By Hayden Sampson

It’s been eight months since life was “normal” and things don’t seem to be going back any time soon. These past few months we have been through will certainly be ones that we tell our grandchildren about. You’ll probably tell them about the time you spent at lunch sitting in chairs six feet apart, or the amount of time you spent on Zoom, though that might not be much of a conversation.

Ridley, like a lot of seniors, has been at TPA since the beginning of time, and it seems like things are falling apart at the finish line. Even though it is clearly going to be a different year, all is not lost. With things like Prom and Senior Trip still on the calendar, there is still hope to be had for seniors. The teachers especially have started to figure things out.

Though it might have started roughly at the beginning of the year, hybrid learning is becoming more and more doable by the day. Says master teacher Mr. Veenstra, “I wouldn’t be surprised if some remnants of hybrid learning are still left after all this is over.” We can thank Covid-19 for making us find new ways to interact, and things like staying home sick could be more plausible with the possibility of using Zoom to connect with our classes.

No matter what, the skills learned by students during online school are very valuable. Chemistry teacher Mr. Cates gives the perfect analogy: “A manatee can live in both fresh and saltwater. A manatee would rather be in freshwater. However, there comes a time when a manatee must be in saltwater. The modern student is the same. They would rather be participating in in-person school, but sometimes they must go online. It is the way of life.”

Those of us at home are truly taking the difficult road, and we can applaud them for their fortitude. When we can all be back together, we will talk about the things we have gone through and laugh. Until then, look forward to things like homecoming. Although it will be different, it will still be a blast, and full of memories we will never forget. It’s times like these that make us thankful for what we have. To all those out there, at home or at school, stay safe and stay positive.