The sky was gloomy and the air was crisp. Teachers were rushing to put together assignments. Students confusingly went to all eight of their classes. March 13th, 2020 would be the last day of in-person school.

Quarantine’s One Year Anniversary was on March 16th, 2021, which was the first day of a quarantine lifestyle to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Executive Director of the Preuss School UC San Diego, Dr. Griffith, released a statement that included a new schedule for the months of March and April. Remote learning took place during the week of March 16th, Spring Break was during the week of March 30th, and students were to return to school the week of April 6th. Unfortunately, this did not go as planned.

“I felt that the two weeks off of school was going to be a lot of fun. I didn’t get much homework to do, so I thought it was going to be like a Spring break extension,” recalled Miguel Tolentino(‘22).

Despite being told by administration that students would return to school in two weeks, they are still quarantined at home one year later. On March 25th, 2020, students were notified by Dr. Griffith that we would continue remote learning for the remainder of the school year.

“I honestly did not really mind [finishing the rest of the 2019-2020 school year online], I was a bit relieved that AP tests would be virtual and modified. I liked the flexibility and thought I would eventually adapt. At this point, I’m just hoping that my class’ senior year isn’t ruined,” hopes Angela Perez(‘22).

Dr. Griffith and Principal Dr. Steitz posted a Fall 2020 reopening plan for Preuss explaining that school would continue distance learning for the Fall semester. As of right now, there has been no updated plan as to whether or not we will go back to campus this school year.

Students of the Preuss School UC San Diego celebrated Quarantine’s One Year Anniversary by creating a gallery. This assignment was originally created by Ms. Garcia’s AP English Language and Composition (APELC) class, but in order to get a more diverse set of responses, she shared the project with University Prep teachers.

This gallery is called “Students Commemorate One Year of Pandemic Life” and is filled with student experiences of their life during quarantine and remote learning. The focus of these pieces discuss various themes, such as the highs and lows of their pandemic life, new experiences, and much more!

“I wanted to share my project on the Preuss Insider because I wanted others to know how getting a job has influenced my life,” explained Yesenia Preciado (‘22).