Garner Experiences Hectic First Year in Ohio

"The biggest change has definitely been the school and the people," reflects Andrew Garner, a sophomore in high school who came from sunny Houston, Texas to chilly Columbus, Ohio. A change that would normally be hard on most, has been pretty smooth for him. Although he is now in the midwest, he described his new home as having “southern hospitality” even more so than his old state of Texas. He has moved a lot before, his experiences in all of the places he's lived made him the person he is today. He talked to me about his new school, in his new setting, Columbus, Ohio.

Garner moved to Ohio from Houston this past year and started his sophomore year at a new school, Worthington Christian in the fall. Although it was a big change, he adapted quickly. He described his new school as having “a good education to get ready for college”, but also being a “fun environment”. The fall homecoming event and house competitions were a few of his favorite WC events to start the year. He was able to compete with Pax in the October basketball competition and talked about how much he enjoyed competing for with his house. Although these were just small experiences, they made the beginning of the school year a lot more enjoyable and memorable for Garner and he hopes to be able to do the same things in his upcoming junior year at WC.

When asked about some of his favorite things Garner mentioned basketball and running. He played for WC during the school year and played AAU this past summer. When asked about a favorite player, he mentioned Russell Westbrook. Westbrook ironically was traded to his hometown favorite Houston Rockets past summer. He talked about watching Westbrooks MVP season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in which he averaged a triple-double. Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic has left him and many others with no basketball, as leagues like the NBA have shut down and local parks cut the rims off of their hoops. Running though has been a way for Garner to stay busy, and active during this very boring time. Although his sophomore track season that he was preparing for was canceled, he still gets out and uses running as a way to exercise during the endless, boring days in quarantine. Although he was looking forward to running for WC with teammates, friends, and seniors in their final year, running has given him a way to stay in shape and busy.

Like millions across America, Garner's school year was cut short by the coronavirus. With a whole quarter of the year left still to go, and no way to teach students in person, schools resorted to online learning. Garner gets his online school work done and having the rest of the day free afterward. In the time he isn't working on school, he relaxes, watches TV, or exercises. He has also used this time to get closer to his family, especially his sister Sydney. Although the pandemic has been everything but ideal, the time we spend social distancing can be valuable time that we spend with our families to become closer with them, and Andrew is an example of that

Overall, Andrew has had a very interesting first year here in Ohio, and quarantine has made it even more of a wild ride. Although moving can be scary, he has done it quite a few times and the transition to Ohio has been very smooth. Although this year has been weird and full of ups and downs, he has made the most of it and made a good experience in his new school and home state. Garner looks ahead to when life becomes normal again and he can go back out and enjoy life how it was before the pandemic.

Jarvis Dives Into Quarantine

“The only thing disappointing [about school ending due to COVID-19] is our track season being canceled,” laments Ethan Jarvis, a freshman at Worthington Christian High School. WCHS is known for its rigorous academics and competitive sports.  Becoming an athlete at WCS means meeting academic challenges as well as honing your sports skills.  He is a WC lifer, who has participated in sports from a young age.            Jarvis started running track his eighth-grade year. He ran 100 and 200 m hurdles. After a year of running short distance events, Jarvis decided to try long-distance track for Coach Mousa. You can catch him on the track sporting number 432. Now he runs the 400m, 800m, and 1600m events. His favorite event is the 800m. Ethan advises any students considering track to “try new things or events in track because you may be good at them and end up liking them.”            

Jarvis is also a successful swimmer. He has participated in two swim seasons. Although he was not on WC’s swim team this year, he plans on joining next year. His best stroke is the breaststroke and his least favorite stroke is the butterfly. He loves the community that swim provides.            

Sports have played a huge roll in Jarvis’s life. Sports have “helped me be more physically fit and allow me to build relationships with people.”   Building community within WCHS has benefited Ethan in many ways.  “Working with my coaches and friends to get better has made high school fun,” explains Jarvis when describing what he likes about WCS sports and school.  Worthington Christian School is definitely a place where athletes like Jarvis can build bridges to brighter futures. 

            In conclusion, Ethan Jarvis is an athletically and academically gifted student at Worthington Christian. Jarvis’ faith is operative in both his classwork and his talent on the track. Jarvis plans on participating in track and swim during his sophomore, junior, and senior year. In the future, Jarvis plans to attend college but does not know what he wants to study. Although his high school career is just beginning, Worthington Christian cannot wait to see what Ethan Jarvis accomplishes.         

~Sydney Garner

Peck Conquers Quarantine

“I was excited,” explains Sam Peck, a freshman student at Worthington Christian High School in Ohio. This statement can sum up what everyone has thought throughout this quarantine. Covid-19 has put the world on close for the past two months. Most people must stay home all day in quarantine separated from colleagues, friends, and maybe even family. This quarantine has been tough on everyone. In this article, I am going to explore how Sam Peck is making it through this quarantine. 

The first big question is how school is being conducted for us students. Peck’s school is conducted through Microsoft Teams. Each class has its own separate tabs. In these tabs you can access your lessons and assignments. Microsoft teams also has a feature where you can do video calls with your class, and/or teacher. Peck has enjoyed different aspects about online schooling. Peck said that he liked how you can spread your assignments and classes throughout the day. This freedom gave Peck the ability to sleep in our take a shower whenever he likes. Peck's favorite class is Science because they watch entertaining videos and do worksheets for those videos. But with this quarantine, Sam has missed out on doing dissections. This has been a disappointment to Peck "because you can only do a dissection at school."

Quarantine is not all school, half of the quarantine is finding something to entertain yourself. Some people watch tv shows or movies, while others play videogames. Peck plays videogames with his friends, he plays Call of Duty and FIFA. The game FIFA has reminded him of all about the times he

played soccer before the quarantine. He is still training for his club team, SP, and preparing for his second season at Worthington Christian. Having no way to play soccer with his friends, Peck resorts to skateboarding throughout his neighborhood as his outdoor activity. Skateboarding is a newly acquired skill, Peck learned within the first couple of weeks in lockdown. Peck works out sometimes whether that be running or lifting weights. Another way to get through quarantine is snacks. Sam says he gets snacks every time he goes to the grocery store. 

He hides a small stash in his room away from his siblings. This is how Peck has gotten himself through this quarantine. 

The Coronavirus has crippled the community in the last few months and the economy has been struggling to recover. There are many ways to help your community. You can do as little as stay home and as much as giving food to the needy. Peck has helped his community by practicing social distancing. Although this does not seem like much, it helps to slow the rate of infection. By staying home, Peck has not been infected nor has he infected anyone around him. 

Sam Peck had a lot of things to be excited about before quarantine. While everyone reacts differently in adversity, Peck has stayed strong through it all knowing that he cannot control the circumstances we are all forced to face. This positive mindset has helped him look forward to resuming normal activities after restrictions are lifted. Peck has conquered the worries and fears of quarantine and Covid-19, staying positive through it all. 

~Andrew Garner