he is not working or spending time with his family. Doing yard-work and taking long walks are a couple of Wojtas’s favorite outdoor activities at the moment.
Due to COVID-19, many things seem abnormal in everyday life. Our new normal is something that not many people have experienced before. Lives have changed due to the virus, but it helps to focus on the good and to be grateful for the things we do have.