In the weeks following Winter Break, students and teachers alike dropped from our classrooms like flies. Athletics games were canceled left and right. The attendance office was flooded with an influx of absences. Empty seats and Zoom calls with teachers became the new norm as more and more people test positive for the COVID-19 virus.

   The new, highly contagious Omicron variant has taken its toll on America. According to the LA Department of Public Health, there were an astounding 31,576 new cases on January 17 alone compared to only 3,360 cases on December 17, and the numbers continue to grow. The amount of daily cases has almost multiplied tenfold in the span of just one month. The new variant, in combination with people traveling over winter break, has wreaked havoc across the world.

   Giara Herrera (10), a student that tested positive in early January described her symptoms: “I had a really dry cough, and then my throat started to really hurt ― I couldn’t even swallow or breathe too well on my own. It was to the point where I couldn’t sleep before 3 a.m.” She continued, “There were a couple nights where I’d go to bed at 7 a.m. and I’d be so tired but my brain wouldn’t let me rest. It messed up my whole schedule and I just had to try my best to fall asleep. I had terrible backaches the first two days where I was just crying in pain.”

   To try and combat this sudden spike in cases, West High provided all students with free PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing in the Performing Arts Center. The Torrance Unified School District also handed out rapid antigen self-test kits to all students, the hope being, if you are feeling unwell or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, that students will test themselves..

    At West, infected students were faced with the struggles of at-home learning. Keeping up with school when the semester was ending was already hard, but being sick, stuck at home, and still needing to stay on top of work added a completely different level of difficulty. Luckily, some teachers provided students with resources to assist in online learning while students were out. Isabel Crucier (10), a student who had COVID, explained, “My teachers have helped a bit by putting assignments on Google classroom or Schoology, and I have emailed a few of them, but I was mostly on my own while I was out.”  Some teachers provided Zoom links as well for students to tune in during class time.

   Government and U.S. history teacher Mr. Hettinger was forced to teach online for 10 days. He recalled his experience with at-home instruction: “I think everybody did their best [but] the school is definitely not set up for this.” Due to an unfortunate lack of resources, many teachers resorted to using Zoom calls, sharing their screens and notes to the class through a Chromebook. In some classes, this led to lags and technology difficulties. Luckily, teachers and students alike were able to work together to minimize the struggles teachers faced instructing from Zoom.

   The pandemic has gone on for over two years, and it has taken an exhausting toll. “Go get your vaccines and mask up,” Herrera urged. “COVID is the last thing you want, especially now. We need to make a change by being more careful!”