For about 8 months now students have been quarantined at home due to the Coronavirus outbreak; hence why it was shocking to see around 50 cross-country students host their own homecoming, with no apparent health protection or use of masks. When confronted about it, a few students showed remorse and were sorry that they would do act without thinking. On the other hand, some students believed it was their right to attend/host their own homecoming even though the original was canceled for good reason. As a student that has visited with some friends through this pandemic, I can understand the perspective of both sides.

Of course, it’s inconvenient to spend your days inside and to top it off, with your family members. We all know some students don’t have a good relationship with their family. This can create an exhausting environment; I for one went through the 6 months of quarantine wanting to get as far away from my siblings as possible and the first chance I got, I took it. However, although students are taking a risk by hanging out with their friends in a global pandemic, they take measures to keep each other safe. This can include staying quarantined for the appropriate time, using hand sanitizer, and frequently washing their hands. Some even went as far as getting themselves tested. Additionally, if anyone were to leave the house they wore their mask; not just for their benefit, but for the benefits of others.

Homecoming can be an important experience and is an activity any 9-12th grader can participate in. Though we all miss it, I agree that its cancellation was more than fair. Anyone can get the virus or spread it to others so it’s up to us to understand the risks we take and how they affect others. It’s also really easy to get influenced by big parties thrown during this pandemic. I’m sure we are all familiar with the Sway Boy’s situation – where the city of Los Angeles took it upon themselves to make an example of the boys by cutting off their water and power in order to provide consequences for throwing a big party during COVID. I’m starting to think the city of Corona should do the same. This isn’t the first party thrown during the pandemic and if we don’t act soon, it certainly won’t be the last.