By: Alivia Melius

On Mar. 25, Tussey Mountain opened online courses through Canvas. Governor Tom Wolf announced on March 23 that schools across Pennsylvania should extend their closure until at least Apr. 6 due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The district announced on Monday that they would be providing Chromebook laptops to families in need of computer access. “There were over 100 families that were willing to go out of their way today to ensure their kids will be successful in the next few weeks,” junior high guidance counselor Taylor Shoemaker said. “And although getting your entire curriculum online in a few days notice is no easy task, I didn’t hear a single complaint from any teacher that I saw today. I only saw an eagerness to learn new things so they can be effective for our kiddos as always.”

“[The administration] did a really nice job of helping us keep our distance because they only let one family in at a time. They had Germ-X, and they wore gloves. It was very clean,” junior Jenna Hall said.

Students at Tussey are adjusting to the change in learning. “[My family] picked up a laptop,” Hall said. “It has made online learning so much easier. The transition was not too bad since we have used Canvas in school so many times. I knew how to use the site.”

“Due to the school going online, my family did have to pick up a laptop,” senior Emily Willis said. “I have found it easier to get work done and on time.”

“I think it was smart for [the school] to start online learning,” Hall said. “I hope we can still get out in early June, which we all want.”

“I feel the school made a smart decision to take our classes online,” Willis added. “We can still get our education and continue to do our best to get our work done. My teachers have done their absolute best in adjusting to putting work online.”

In efforts to fight COVID-19, students are socially distancing themselves by staying at home. Some students have taken on new activities to keep themselves occupied during this time. “Some things I am doing to keep myself busy is help cook and take care of animals, including the seven new puppies we have,” Hall said.

“I have played lots of video games while being at home,” Willis added. “Now that us students have work to do, I’ve been focused on getting ahead of schedule and getting my work done.”

“Something I would like to tell my fellow senior classmates would be to not worry about graduating,” Willis said. “We will graduate. Maybe not when we expected, but we will. I miss seeing them all in the halls and talking to them face to face, and I miss my teachers too.”