During this unprecedented pandemic, OHS staff and students are keeping hopes alive by spreading positivity throughout the community and finding creative ways to spend time with loved ones. 

“My husband and I have been using the app trickster cards and playing card games with friends and family,” said Cynthia Jenkins, a science teacher at OHS. “We have had several driveway gatherings where we sit on the tailgates and have dinner together.” 

Jenkins has only gone out to shop for groceries and has spent the extended time indoors practicing yoga. She is confident that the community will persevere during this difficult time. 

“My life is full of so many wonderful things and I focus on that instead of the negatives. And truly, there aren’t really any negatives in my life.”

However, some students are finding it challenging to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Amber Apetz (11) says that not being able to see her friends has really dampened her spirits.

“Living on a busy street with a neighbor that is never actually at her house plus not being able to see anyone from church (or my friends) for almost (if not more than) a month now doesn’t really make it possible for me or my family to raise anyone’s spirits,” she said.

Despite the recent isolation, Apetz has been able to use this time to spend more time with her family. Her mother has been home more often, and they have been able to do some joyful activities together. 

“My mom and I watch M*A*S*H pretty much every weekday,” she said. They have also been grocery shopping together and have come up with new games to play. 

Another staff member who has spent this time lifting the hopes of others is OHS English teacher Mrs. Ashley Ward. “My neighborhood has been doing a lot of activities to keep people’s spirits up,” Ward said. “We have had social distancing dance parties on our porches, put fun stuff in our windows so the neighborhood kids could have “scavenger hunts”, and put inspirational messages on signs in our yard.”

Trying to stay positive during this extended school closure is difficult, but OHS students and staff are trying their best to stay resilient.