Daily life of a teacher during quarantine
Blair English teacher Lisa Fox starts her days in quarantine between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. Instead of driving to Blair in the morning like she would under normal circumstances, she lifts weights or goes on a run. She also hosts classes for her neighborhood friends to get a workout in. Then, she settles down in her office space at home and gets to work: responding to emails, planning lessons, and meeting with students via Zoom. She likes to cap off a normal day in quarantine in the kitchen, as she regularly makes dinner for herself, her husband,…
Blair National Circuit Debate Team ranks third in Tournament of Champions
Blair’s National Circuit Debate Team competes all year for a chance to debate in the Tournament of Champions (TOC). But the debaters never thought they would be debating the most important competition of the year over a screen, as this year’s TOC was held virtually due to the covid-19 pandemic. The new platform did not impair the Blazers’ performance, however. Blair sent seven students to the TOC in April, where they ranked third out of over 200 schools. Three student pairs qualified for the Public Forum event, which is a policy-focused s…
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... my college application?
Applying to college during a pandemic ⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼ Cancelled SATs. Pass/incomplete grades. Disrupted extracurriculars. Changes in financial aid status. Interviews moving online. This year’s college admissions have been thrown into uncharted territory because of the covid-19 pandemic. Both students and colleges are navigating a new process, marked by a lack of in-person resources. From testing to financial aid, this year is different, and some students are unsure of how to handle it. Standardized Testing Standardized tests like the…
Ventilators, virals, and vaccines
Disclaimer: The information below is updated until June 1. Ever since the covid-19 began in China in December 2019, humanity has scrambled to find ways to treat the disease. When a novel disease emerges, treatment often comes in three steps: life support, anti-virals, and vaccines. Mild cases To understand how to treat a virus, it is important to understand its nature. As a virus, covid-19’s sole objective is to reproduce and make copies of itself by infecting the human body, then transmit by bouncing from person to person.
Helping seniors in trying times
Blair students give back to community during covid-19 pandemic ⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼ *Updated May 19, 2020 to include new quotes* Carrying plastic bags filled to the brim with groceries, a teen volunteer dons protective equipment to drop off groceries at the front door of a neighbor’s house. As a member of “Teens Helping Seniors,” the volunteer is delivering groceries and other essentials to the homes of the elderly and immunocompromised. Teens Helping Seniors was started by two Blair sophomores, Matthew Casertano and Dhruv Pai. The pair began deliver…
