In the past few months, time spent at popular summertime spots like amusement parks or movie theaters or traveling away from home were traded for activities that aligned to the health guidelines in less crowded places or just at home.

With the risk of health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, physically getting together with friends and family became harder than ever. Instead, the most popular ways to stay in touch with others are through video calling apps like Zoom and FaceTime, Netflix parties, social media platforms, and video games.

“My friends and I have gone to the beach, or we’ll go to the park and eat lunch or paint,” senior Jocelyn Ayala said. “My family wears masks when we get together at someone’s house. We’ve been able to adjust and keep everyone safe and healthy.”

When there were opportunities to hang out physically within the safety guidelines, Ayala met up with her friends while staying socially distant. Some students, however, found this to be more challenging.

“It’s difficult and lonely trying to connect with friends online because we all have different schedules and expectations,” junior Madison Reaves said.

Freshman Nathan Evans said that he played Animal Crossing and Among Us with friends to recreate the communal atmosphere of school. Despite this, he said, he only gets to talk to them for a few hours a week.

“There are people I would talk to all the time pre-[coronavirus] that I have completely stopped communicating with,” Evans said. “Whether it was us drifting away or them not responding well to current events, I do not talk to some…”

For other students, the physical separation has actually tightened bonds between friends or family. Senior Emily Lynch, for example, said that quarantine strengthened her relationships with people that she “would have never realized were to become the closest of my friends.” With more time at home, senior Jaselle Ruggiero said she has been able to grow closer with her family.

“…we’ve been watching movies and TV shows together that we’ve been wanting to watch and we’ve also been taking the time to read books together,” Ruggiero said. “…I’m thankful for quarantine because I get to see and talk to my family in person much more than I would spending my entire day at school.”

Though social distancing has forced people to search for new ways to be together, all of these students said they have mostly used technology to stay connected to friends and family.

“All in all, this quarantine has shown me that the best relationships will make it work to see each other even when it’s tough,” Reaves said.