Nov. 19, 2020
By Emilia Calabrese
Staff Writer
Covid-19 is causing many LHS fall activities to look quite different compared to last year. Over the past several months, students and teachers alike have had to adjust and adapt to make the most of this challenging period.
Football
As a result of the coronavirus, football practices commenced in August instead of July, and without the use of locker rooms, Head Coach Tuero said conducting meetings has been a struggle. Players are also required to fill out daily forms and wear masks during practice and games.
Compared to last year, the football games have been fairly quiet, given that only two guests from the same household as each student participant are allowed to attend as spectators. This rule applies to members of the cheerleading team, color guard, football team and marching band.
Tuero said it has been difficult to tackle these new obstacles, but the coaching staff is doing what it can to establish some type of normalcy. Tuero said his own and the team’s responsibilities have increased in so many ways, but they have learned how to power through the adversity.
“It’s hard for these kids to actually feel like they are playing a game. It’s another part of this year that has been very frustrating,” Tuero said. “When we are playing away games, it’s really sad that the band and cheerleaders are not allowed to attend.”
“I truly believe I have the greatest staff in the country. Coach Castagnetti, Coach Auteri and Coach Kesack have been a huge supporter of me, along with my other assistants,” Tuero said.
Chorale and choir performances at the Holiday Concert
Ms. Wise, who is the director of the chorale and concert choir, said singing is one of the top ways for liquid droplets to be projected. Therefore, she said social distancing and wearing masks is especially important in her classes.
Wise said she has ordered “singing masks,” which were created to limit the airborne particles and liquid droplets projected from one’s mouth. She said the special masks also allow space for the singer’s mouth to move freely in order to enunciate and not feel restricted when a singer forcibly breathes in to gather the air needed to vocalize.
With the delay of in-person learning, Wise said the preparation needed to perform in December will not be possible. Therefore, the date of the annual Holiday Concert has been pushed back to the end of January.
Wise said conducting rehearsals via Zoom has been difficult because the main purpose of singing together is to harmonize, which can be stressful when people are having wifi issues and are singing at different speeds.
“We would love to be able to sing together, but with limited amplification, we would only be able to stand on top of each other to be heard, which is not possible during the pandemic,” Wise said. “If we would properly social distance for our performance, our sound would most likely be lost and unheard.”
“My students need to know that despite this setback, we will continue to work in order to enjoy singing.”
Wise said her students have been sending her recordings of them singing the parts of the song they have learned along with the accompaniment track that she has recorded for them.
In addition to having individual recordings from the students, she said she has merged all of the sounds on Garageband in order to create an ensemble. She has used the technology to combine the 26 voices in the chorale to record tracks of the alma mater and national anthem, which play during the football games. Wise said she plans to play these tracks for the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony as well.
Although having rehearsals on Zoom can be frustrating, Wise said she is determined to keep her students feeling motivated.
“My students need to know that despite this setback, we will continue to work in order to enjoy singing,” Wise said. “I will continue to see and point out to them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that we just need to be patient and find ways to enjoy our new process.”
PSATs
Guidance counselor Ms. Liaci said Covid-19 complicated the process of preparing students for and administering the PSAT, which took place at LHS on Oct. 14.
“Although the teachers were able to work with the students virtually on PSAT practice, I feel that it did not have the same impact on the students as it would if we were in person,” Liaci said.
The test was offered to all sophomores and juniors, but there was no option to take it from home.
“I definitely feel students felt discouraged when taking the PSAT due to the fact that [some] did not feel comfortable coming into the building or fully prepared to take it,” Liaci said.
She said only 10 to 14 students could be seated in each classroom while taking the PSAT compared to 30 students last year. Due to social distancing, she said more staff than usual were needed to proctor the standardized test, which measures readiness for college, determines access to scholarships and provides practice for the SAT.
There was a designated time for a temperature check of each student that walked into the building, and masks were also required. Additionally, Liaci said students are usually asked to fill in general information about themselves on the PSAT answer sheet prior to the day of the SAT. However, due to Covid-19, all of this was done on Oct. 14, which meant the test took more time.
Fall Play
Ms. Coppola, who is directing this year’s fall play, “Almost, Maine” by John Cariani, said she is doing her best to ensure that this year’s play will be successful. Auditions, callbacks and early rehearsals were all conducted via Zoom. The cast and crew are required to be screened, wear masks and social distance before entering the building.
“Starting the process using Zoom was certainly a different way to start and remaining socially distanced during the scenes is something we are still working on,” Coppola said.
The play will be presented virtually on Nov. 20. Coppola said despite the changes due to Covid-19, she is confident the production will still be a success.
“Most of the cast members have experience working on other productions so they are handling everything really well,” said Coppola.
