design: Natalia Favila Inacua
COVID Continues
Almost two years ago, Gov. Mike DeWine mandated Ohio public schools to switch to online learning. In 2022, schools are still dealing with the ramifications of COVID-19.
According to the CDC, the Omicron variant spreads more easily that the original COVID-19 variant. Due to this, Ohio and the rest of the country are dealing with record high cases, according to New York Times.
With the risk of having to quarantine, teachers and students have had to be extremely adaptive this school year.
“Omicron has affected my learning in many instances. Teachers are often absent due to having to quarantine or because they don’t feel well. With substitutes, much of our material will be placed online, and we will not be able to ask questions on the spot. I often find myself googling more about content that should have been taught in class,” George Liu a Junior said, who is enrolled in five AP classes.
Students and teachers are doing whatever they can to keep everyone safe and mitigate the risks of the new variant.
“Ever since omicron has gotten to the point where it is right now, I realized the importance of wearing a mask. I also always keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in my car and in my bag,” Liu said.
Science Shenanigans
Students tend to enjoy the experiments in their science classes more than the tests. Science Club aims to teach students science while having fun at the same time.
Science Club doesn’t require any prior experience, just a will to learn. This means students from any grade can participate.
“In Science Club, we have fairly easy experiments for students to participate in so students from any grade can experiment. We usually work in small groups and focus on experiments that result in a chemical reaction,” Science Club president and grade Sathvika Kasarla said.
Club members can expect to work together and partake in various engaging experiments.
“This year we have done a lava lamp experiment, made slime with borax solution and made elephant toothpaste with hydrogen peroxide,” Kasarla said.
New club members are always welcome to participate in a new experiment with the science club.
“We hope to have three or four more meetings this year and have more students join and participate in the club,” Kasarla said.
Science Club meets on the first Tuesday of every month in Science teacher Kevin Guse’s room.
A Day of Service
Martin Luther King Jr. believed in helping others, so it is only fitting students decided to help their community to honor him.
Students were able to help either by donating or volunteering on Monday, Jan. 17. The district worked with CRIS, an organization helping refugees. People donated welcome kits to help ease new refugees into their new home.
“It was nice to see how many people showed up with items to give away even if they were used or new. It showed that there are people who care for our both our community and others who are less fortunate,” volunteer and junior Mark Azer said.
Student volunteers spent their Monday at the OLSD central office building helping however they could.
“We mainly helped in retrieving the items and sorting them out by organization or product types. It was overall a great experience,” Azer said.
The event was a success, and students were able to spend Martin Luther King Jr. day doing something meaningful.
