The County Chronicle

The online newspaper of Loudoun County High School

Jun
10

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Life returning to normal? Shops begin to open with fewer restrictions

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: ,

Lorenzo Salas | staff writer

A couple enjoys their dinner after a year of quarantine. Downtown Leesburg closed roads on Friday evenings to facilitate outdoor dining during the pandemic. Photo: Lorenzo Salas

With the 2020 pandemic, businesses like stores and restaurants were greatly affected by the lack of customers and the general lifelessness of shopping areas. Governor’s orders and local restrictions changed over the course of the pandemic, impacting businesses’ ability to attract customers. Now that people are getting vaccinated and statewide restrictions are being lifted, it’s becoming safer for people to return to shopping.

With life slowly returning to normalcy, some local businesses are reopening up stores and allowing more customers inside without masks for those who have been vaccinated.

“I am very happy with restaurants opening back up and I think we as Americans should be ready to move on from this,” said Paul Zangos, owner of Tarbenders in downtown Leesburg.

Tarbenders with doors open ready to bring in customers after a year of hibernation. Photo: Lorenzo Salas

“My idea for the place was to create a speakeasy that in the front looked like a bagel shop was a bar. I really liked the speakeasy and roaring 20s aesthetic,” said Zangos.

The appeal of such a restaurant is in-person dining, something that was not always possible with the pandemic. “I really missed people and having them here to throw events and parties,” Zangos said. “Business was also really bad and this was the toughest year for my business.”

With COVID, some towns have been really torn on the pandemic due to people not being able to interact and host events.

“I think the town has done a really great job though with precautions.” Zangos was referring to Virginas guidelines with COVID for example with Phase one opening in which only 10 people were allowed for in person dining and they could allow outdoor dining at 50% capacity. As the months went on the government slowly eased up on these restrictions.

Not all businesses were impacted equally. Lauren King, a worker at the Sunflower Shack which is a gift shop that sells a variety of food and trinkets, said “We never closed down once and our store was still pretty busy because of online orders,” King said. “We are really happy that stores are opening back up as we missed the people who came into our shop,” King said.

Patron Giana Ferraiolo, a LCHS graduate, enjoying a nice meal at local restaurant SHOES. Photo: Lorenzo Salas

With the pandemic ending it is nice for shops to have their vitality back and their people in stores shopping. It’s been so nice that Giana Ferraiolo, a patron of SHOES shared input when interviewed. “During winter break I couldn’t come up with things to do that were Covid safe.” said Ferraiolo. “I really took hanging out with people for granted.” Ferraiolo also showed some concern about the sudden reopening of stores. “I believe more restaurants should require masks.” Said Ferraiolo .”I think it’s time to open up more. If we can do it safely then we definitely should.” Whatever the future holds one thing is for sure, people are excited to go back to normal.

Apr
22

By

Carr signs book contract

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: , ,

Jevote Herron | Staff Writer

A headshot photo of Karen Carr that was taken February 2020 at Clear Brook Park in Winchester, Virginia.

Algebra teacher Karen Carr is publishing a book called “Allegheny Front” on July 6.

Carr has been writing her whole life but started taking it seriously not so long ago. She didn’t plan on creating a novel, but the idea seemed to take on a life of its own.

“I was intrigued by the idea of, how well could you really get to know somebody if you knew they were hiding their identity?,” Carr said. Her question turned into is a contemporary romance where two people fall in love while one is trying to hide their true identity.

According to Carr, it was a six-year process of writing this book and finally getting it to the stage to publish, and one of the most challenging parts about being a writer is finding time.

“Between being a full-time teacher and a full-time mom, time is a precious commodity,” Carr said.

“From when I started to the date of publication, it will be a little over six years,” said Carr. For the math teacher, it was a learn-as-you-go situation as she navigated through writing, editing, rewriting, and publishing. It took four years to polish the piece until it was ready to query publishers. Finding a publisher took an additional six months.

As for her interest in writing and her choice to teach math, Carr says she could have taught English instead.

“I actually scored higher in English on my ACT then I did in math, however in late 1990s I was told I would have a much easier time finding a job teaching math,” said Carr, who credits her math background with helping her grammar in English.

“Diagramming sentences is a lot like doing mathematical proofs, so it made the grammatical part of writing very easy for me,” said Carr.

Some advice she gives to people that might want to publish a book: don’t ever fear writing a book because it is something she did and wasted time. “Don’t let fear stand in your way,” Carr said. “I wasted a good year just sitting on the project thinking it would never be good enough.”

Apr
15

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Stephanie Woshner’s painting is selected to be displayed at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: ,

Alexis Shugars | Staff Writer

Art teacher, Stephanie Woshner’s watercolor painting, titled “Grandpap’s Garden”. Woshner’s painting was chosen to be displayed at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.

Loudoun County High School art teacher Stephanie Woshner was chosen by the Shenandoah Art Council this year to have her painting displayed at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester.

Woshner had previously known about Artscape, Baltimore’s largest annual arts festival, and has even had former students submit work of their own. Woshner was reminded of the project by a Facebook post. “It was always something that I wanted to enter but never really took advantage of the opportunity for one reason or another,” she explained. “I saw the post and decided that this was the year.”

Woshner admits that the application process for Artscape was “surprisingly easy.” She was required to complete an online form, write an artist statement, send a photo of her piece, and finally pay an entrance fee.

From April 19th to April 24th, Woshner’s watercolor painting will be on display at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester. Following that, the painting will be photographed and printed on a banner. This banner will be hung on a lamppost on the Old Town Walking Mall in downtown Winchester. It will be hung in July, and remain there for a year.

Woshner was very excited to hear the news that her work had been selected. “It has always been on my bucket list,” she said. Although she is thrilled to be accepted, Woshner admits that “I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to try and see what happened,” she said.

The painting titled “Grandpap’s Garden” took about three weeks for Woshner to complete. It was originally completed for a watercolor class she was taking in order to obtain her teaching license recertification. A big inspiration for Woshner’s painting was a picture she had taken a photo of chili peppers growing in her father-in-law’s garden. “The color and light of the peppers in the garden were what drew me to paint it,” said Woshner.

Some other art related activities that Woshner has participated in include paint nights as fundraisers and occasionally being hired to paint a pet or a family member. She says that she’d like to work as a professional artist once she retires from teaching and adds that date is far away. “Right now, my main art media are my students,” said Woshner. ”I mold and shape them into future artists.”

Apr
15

By

Chris Colston on how he became an author

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: ,

Karen Cortes | Managing Editor

Colston poses for his author photo. Part of being an author is self-promotion. Photo courtesy of Chris Colston.

Most people know that Chris Colston is the yearbook adviser and a 9th grade honors teacher for LCHS. What many may not know is that he is an author and has several published sports-related books. He takes pride in them because he worked hard on those books.

Colston started writing when he was 11 years old. “I would write stories about my friends and I in the neighborhood, and our various adventures. I wrote them in longhand and drew pictures to accompany the stories and stapled the pages together. I did it just to make myself laugh,” he said. “And then in junior high school I teamed up with a neighbor to write a teenage mystery book. It was based on the old “Three Investigators” books. We sold them in the cafeteria for whatever money our classmates had on them: A nickel, a dime, fifteen cents, whatever. We printed them on an old-fashioned mimeograph machine. I think we sold about 30 of them.”

He says his goal is just to entertain the reader, and he explained his process before he started writing books. “What I really want to start doing is re-reading what I wrote the day before out loud,” he said. “That will help me find errors and verify the flow of the narrative. That will get me going so I can write the next 500 words.”

Colston said it took him about twenty years to write his first book. “What I really want to start doing is re-reading what I wrote the day before out loud. That will help me find errors and verify the flow of the narrative. That will get me going so I can write the next 500 words.”

As for deadlines, Colston said he sets goals for when he wants something completed. “But if I miss it, I don’t beat myself up about it,” he said. “As long as I do something productive every day, I’m happy.”

Colston has written about five books in his American Sportswriter series, with two published and the other rolling out by June. He has also written a psychological horror/thriller called I Am the Wolfman. It takes place here in Loudoun County, but the book is written for a mature audience. He has also written eight non-fiction books about Virginia Tech football titled “Go Tech Go: The Inside Story Behind Virginia Tech Football.”

Colston shared a word of advice for people who want to become authors. “If you want to be a good writer, you must do two things: Read great writers every day, and write every day. That’s it. It’s that simple. Even if you read for just 15 minutes, do it. And then try to emulate what you read by writing something. Eventually your own voice will emerge.”

Apr
13

By

Behind the Brush: young artist featured in Micro Gallery

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags:

Braydon Kelman | Guest Writer

Caption: Martin’s oil painting “Nirvana Illusion” is on display at the Brambleton Libraries Micro Gallery Exhibit.

Artist Sydney Martin is involved in the art program at Loudoun County High School. To those who know her this is no surprise, as the junior has been creating since sixth grade.

“At first I was obsessed with drawing eyes, and from there, faces,” Martin said.

Martin has been creating since she was 12 and has been making major improvements ever since.

“I first realized Sydney had a ton of potential way back in Art 1, when she drew an amazing pencil portrait of her favorite author,” Stephanie Woshner, Art Teacher and Artist said.

With five years under Marin’s belt she is still having a hard time knowing what theme and style fits her and represents her art best.

According to Woshner, art classes in ninth and tenth grade lean toward representational and realistic, where students are learning technique and developing a style. This year Martin has transitioned into a more surreal, abstract style which I LOVE,” Woshner said. “It is very unique and much her own.”

Woshner, Martin’s art teacher of three years, has seen Martin develop and learn multiple styles and themes. Woshner believes that Martin has a great amount of potential and has been a key factor in developing Marin’s love for art and for her own style.

“I strongly look up to El Greco and David Foster Wallace,” Martin said. “El greco’s dreamy realism has a quality of seamlessness which I hope to obtain one day. David Foster Wallace wrote with the detail I try to include in my paintings, and made familiar topics into deep and chaotic theories that cause the audience to think beyond the surface they are presented with.”

Martin’s passion for art and creativity has led her to think about her plans for the future.

“I have no certain colleges in mind for art, all I know is that a place that happens to be warm year round would help me stay motivated to create my best work.”

Martin hopes to make it big one day as an artist and hopes to be recognized and she wants to be able to sell her work to the world.

“In ten years I see myself making commissioned oil paintings with an atomic level of detail and mastery that I will have absorbed from my years at college majoring in fine arts/ painting!”

Woshner is ecstatic on watching how Martin does these next few years and is excited to make major progress and strives in college to be the best artist she can be.

“She is no longer timid or shy in her work,” Woshner said. “She is making her art for herself and no one else – that is a huge jump for an artist.”

“My goals with art is to develop a voice through my work, one that is perceived through interpretation but heard loudly by whomever the audience may be,” Martin said.

Apr
5

By

Meet Caitlin Robinson, an award-winning guitarist

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags:

Olivia DeWan | staff writer

Award winning guitarist Caitlin Robinson practices in her backyard in June 2019. When getting ready for competitions, Robinson will practice from four to six hours a day.

Many people know how to play an instrument, but few manage to master that instrument. Junior Caitlin Robinson is one of those people.

Robinson has been playing guitar since she was six years old, and it quickly became a huge part of her life.

“My older brother had been playing for a couple of years,” Robinson said. “I saw how much he enjoyed it and wanted to start taking lessons.”

Robinson did just that. She spent hours taking lessons and learning how to play. She even takes guitar as a class at County.

“I played the classical guitar for about ten years,” Robinson said. “The main reason why I liked playing the classical guitar was because there were a lot of opportunities that came with that genre, such as competitors and the State and National ensembles.”

The State and National ensembles represent the top performing high school musicians in the United States. To make one of these ensembles requires months of practice.

With her skills in playing guitar, it was no shock when Robinson made the ensemble. She was the only musician from Loudoun County High School, and she was playing with musicians from Las Vegas, Santa Fe, and a number of other states.

“My favorite competition was the Marlow Guitar Beatty Competition in Washington DC,” Robinson said. “This is an annual competition that I had previously participated in and after over six months of work, I ended up not placing.”

Regardless of her temporary failure, Robinson didn’t let that stop her.

“After that difficult loss, I promised myself that I was going to win next year,” she said. “I started preparing and by the next year I felt ready and confident. I was extremely nervous sitting before the panel of judges and after announcing my name and pieces I had prepared, I began to play my most difficult song.”

In order to prepare for competitions such as the Marlow Guitar Beatty Competition, the musician has to work for several months on a number of different pieces.

“The year before a competition I take a couple of months to choose my pieces and then spend about one to four hours every day for at least six months practicing and memorizing the set of songs,” Robinson explained.

Using that method of preparation, Robinson hoped to place first in the Marlow Guitar Beatty Competition. When playing her first song, she forgot almost half of the piece. Still, she finished her set and walked off stage devastated, for she thought she wouldn’t advance to the next round.

However, the judges informed her that she had passed and would continue on to the next round the following day.

Robinson went on and succeeded in her final performances in the Marlow Guitar Beatty Competition, and was awarded first place in her age group.

“I worked extremely hard and achieved a long term goal I had set for myself,” Robinson said.

In addition to the Marlow Guitar Beatty Competition, Robinson achieved a number of different awards and accomplishments with guitar.

“I was accepted two times into the PAVAN Governor’s School for Guitar, and have won or placed in many competitions such as the Aguado Guitar Competition and Eastern Music Festival Guitar Competition,” Robinson said. “I was also accepted into both the All Virginia Guitar and National Guitar Ensemble for 2020.”

After years of hard work and winning competitions, Robinson decided to switch it up.

“I found that I wanted to play guitar as a way to relieve stress and find enjoyment instead of having to constantly be preparing for and playing at auditions and competitions,” Robinson said. “When I finally realized this, I decided that acoustic guitar would be the best style for me to learn and I have been playing acoustic for the past few months.”

Still, learning guitar came with a few struggles.

“One of the main struggles I faced, and I am sure many other musicians have also, is spending years trying to develop a perfect tone on their instrument,” Robinson said.

Robinson had a number of mentors and friends who helped her overcome these challenges.

“I’ve had several amazing teachers and friends that really poured themselves and their love for guitar into me. My first teacher Patrick Fritz helped me develop key foundational skills that set me up for success in my later years,” Robinson explained. “My most recent teacher, Dr. JB Taylor, taught me that beauty in a performance is not how many of the notes were ‘correct’, but actually how gracefully and effortlessly the notes as a whole were woven together to make music.”

Robinson has collected several treasured memories along her journey with guitar.

“I used to play each week for a retirement home while they were eating dinner,” Robinson said. “Watching the residents with severe dementia or medical issues be able to hum or sing along with one of my songs as I played for them was really a wonderful thing to witness.”

Due to COVID, Robinson was unable to continue to play for the residents at retirement homes. With the extra time on her hands, she was able to focus more on college.

“I would like to attend any of the Virginia schools,” Robinson said. “I really would like to pursue a career in the medical field though I’m not quite sure what job.”

In addition to guitar, Robinson plays field hockey for the varsity team at Loudoun County, enjoys taking her dog on long walks, and she has started powerlifting.

Robinson’s unfailing persistence and hard work has led her to success with guitar, and in life in general.

“The skill in being able to play an instrument well does not lie in the notes,” Robinson said. “But rather how you play them.”

Feb
27

By

Sierra captures love of photography at Brambleton Library

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: ,

Maggie Sheridan | Editor in Chief

Sierra stands among her work at the gallery. Her collection of black and white pictures, Breathing Fresh Air, are displayed on the wall for all visitors to see. Photo courtesy of Isabella Sierra.

Walking into the Brambleton Library felt like a dream. Right in front of her for all passersby to see was her very own photographs, which she worked tirelessly to capture. Work that she was very proud of and immensely happy to share with others.

Junior Isabella Sierra has recently found a passion with photography. This interest started around two years ago and has only been getting stronger and stronger. “After taking photography and film classes at school I realized how much I truly enjoyed it and wanted to keep doing it,” Sierra said.

These classes have urged her to continue to progress and get better. “I love creating and I love working with others, photography lets me do both and also allows me to capture the tiny moments in life that make it beautiful,” Sierra said.

She enjoys doing things the long way and letting the photos develop. “I like to shoot on my digital Canon, but my real passion is using my Pentax to shoot film and developing the images in my darkroom,” Sierra said.

Sierra recently applied to a photography contest through the Brambleton Library Teen center. “My art teacher Mrs. Woshner made me aware of the contest and I decided to go for it,” Sierra said. The application process was quite simple, she just had to complete a form to show her work and a form to include her artist statement.

Her collection was selected by the Librarians and declared one of the winners and was going to be one of few used in the Micro Gallery. It will be up for the entire month of February for people to go observe.

Sierra’s collection is called “Breathing Fresh Air.” “The grey tones of the sand can feel suffocating, while in contrast, the openness of the sky gives you a sense of effortless peace,” Sierra said.

Her goal with this collection was to create a story, rather than individual black and white pictures that did not go together. Sierra believes this idea was achieved. “My goal when creating art is to capture the tiny moments that make life beautiful and preserve them forever,” Sierra said.

Sierra is very proud of the way it turned out, after all of her hard work. “I feel so much joy. It is a great milestone in my art career and just motivates me to continue to work hard and pursue this interest,” Sierra said.

In the future, Sierra plans to continue to incorporate art into her life. “My dream is to attend the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy, also known as MATA, for TV production and film making next year. I also hope to minor or major in Film during college,” Sierra said.

Feb
4

By

Ready, Set, Smile! Mother-daughter team combines running and photography passions to support athletes and body positivity

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags:

Evelyn Kuzminski | guest writer

Chloe Beal, freshman, and her mother, Dorothy Beal, stand on the front porch of their home on the Fourth of July last year.

With a backdrop of colorful fall foliage behind her and miles of pavement stretching to either side, Dorothy Beal starts running down the trail. Her daughter, Chloe Beal, stands a few yards away, phone in hand, ready to snap a photo as she passes. Click! She takes a picture. Then – click! – she takes another, this time focusing on her mother’s shoes. Thirty minutes and hundreds of photos later, they call it a day.

Chloe and her mother do these photo shoots every week, and they have been for years. They usually take around an hour, but Chloe fits a lot of photos into that short time. “She says that I should just keep on snapping, because that’s how you get good ones,” Chole said. “You can take thousands of photos but there only be ten good ones.”

Chloe enjoys these sessions, but they aren’t just for fun. In the 2010s, after a few years of working in sales and marketing, Dorothy founded the brands I Run This Body and I Have A Runner’s Body. On her platforms, she shares her running journey, gives tips for runners, and promotes body positivity and self love.

Dorothy runs down a stretch of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail near her home.

“She believes that runners come in all shapes and sizes and that if you run, you have a runner’s body,” Chloe said.

Where her mother has a passion for running, Chloe has a passion for art. Along with embroidery and watercolors, photography is one of her favorite mediums. She often finds inspiration on the internet and social media. When taking photos for her mother, there’s often a loose plan, but it’s also a bit spontaneous.

“She normally has an idea of what she wants, like maybe shoe pictures or clothing pictures,” Chloe said. “The lighting outside determines the type of photos we take.”

In the winter months, things can get a little more challenging. The window of good lighting gets narrower as the sun sets earlier, and the dropping temperatures can also be a nuisance. “When it’s cold it can be hard to take good pictures because the cold makes it hard to feel my fingers,” Chloe said.

Chloe has been taking her mother’s pictures since she was in elementary school. “Probably as long as I can remember!” she said. “I was always there with her.” Chloe and her mother often go for runs and bike rides together on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, “which is in our backyard, almost.”

The photos Chloe takes don’t stop at her mother’s blog and social media. Dorothy works with dozens of brands, including Speedo, Asics, Garmin, Lululemon, and Under Armour. She has also been sponsored by Zappos and Saucony. The brands she collaborates with usually reach out to her after coming across her social media pages or blog. Other times, someone recommends to the brand that they partner with Dorothy. Brands often send her clothes, shoes, and running gear, which she features in the photos she and Chloe take and promotes on her accounts.

These bigger brands sometimes use Chloe’s photos of her mother spotlighting a product and share them on their accounts. For example, in an Instagram post in late October, Dorothy shared advice for dressing appropriately for winter runs. She included photos taken by Chloe only a few days earlier, wearing leggings and a jacket from Athleta. Less than a week later, Athleta shared one of the photos on their account in a post highlighting Dorothy’s advice.

“It’s always a wow moment for me,” Chloe said of her photos being featured on prominent accounts, such as Athleta. “It always makes me feel very happy and appreciated, which is why I really love taking photos.”

Dorothy crouches to tie her shoe during a winter morning run. These are some of the photos Chloe takes that Dorothy posts on her social media. Her posts are often reshared by the account of the brand she is collaborating with. Photos courtesy of Chloe Beal

The quality of Chloe’s photos comes simply from her talent and experience; she doesn’t use any elaborate equipment or software. “I normally just use my phone,” she said.

Chloe also doesn’t edit or enhance her photos much. “I’m more of a small edit person, I like it looking more realistic,” she said. “Some people like putting heavy filters, but I like keeping [the photo] more to its original self.”

Taking Dorothy’s photos allows Chloe to support her mother’s brand and message while simultaneously partaking in a hobby and passion of hers. It also gives her and her mother an opportunity to spend time together.

“Taking photos with my mom has made us have a closer relationship with each other,” Chloe said. “Whether we are laughing about a funny photo or trying to find where the best lighting is, it’s always a new adventure.”

Jan
15

By

“We are overcoming it”: How art classes continue during distance learning

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: ,

Alexis Shugars, Staff Writer

Art teachers Kyla Jenkins and Stephanie Woshner fill 708 paint cups to distribute to students amidst distance learning.

As classes continue through Google Meet, teachers have had to find new ways to educate their students. For many of these teachers, online classes have been manageable, as there’s not much of a need to see each other in person to complete assignments. Some teachers, however, have had to find ways of bringing a hands-on course into a digital world.

Art teacher Kyla Jenkins has been trying to figure out different ways for her students to continue their usual art course. One way she’s overcoming these challenges is distributing art supplies to students’ homes.

“We gave out drawing supply kits first semester, and painting kits this semester. We had to do this, because, due to COVID restrictions, ‘class sets’ of things are not allowed,” Jenkins wrote. “We normally have class sets of supplies that are used each block. This was not an option this year. Also, since many students don’t have any art supplies at home at all, we had to assemble the kits for everyone to be successful, whether they were hybrid or distance learning.”

All students had an opportunity to pick up the painting kits on January 11, otherwise students are responsible for picking them up at the main office on their own time. Although supplies are provided, students are encouraged to use their own if they have them.

Jenkins and art teacher Stephanie Woshner worked from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon filling cups of paint to supply to their 177 students. Each art student was given one cup of each color (red, blue, yellow, and white).

There are still many projects that students cannot participate in currently, including sculpture, clay, printmaking, and many more. “COVID is making teaching art challenging for sure but we are overcoming it,” Jenkins wrote.

Jan
12

By

Snowfall and Smiles: students and staff share their favorite holiday traditions

Category: Arts and Entertainment Tags: , ,

Olivia DeWan | staff writer

The holiday season is just around the corner, but because of COVID-19 people are looking forward to the holidays even more. The holidays are great for students to take a break from the stress and hard work that school requires.

“I’m looking forward to not sitting at a computer for six hours,” junior Kayla Spratt said.

The break also allows students to spend more time with their loved ones.

“I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and getting more sleep,” sophomore Maggie Hronik said.  

3. Maggie Hronik bakes lots of Christmas cookies. A few years ago, she was helping her mom make whisky cakes. Photo courtesy of Maggie Hronik.

Another thing the holidays are great for is holiday traditions. “Every year on Thanksgiving my grandparents give us a nutcracker,” said junior Lily Takemoto. “We have over twenty nutcrackers that we set up each year.”

Of course, with COVID Takemoto’s tradition changed during this year’s holiday. “This year, because we couldn’t see any family, my grandparents just mailed us a nutcracker,” she said.

On a different set of traditions, sophomore Elena Wigglesworth celebrates the holidays in a different way. “I make gingerbread houses, bake cookies and other desserts, decorate for Christmas, and spend time with my friends and family.”

2. Elena Wigglesworth does lots of baking around the holidays. Last year she made a bûche de Noel for Christmas Eve dessert. Photo courtesy by Elena Wigglesworth.

Then again, COVID interrupted her tradition. “I won’t get to see my extended family this year,” she said. “Though I should be able to do most of my other traditions.”

Similarly to Wigglesworth’s traditions, Hronik also does baking. “Every year we make cookies,” she said. “Because of COVID we have more time to make them.”

Instead of impacting her tradition in a negative way, COVID allowed her to spend more time with her favorite holiday tradition.

“My parents are with us on every Christmas Eve,” biology teacher Crystal Wolfgang said of her usual holiday plans. “We go to church and every Christmas morning we have cinnamon rolls and open presents.”

1. Crystal Wolfgang and her family watched “Elf” last Christmas while her parents visited. Photo courtesy by Crystal Wolfgang.

Unlike Hronik, COVID is going to make a significant change to Wolfgang’s holiday.

“My parents won’t be there this year because of an issue with moving and needing to be free of COVID,” she said. “It will be the first time of my son’s twenty one years that he won’t have his grandparents around on Christmas morning to be with him.”

If students were at school, they would have participated in a number of activities surrounding the holidays, most of which have been put on hold during the pandemic.

“My favorite thing I did at school before winter break was working with the UNICEF Club,” said sophomore Bella Whelchel. “I felt like I was helping people.”

Usually, the week leading to winter break is filled with class parties and movies.

In Bryan Boeing’s Spanish class, students would watch the movie “Coco” and drink Mexican hot chocolate.

Though this year, students didn’t get a movie or a party, but some students didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I can’t wait for winter break,” said Whelchel. “It gives you a chance to relax and not worry about school.”

 

Disclaimer: In compliance with governor’s orders, all school-sponsored activities followed physical distancing and mask requirements, but due to the nature of COVID-19 limiting school activities, the community was invited to submit pictures for the newspaper. Many of these photos occurred on private residential property and therefore may not conform to the regulations binding school-sponsored activities.

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