How to Stay In-Touch With Your Socially Distanced Community
As a highschooler, so much of what you do is concerned with interaction and involvement with your community, whether it be academic related, service oriented, or having to do with your social life. But when dealing with a global pandemic how do you stay in contact or begin to get involved with your SUA community? Well, here’s how:
Clubs and Student-led Organizations
When thinking of ways to get involved at SUA, one of the first things that comes to mind are Clubs and Student-led Organizations; however, without our normal schedule and limited person-to-person interaction, how can you meaningfully join, lead, or participate in one of these activities? Luckily most of our clubs are continuing to meet this year, and Ms. Utecht, Assistant Principal of Student Affairs, says that the best way to go about participating in these organizations is to “know yourself and your limits. Some students may want to try a new club, while others may feel more comfortable waiting until the spring. It's important for each student to consider balance, stress level, what other things she is involved with, her family responsibilities, what brings her joy, and how she wants to engage with her peers this year. There is no wrong way to do that.” And no matter what level of involvement you choose in clubs this year, SUA also holds special events like Movies that Matter, Yoga and Yogurt, and more, so you will always have more than enough opportunities to participate in community activities!
Fall Sports
One of the best ways to get involved in the SUA community is to show school spirit and support our Bulldog athletes, but how can you do this without physically going to the games and meets? No worries, the Athletic Department has you covered: every home game can be virtually viewed through SUA’s website! And if you’re worried that your friends on the field or court can’t see your virtual support, SUA gym teacher JP adds that “students can [also] support their peers by wishing them good luck at school or by sending an email or text messages.” Schedules for cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, tennis, and volleyball can found here. Hope to see you (virtually) there!
Virtual College Events
As seniors start to apply to colleges for their next step in life and juniors begin to contemplate their futures, it can be very difficult to determine what schools you’re interested in without proper visits. However, don’t stress: look no farther than Scoir, a counseling service that helps students and parents find their collegiate matches. Scoir offers information and links to virtual college visits where a college representative will be available to SUA students to describe their school and field any questions they may have. Some upcoming visits are the University of South Carolina on the 29th, Loyola University Chicago on the 1st, Vanderbilt University on the 2nd, and more, so be sure to mark your calendars if you’re interested!
Social Life
Because of SUA’s new schedule there is no more lunch period, so how do you continue to make new friends or bond with your current ones? Ms. Utecht thinks that the answer lies with intentionally seeking out situations where you can be around other people. She says that “being around people is important. So whether students mingle with new friends at the break in the day, before school, after school, during sports or performing arts activities, or through one of the all-school events, all of these things can lead to little sparks of new friendship.” She adds that although our person-to-person interaction are somewhat limited this year, we can still make the best out of the situation by being “intentional with where we channel our energy, how we show people that we care about them, and how we can contribute to the world around us through acts of selflessness and kindness."