It’s been over eight months since my classmates and I left school in March. After the initial months of panic, many Americans have convinced themselves that things have settled down. We’ve tried not to let COVID-19 consume our lives and, concerningly, christened it the “new normal.” As a junior in high school, I, along with many of my peers, am increasingly wary of how adults in power are handling the crisis.
Student Voices
Student Voices: Reflections on returning to college while navigating pandemic
When I pictured my senior year at Syracuse University, I imagined checking off bucket list items with friends, enjoying and reminiscing on our year of “lasts.”
I thought of our last football tailgates, last concerts on campus and last trips to the apple-picking farm, and also thought of the firsts of many senior traditions that come with finally being 21. I had no idea that I’d already experienced the last of these events – or that I wouldn’t be able to experience them entirely.
Student Voices: As kids explore social media, sex traffickers lurk online
A week after school shut down for the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, my younger sister told me that her friend’s Instagram page had a comment from an older person her friend was not following. The comment said that she was very pretty and was followed up with a dozen heart emojis. My little cousin recently posted a YouTube video of herself baking brownies. The third comment for her video was from an unknown older person asking her to be their friend.
Student Voices: A view from the trenches of online learning
Navya Singhai/Town Crier
Local students are completing classes online after schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As a junior at Los Altos High School, the news last week that we would not be returning to campus for the rest of the school year was bittersweet. Distance learning has already had its ups and downs, leaving me confused about whether I love being able to create my own study schedule or hate the responsibility of ensuring I study with the same efficiency as I did during regular school.
Student Voices: Local robotics teams compete at Los Altos VEX IQ tournament
Kathleen Xie/Special to the Town Crier
The Los Altos VEX IQ tournament, an annual robotics competition hosted by Los Altos Robotics, drew 22 teams.
On a typical day at Blach Intermediate School, teachers are helping students accomplish tasks. But on a Sunday last December, it was the students who gave commands to robots they made themselves.
Student Voices: MVLA ought excuse absences for student activists
Town Crier File Photo
Mountain View and Los Altos high school students take part in a September global student climate strike. Los Altos High graduate Eric Warmoth argues students should be able to receive excused absences for participating in such protests.
While attending Los Altos High School, I never considered getting involved with politics. I went to class, played water polo and did my homework. I figured I was too busy to worry about issues like climate change.
