Emily Briano, Carter High School librarian, dreams of beautiful lands and pastoral cottages in London, England. She has yearned to visit England since she was a little girl. She loves the idea of a pastoral town and riding to a small village on her bicycle. Ever since Emily Briano was a little girl, she has yearned to visit the UK. Mrs. Briano, recently married and mother of a young girl named Catherine, loves baking, cooking, and even gardening. Her largest hobby is reading, however, and she has the perfect job to match. She is the school librarian at Carter High School. She loves her library and works to make it hospitable. She does the same at her home for her daughter, making sure Catherine feels at home when her and her husband have the young girl. Briano and her husband have been together for about three years, prior to getting married. They recently got married and both love gardening together and their family. One interesting thing about Emily Briano is she is an Anglophone, which means she is interested in everything to do with England. She loves the city of London, although she has never been there but she would love to visit. Emily finds the culture to be very elegant and strong. She loves the pastoral places and riding to the village. She dreams of visiting the UK and admires them greatly. ¨I am fascinated by all things British and have been for a long time,” Briano explained when asked about her fascination. She has loved the royal family since she was a little girl, admiring Queen Diana and King (name) and the new royal family to this day. While Briano is certainly a big fan of England, she keeps her work professional and does not tell her students of her love, even if there are small hints at her love through the books she reads. Kailey Martin, senior library aid, has been in Mrs. Briano’s library aid class for two years but she has visited the library since freshman year and loves books. When asked if she knew of Briano’s secret love she commented, “I did not.” Briano adores England, and has since she was a kid, and her biggest dream is to visit London and see the people.

Getting on the schools’ wifi at Carter High means limiting the number of apps to get on. Students and staff can only use the schools wifi for school purposes instead of streaming their favorite apps. At Carter High, students are prohibited from opening up their favorite social media apps when using the schools internet. Popular apps like Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok are all blocked from the wifi at the school. Although students cannot stream these apps, they can still use their cellular data to load them. These social media apps tend to cause a distraction in classrooms and learning. When asked whether she thinks these apps should be blocked or not, senior Aashna Desai replies with, “I do not think they should be blocked because students have the ability to connect with other people and social media can be used for educational purposes.” Through social media, students can communicate with others about school work or to simply have comfort by talking to someone throughout the school day. Without any wifi source students can not obtain that freedom. Another student, senior Mckenzie Fisher says, “sometimes it is inconvenient when i need to ask my friends for help and that’s the only source of communication I have with them.” Blocking social media apps from the school wifi causes less of an interference with school work and causes less of a distraction inside the classroom for students.

The class of 2021 have had an odd senior year. But most kids are determined to see their plans through. Some may want to go into a trade, or some may want to go into a college. Either way, a plan is something that seniors especially should think about. But Skippy Chaney, a former Carter high school student says, “People can go at their own pace, and that’s okay because you’re still young. If you think you’re falling behind, you have your whole life. Take an extra year if you need to.” So don’t push yourself too far. But, some seniors are ready to move on in life, and pursue their dreams. Kaitlyn Loy, a student at Carter says, “I plan on being a welder”, so a trade school would be ideal for her. Yet, some students are ready to take a different path, and go to college. Luiz Matias says, “I am planning to go to UT for their architecture program, because I want to do something in the field. It’s been a dream of mine, and I want to show how hard I’ve worked in high school.” There are many different paths and plans that you can accomplish, and these students covered a small amount of the vast field of options that you could pursue.

Many public schools, including Carter High School, have accepted more technology into their daily routine.

Carter High School and all other Knox County Schools gifted students Microsoft Chromebooks in preparation for “going red”. However, instead of students’ typical paper assignments, all classwork is done on a computer and submitted through websites like Canvas. In addition with the new Chromebooks, students are able to have their personal cell phones. Students are only supposed to have them during lunch, in the hallways, and if they are in aid to them during class. But, some students may think of these privileges as a distraction to their education.

Students at Carter High School struggle to not answer that text from their boyfriend or Snapchat their bestfriend during class. While many do not take advantage of the Cell Phone Policy, students like Katelyn White say that it is hard to resist Snapchat during classes, but she stays focused on her work. When asked about how she feels about the chromebooks, White said, “Chromebooks are more challenging because it is all still new.” White said they are not distracting for her, but learning how to submit all of her assignments virtually has been slightly difficult for her, only because that process is something else she has to learn on top of her lessons in school.

Senior, Aashna Desai, supports the switch to an in-person class with virtual assignments. Desai stated, “Chromebooks are not distracting for me in class because in classes we are using them for a purpose to learn better. It is easier to do my work on the Chromebooks.” She also said she thinks the Cell Phone Policy is great. She enjoys the fact that she can have her phone at lunch, in the hallways, and when the teacher allows them to have their device out. However, she struggles to stay off Snapchat, only because she always goes straight to it when she finishes her assignments.

Some students may find the new technology in school distracting, but for the most part, students enjoy being able to have online access during class time.

Students at Carter High School have very different opinions about how masks are affecting their social life. With student feelings ranging from annoying to necessary, these masks have become an important part of our daily school lives.  Constance Noe, a Carter High School sophomore, stated, “We shouldn’t have to wear them on the bus cause that should be our ‘break’ from them.”  Whether or not you agree with this statement, it is a sentiment that many students have felt. However, Caitlin Perkins, another sophomore at Carter High, says differently.  “Masks are important to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the high-risk people. Masks should be worn at all times.” Constance Noe states, “If a student has breathing problems then they shouldn’t have to wear their mask over their nose. It definitely shouldn’t be against the dress code.” This refers to to the new addition to the dress code, stating that masks should be worn above the nose at all times. But, according to Caitlin Perkins, “Masks are necessary to stop the spread of the virus, we should have our faces fully covered.”  According to the new mask mandate, masks help stop the spread of COVID-19, but to student Constance Noe they “are annoying and hard to breathe through.” Even our other point of view, Caitlin Perkins, admits, “The masks are hard to talk through, and sometimes I can’t recognize people while they have them on.” The hard truth that masks are affecting a student’s breathing is critical. “Students should be able to take their masks off when they are socially distanced” states, Constance Noe.  A lot of people might agree with this statement, but Caitlin Perkins certainly doesn’t when she states, “Masks are essential so we don’t have to be sick all the time.” Whether or not you agree with Constance, Caitlin, or if you’re neutral, masks are still a requirement in our new society, and we have to wear them, likeable or not.    

Ever since Carter High School has reopened during the Covid19 pandemic, the cafeteria has made a few major changes. From the long wait time of some students, from a certain beverage being wiped off the menu entirely, the implemented social distancing practices have made several changes to the midday ritual that is lunch. And the students are not happy about it.

The most glaringly obvious of these changes is the split lunch periods. Unlike the others, it effects not only the members of the student body who buy their lunches, but the ones who bring their food from home as well. Before the pandemic, lunches were split into four. Now, to help students spread out to be safer, it’s split into five instead. This hasn’t resonated well with anyone due to people not always having enough time to finish all their food because of the shorter slot, but none are more upset about this change than the ones who got stuck with fifth lunch which isn’t until 1:04 PM. “The fifth lunch kids have to wait so long to eat, it’s insane!” Says Ian Zancker, a student who has fifth lunch. He and his peers have had trouble concentrating in their third period class due to being hungry. Some teachers have been allowing short snack breaks to compensate for this, but it’s only somewhat helpful.

Another change that’s has irratated the cafeteria goers is the lack of choice. “They’ve started serving the food in boxes instead of trays.” Explains Braygen Joe, a student who buys his lunch from the cafeteria. “Now, we don’t get to chose what we have like we did before, we have to go with whatever they threw together for us. We don’t even get to see what we have until we get to the table. And by then, it’s too late.” Everyone is in agreement that they hope lunch can become similar to the way it was before soon.

Art funds have gone down significantly for Carter High School in 2020. The money given by students has decreased due to issues presented by Covid-19. The impact has been great.

Mrs. Adams, an art teacher at Carter, said, “They have been cut in half from the county. More people are unable to pay their art fee due to economic hardship during this time, which is understandable.” The money that students would normally use for art fees, or any fees for that matter, are being used for expenses that the pandemic has introduced us to. These may include hand sanitizer, masks, cleaning supplies, etc.

Students can help with the art fees in other ways, though. One way to do that is by fundraising. “It really helps,” Adams said. When students aren’t able to pay the art fee, seeking ways to earn money can take its place. Take selling cookies, for example; you make money by vending a product, which is a way to raise funds. The money that students earn can be used to support those in the art department at our school. That would allow for more creations by our artists, and perhaps an even larger amount on display.

If the art department had more funds, then its students would have more supplies to use in their works. Mrs. Adams states that she would buy brush sets, canvases, oil paints, etc. for each student if her department had more money. She would also buy a large format printer for photography. That way, her students would have the proper tools available to them. “But that’s if I won the art lottery,” Adams said. Anything helps, however.

Another art teacher at our school, Mrs. McCulley, shared about the pains of lower art budgets too. “We have been affected. I have dozens of unfinished artwork; I have a bunch of clay work… the students were in the middle of the ceramic unit, and that work has been left unfinished.” She also claims to have done homecoming in the past (like Mrs. Adams), along with chili suppers, selling tee shirts, and giving art lessons for a small fee.

“…But at some point teachers are tired, and having to raise funds for the program is a lot of above and beyond what we already do,” she says. She also agrees that whenever students pay their art fee, it can increase the funds by a lot. “My deadline for spending money is coming soon,” she said. Since the art teachers only have a certain amount of time to spend their money, it may become even harder for them to support their department financially. McCully also said, “If we had more funding, my students would not be making their own sketchbooks; they would have their own sketchbooks. We would probably have professional art supplies. Right now we use crayola (she calls them ‘crapola’), but if we had more supplies, we could do larger artworks.”

Donations and fundraising would be appreciated by the staff of the art department. The money given by the students of our school would be going towards art supplies, bigger artworks, and materials for the education of the art students. If many students gave only a few dollars, it could create a big impact on the art department this year.

Carter High School has removed the juice from lunch this semester. Last semester the students had apple and grape juice at lunch and now all students have is milk. Students have things to say about it. A student named Kaitlyn (who wishes to only go by her first name) says she was very upset because now there’s not enough to drink at lunch. She said, ”I don’t feel like the milk is enough for me to drink during lunch.” What about the people who are allergic to milk, Kaitlyn wonders. What are they supposed to drink? They have nothing to drink for 20-30 minutes. But many people don’t even drink or eat school lunch so many students don’t really care about it. For example, a student named Landon (who also only wants to go on the record with his first name) said he didn’t care about if there was juice because he doesn’t even eat the school lunch. But for everyone else now there’s less to drink in the cafeteria.

What are the differences between online class and staying in-school? Which means studying at home with no distractions or wearing a mask all day and being around people all the time?

  Online class mainly offers the same experience of being in class except without teachers. Online classes consist of Microsoft Teams meetings and Canvas. Canvas is the way to find all the assignments, and the Teams meetings are where you can ask questions and be told what the assessment for that day would be. Being in school, you have the risk of the virus, hundreds of kids in hallways, classes, lunchrooms, and even the gym. As for all those places, they all require masks constantly being told to put it on, pull it up and for some it’s hard to breathe. Even though both options have their differences, we are learning the same thing from in school as we would online. The biggest difference would be no teacher, as for some learning better in person is a better option but with the zoom meetings you have access to the teachers to ask questions whenever.        

 Mr. Webb, a teacher at Carter High School who teaches both online classes and in-school says, “It’s more challenging” doing online than in school. He said he has to record videos for his online classes and send them out rather than being in school and everyone being in front of him. As he uses an app called quest allowing 3 sectors and 2 being online. Also there is no scheduling. Students submit class work at random times and sometimes he would wake up to several notifications from students turning work in.   

On the other side of the spectrum, some students who go in-person at Carter High School have the same opinion. Jayden Finnagen, a student at Carter High School, has concerns about going online for school. “It would be difficult,” he said, because some kids might have technical difficulties and some might not have the internet to do everything they need for school because it’s the only place they can get their work done. On the other hand, in-person school isn’t without its inconveniences. Asking how the days are Jayden said wearing masks is very uncomfortable and does not like it in general. Now being a student, he wants  to go online but he thinks there will be difficulties. 

Students at Carter High School have a different look on 2020’s school year with the new sanitation and safety rules due to COVID-19.

Knox county has issued new rules for the school year which include, social distancing and face masks. At Carter High, staff and students must have their temperature checked and wear face masks to enter the school building. One senior, Aashna Desai, says,“We rather be safe than sorry.” She also agrees that “wearing a mask is a good idea”  because it helps to less likely spread the virus but “sometimes it is hard to breathe because we have to wear it everyday.” Students are required to wear a mask unless they are socially distant or are eating lunch. 

Another senior, Ploomie Messer, says, “I think the new health regulations are effective to a certain extent.”  The virus is new to everyone so the school district is trying to take any precautions they can to help keep staff and students healthy. “We wipe our desks down at the end of every class and get stamped to let teachers know we had our temperature checked in the mornings,” says Messer.

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