Students develop new skills due to quarantine

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Photo Courtesy of Sofia Colvin

Sofia Colvin, a freshman at Wakefield High, displays her trophies from dance competitions.

Yusha Ahsan, Staff Writer
October 6, 2021

Time in quarantine gave some students at Wakefield High School (WHS) the opportunity to acquire new skills and hobbies. This ranges anywhere from picking up new art skills to getting a chance to develop musical talents. 

“I had a chance to improve on my art,” said Sofia Colvin, a freshman at WHS. “I also got to work on my music and dance.”

One specific hobby that students were able to explore further is creating music. Violet Worzella is a senior at WHS, and she along with some of her peers, was able to create a band amidst quarantine.

“I play bass and I’m on lead vocals in our band currently,” said Worzella. “We’ve been working on stuff together for a few months now, but it started in the middle of COVID. I think with all the free time we had, we could work on our musical skills more.”

Students were also able to expand their abilities in visual art. Dawn Valentino is a fine arts teacher at WHS who felt her students were able to efficiently channel their creativity in art class, even if it was all from home.

“A lot of [my students] have tried other art tutorials online, and they’re really into it,” Valentino said. “Some of them have picked up new skills, and they were definitely inspired by watching other videos by artists. I don’t think that [my students] minded doing art at home, and what I think they did was work on it in a time that felt good to them and a space that was pleasant for them.” 

However, it wasn’t easy for certain activities like dance class to go remote. Due to that, students had to find creative new ways to carry out their hobbies. 

“Instead of doing classes in-person, we did them through zoom,” Colvin said. “I would use my living room as my dance floor, and I would use a chair as my bar.”

Additionally, it was challenging for teachers to accommodate their students’ needs through a screen. Valentino is one of the teachers who taught art virtually.

 “I think it was difficult as a teacher to teach art remotely, but fortunately we’re in the time of youtube, where there are several tutorial videos,” said Valentino. “I also made tutorials myself [along with] recording them, and did demonstrations the way I would do them in class.”

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I would use my living room as my dance floor, and I would use a chair as my bar

— Colvin

Not only did students get a chance to pick up their interests during quarantine, but several of them started working. With the excess amount of time, working was a productive way to spend it.

“A lot of [students] started new jobs because they have more flexibility with their schedule online,” Valentino said.

Moreover, from the outcome of quarantine, students were able to see that they gained valuable skills, both from their new hobbies and remote learning. Now, these skills play a role in helping them with in-person school. 

“[COVID] taught me focus and productivity,” said Favor Agubama, a freshman at WHS. “In terms of schedule and time management, I’ve started to use a planner now, and it really helps me to keep organized.” 

As a result of time spent in quarantine, students learned beneficial life lessons. These lessons now contribute to the students’ outlook on how they perceive things.

“From the aftermath, I was able to learn something,” said Colvin. “I learned that even after a few months break, you can still get where you want to get.”