By Cheryl Yee, staff writer
Instead of a buzzing room where the class president would have to periodically quiet the room, the class president is now pleading for the singular non-council member in the Zoom meeting to voice their opinion. This is how my Monday afternoons go as senior class historian.
When I ran and won as historian early last year, I had in my mind that school would resume in-person for senior year. However, I should have known that that was but a dream under that administration. Anyways, I was extremely excited to be historian as I felt my creative wits could make pandemic school life better. Surfing on this creative energy, I spewed out my ideas for events on a Google document. Here were just some of my ideas:
- Film: “Post-Quarantine Diaries” (my goodness, how naive I was)
- Poetry Contest during National Poetry Month
- Photo Contest: “What does your generation mean to you?”
- Women’s History Month contest/celebration
- Earth Day: tote bag design contest
- Film: Teacher vs. Students’ Opinion on…
- Art: Hydro Flask/Water bottle design contest
- Class Diaries: “What does being a sophomore, freshman, junior, senior mean to you?”
But after SFUSD announced remote learning for the fall, my energy dimmed. But I still had hope about the vaccine roll-out and the new administration getting us back in school. However it’s now the second to last month of my senior year, and my hope for in-person learning has completely deadened. But early on, I learned to adjust and make the most of my situation.
As historian in a normal year, I would be responsible for making posters for Song and Yell, elections, and other occasions. This year has translated all my work to a digital format, which I frankly enjoy because I create a lot of digital art. For example, I’ve done animations for Senior Cabinet Gratitude Week and Christmas using an app called Procreate. Having creative freedom on these projects makes these experiences exciting and memorable.
Some challenges posed this year has been communication and less connectivity. Since everything is virtual, it has taken admin longer to respond, and thus, to greenlight events or projects. It’s frustrating for me, but I have learned to work with what I’ve been given.
Another thing the pandemic has caused is a weaker connection to my fellow council members. Since we only meet once a week through Zoom, it is hard to get to know one another and feel close. Despite this, I am extremely proud of my team and myself for pulling through and trying to make senior year as memorable as possible. We have organized game nights and designed a Senior Class hoodie that will very likely be free for all seniors.
In addition to less connectivity within the cabinet, there was little connection between the cabinet and the senior class as a whole. This means that our game nights usually have little people and pep clubs little to no people at all (thank you to Michelle G. for always showing up!) Since pep clubs are our main place to hear students’ opinions, we have had to reach out to seniors through email. Many times, our cabinet had to make decisions on our own not only due to the scarcity of opinion but also to time constraints and pandemic uncertainty.
Even though I would have liked to spend my first year on student council in-person, I am grateful for the opportunity to be historian and have a role in making senior year better. In times of stress, many people create art. As historian in a pandemic, I have channelled my stress to make the things that I have. I hope that more people find solace in art and expression like I did. Because in these times, artist’s work is not only essential for them but also for everyone.
