The

Harbinger Miami Lakes Educational Center March/April 2020 ~ Vol. XXI No. 6 5780 NW 158th St Miami Lakes, FL

Taste of Education

Intheirfirstevercompe-tition,Miami Lakes EducationalCenter’s(MLEC)culinarystrandbeat out the competition at the“Taste of Education,” an eventfounded by the Education Fund. “About30schoolscom-peteeachyear.Thisisthe5thyearthatwe’vehosted thisevent,butthisisthefirstyearthatMLEC’sculinary students have actuallyentered. Itwas the first timewehadgonetoaneventandcompet-

edasaschool,”saidMr.Nunez,the culinary strand teacher. For the competition,students had to make the bestvegetarian dish. Although itwas not an easy feat, MLECjaguars still reigned victorious. “At first, we didn’t re-ally knowwhat kind of vegetar-ian dish to submit to the com-petition, but after doing someresearch and figuring out howto make falafels, we came upwith something we were happywith,”saidMr.Nunez.“Itwasa... Continued on A2

By Khimmoy Hudson@hudson_khimmoy

ChangingTheGame:TheShiftToTechnology

Empoweringyoungmindsthroughinformation.

For centuries, peo-ple have primarily relied onface to face interaction as a method for teaching, dissem-inating information, and or-ganizing—that has changed. Across the country,students everywhere are devi-ating from their normal routineand scheduled school day: Theearly morning rise, catchingthe bus, making the breakfastline, and themidday gossip thatblends with casual, school dayconversationhas come to a halt.That shift has not been easy. But, we find ways to cope. “Social connectionduring a time of distance learn-ing is both a moral as well aslegal imperative for us,” Al-berto M. Carvalho, Superin-tendent of Miami-Dade Coun-ty Public Schools (MDCPS)posted on his Twitter account. M-DCPS, which is thefourth largest school district in

thecountry,beganmonitoringthespreadofCOVID-19inDecemberandbeganpreparing,intheeventthatschoolswereforcedtoclose. “The resilience that ev-eryone has shown, and the pa-tience theyhave shown for sucha dramatic shift of the fourthlargestschooldistrictinthecoun-try is laudable and appreciated,”saidMarie Izquierdo, ChiefAc-ademic Officer for M-DCPS. Now, well into thefourth nine weeks, distancelearning has become the newnormal —as students Zoom,post and collaborate on virtu-al spaces—and this new routinewill continue for the foreseeablefutureastheCentersforDiseaseControl (CDC)continue to pre-scribesocialdistancingmeasures. And, in fact, before schoolswereclosedattheendofthe day on March 13th, MLEChad already surveyed studentsand teachers on their technolog-ical needs, including the needfor devices and challenges withinternet connectivity. Teachers

had already established linesof communication with stu-dents, in the event of closures. Even with all the preparation, it was not an easy transition. “I don’t think that peo-ple expected to be away fromschool for so long,” said Ms.Castro, MLEC’s Activity Di-rector. But, as the [novel coro-navirus] continued to spread,it became clear that closuresacross the countrywould be forfar longer than people expected. City, county and stateofficials declared a state ofemergency. Businesses closed.Stayathomeorderswere issued Across the country,parents and caregivers juggledto balance their own work withhelping their children learn. Around the country,many disadvantaged commu-nities have struggled to keepup. Not all households havethe technological resources,like tablets and computers, tokeep up with distance learning.

That is not the case in Miami-Dade County. “For Miami Dade atleast,thebarrierwasn’tthecom-puters, it hasn’t been the com-puters, it’s really been the con-nectivity,” said Ms. Izquierdo. Over 95,000 devices,that includes iPads, laptops, andcellular hotspots, were distrib-uted to students—from PreK to12th graders—and the Districtopened up a Help Desk hotlineto assist parents, teachers andstudents. The team fielded callsfrom throughout our commu-nity and beyond. Many of thecalls came fromparents inotherdistricts, looking for direction. And, Ms. Izquierdo,M-DCPS has embraced partner-shipswithnetworkssuchasCom-casttoprovideinternettohomes,and Sprint’s ‘1 Million ProjectFoundation’whichseekstograntstudents in grades K-12, wholackinternetaccess,withcellulardevices to be used as hotspots. “Adeviceisnevergoingtoreplaceahighqualityteacher,butadevicecanserveasabridge,or as pipeline, to a high quali-ty teacher,” said Ms. Izquierdo. Yet still, M-DCPS con-tinues to face minor challenges, but the District is on the fore-front of change and innovation. “Moving forward,whether it’s another pandemic,whetherit’sanothercategoryfivehurricane I think that thismedi-um is going to allow for somelevel of continuity in terms ofbeingable toreturn toeducatingstudents—notnecessarily return-ing to school, but maintainingthatcontinuity,”saidMs.Castro. And inmaintaining that

senseofcontinuity,M-DCPShasevenobservedagrowingpercent-age of attendance in the Dade-schools system, which deservesrecognitionconsidering thevari-ouscircumstancesofeachstudent. “Our attendance is get-ting better every day,” said Ms.Izquierdo.“OnThursdaywehad90.7%attendance,whichisprettyonparforabrickandmortarday,aregularschooldayinMiamiDadeCounty, but if you filter studentportal attendance for the week,so Monday through Thursday,98%ofourstudentsgotothepor-talat leastonce,”shecontinued. Notonlyismaintainingasenseofcontinuityandpracticingdistance learning about shiftingtovirtualplatforms,butitisalsoabout providing basic suppliesforstudentswhoareinneedofit. The District, and our teachers have jumped in to fill those needs. AtMiamiLakesEduca-tionalCenter,forinstance,studentsenrolled in AP Studio Art wereabletopickupartsuppliesthey’dneed to finish their portfolios. Ms. Soto, Communica-tion Academy Leader, set up agrab and go station where students could pick up those supplies. Wemaynotreallyknowwhen we can return to a sense of normalcy, despite our shared ef-forts to embrace this seeminglynew era of technological usageandfar-distancedcommunication. “The reality is, studentswant to be in school, teach-ers want to be in school andthere’s never going to be a sub-stitute for classroom learningand the engagement of teacherswith students,” saidMs. Castro.

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MDCPShasshiftedtodistancelearningasameanstoallowstudentstocontinuetheirgrowthineducation.

Whether one likes itor not, schedules are now com-pletely empty thanks to the ap-pearance of the coronavirus. Inconcern for the public safety,severaliconicandpopulareventshave been cancelled or post-poned.Theredoesn’tseemtobeanendinsighttothispandemic. As things grow worse by the day, and countries areseeing an overwhelming swellin their coronavirus cases, thebest thing many politicians candotoprotectthecitizensoftheircountry is to shutdownall pub-lic events. Some states, such asCalifornia, have even bannedgatherings of over 250 people. “Eachofushasextraor-dinary power to slow the spreadofthisdisease,”GovernorGavin

Newsomsaidinastatement.“Notholding that concert or commu-nity event can have cascadingeffects—savingdozensoflivesand preserving critical healthcare resources that your familymay need a month from now.” Closer to home, citi-zens of Miami, eager for theirfavorite party opportunities,have to put away their cos-

tumes and pack their cameras. The Youth Fair, CalleOcho, and evenmusic and filmfestivals have been postponedor cancelled because of thedreadedvirus.Supercon, apop-ularget-togetherforcomicbookand anime nerds has also beenmoved,unfortunately.AtMLEC,students were faced with the... Continued on A2

CancelAllPlans—TheEnd’sNotNearBy Vanessa Falcon

@vanessa_falcxnByKellySanchez

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Moreandmoreplacesareclosingandeventsarebeingcancelledduetothecoronavirus.

NEWS Pgs. A2-A3 Feature Pgs. B4-C6 Editorials Pg. D7-D8 Online Exclusives mlecharbinger.com

MLEC’sculinarystudentsposewiththeirawardsforbestvegitariandish.Mr.

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SocialDistancingvs.QuarantineExplainedByJaylynGonzalez@jaylyn_gonzalez

Amidst the coronavirus(COVID-19) pandemic, takingactiontoimplementpreventativemeasures and avoid its spreadhasbeena toppriorityformanycountries the past few months. Through the chaos of tryingtofindavaccine,informingthepublictowashtheirhandsfre-quently, to staying six feet apartbetween each other, the govern-menthadnoother choicebut totake preventative measures andadvise people to social distanceandself-quarantine—oneofourlastresortsoftryingto“flattenthecurve,”theuseofprotectiveprac-ticestoslowtherateofinfection. However, through theexposure of various social me-dia platforms, the public hasbeen misinformed as to the dif-ference between the terms “so-cial distancing” and “self-quar-antine —assuming they definethe same idea: staying home. But, the difference be-tween the two is drastic—onegiven the possibility of be-ing pre-exposed and the otherjust as a preventive measure. TheCentersforDisease

Control and Prevention (CDC)recommends isolation and quar-antine measures to help protectthe public in times of a publichealthcrisisandoutbreakofcom-municable disease. Due to this,the general population has beeninformed to stay in their homesand“socialdistance”themselves,while others that have beenpre-sumably pre-exposed to the vi-rushavebeen told to“self-quar-antine” for a total of 14 days. With many cruises,sportsevents,andfestivalsbeingcanceled,thereisapublichealthreason for these measures: toreduce the likeliness of crowdsand the spread of COVID-19.These cancellations help to stopor slow down the spread of thisvirusandincreasethepracticeofsocial distancing—allowing thehealth care system to handle in-fectedpatientswithoutoverflows. These necessary pre-cautions are being advised forthe advocacy of one major is-sue: the safety of the public. Upuntilnow,moststateshave been advised to stay homeand social-distance themselvesto prevent the spread of this vi-rus.Working fromhome insteadof at the office, closing schoolsand switching to online class-

es, communicating with lovedones by electronic devices in-steadofinperson,andcancelingor postponing conferences andlarge meetings—all are actionstaken in the past month to en-couragethepublictostayinside. Incontrasttosocialdis-tancing, the term “self-quaran-tine” refers to a person that hasbeen exposed toCOVID-19 andis at risk of containing the vi-rus themselves and spreading it. Commonamonghealth-care workers, those who haverecently traveled, and ones whobelieve they’ve come in con-

tactwith someone infected, it isrecommended by healthcare ex-perts to self-quarantine for twoweeks—providing enough timetoknowwhetherornottheywillbecome ill and be contagious toothersaround them. Ifno symp-toms are present after the 14-dayquarantine, thepersonisnotconsidered as a risk for spread-ing the virus to others—thusleaving the self-quarantine state. COVID-19 is a virusthatcanposeathreatnotonlytoanindividual,butit’shighlycon-tagiousspreadcanposethreatstocommunitiesaswell.Anindivid-

ualwhodoesn’tgettoosickmightstill pass the virus along to oth-ers,includingparents,neighbors,peopleonthebus—someofwhoare more prone than others, inturn,mayendupinthehospital. Withoutthesetwoprac-tices,asurgeofpatientswiththeviruswillendupfillingbedsalsoneededbyabroadrangeofotherpeople, such as cancer patients,newborns,orcaraccidentvictims.Knowing the differencebetweensocialdistancingandself-quaran-tinecansavelives,asoneprotectstheir immune system and doestheirpart inflattening thecurve.

MaketheMostofItAtHomeByVanessaFalcon@vanessa_falcon

There is only so muchstudentscandowhilestuckinsidethefourwallsoftheirhome,butkids atMLECaren’t letting thisbringthemdown.MLECstudentsaredeterminedtospendthebesttime at home despite the issuesgoingonoutsideintherealworld. With the new releaseof Nintendo’s Animal Crossing,several students have picked uptheirswitchesandhaveputtheirheadsinthegame.Othergamers,likemembersofthee-sportsclub,have also decided to take thetest and see how much they’veimproved in Super Smash. “I’m playing AnimalCrossing because it’s a calmgame todistractmefromall thecommotionhappeningintherealworld. Instead of hearing aboutthe coronavirus constantly, An-imal Crossing gives me a calmescape…” saysYoselin Rimada,asophomoreincommercialarts. Video games aren’tthe only escape from reality.Some can rely on sources suchas Netflix or Hulu to fill theirempty days. Some studentshave even set new records forstreaming shows, while oth-ers are competing to beat theirbest score. The streak of showsnever seems to stop, and for thewatchers this is a lucky break. “Ihaveplansofwatchingnewshows thatmyfriendshaverecommendedtome.Ievenhavea whole list planned out,” says

IT sophomore Christian Mayol. Forothers,it’stoomuchto just sit around and do noth-ing.Newhobbiesarepickedup,new activities are experienced.Fromcreatingasongtopainting,there are other ways to stimu-late the mind besides stressingschool work. Others, like Lau-dith De Los Santos, may findcomfort in baking and cooking. “I’ve made cookies,brownies, and I’ve cooked la-sagna. I’ve even made break-fast for the family at times.Next on the list is cheesecake,” said De Los Santos, a juniorin finance who has never imag-ined herself baking before. Finally, no one can for-get theworkaholics.Despite thebreaksoffered, despite the insis-tence,thesestudentsarestillhard

at work. Nothing can stop thetrain of thought and the hard worksomeMLECstudentsputintoeveryaspectoftheirlives. “I don’t even know ifwe’re coming back to schoolbut for some reason teachersare still expecting work to bedone.AtthispointIdon’tevenknow ifdoing the springworkis worth it but I’m not goingto risk it,” says Paolo Rodas,a junior in engineering who is strugglingwith amoral debateeverystudenthasbeenhaving. The coronavirus maylimitthefunthingsstudentscando,butthereareplentyofthingslefttodoathome.Schoolmaybe cancelled, the Youth Fairmaybecancelled,allspectacu-lareventsmaybecancelledbutlifeisn’tsomakethemostofit.

CompetingIntheWorldofSTEM

MLEC is known foritsparticularlystrongacademicachievements, but its strengthswhen it comes to extracur-riculars often go overlooked. Our school hasseveral clubs, all of whichfocus on a variety of in-terests, including STEM. One of our clubs re-centlyearnedsomerecognitionat the FloridaTechnology Stu-dentAssociation State Confer-ence Competition: TechnologyStudent Association (TSA). Two members camebackwithtwotrophiesinhand:William Asencio brought thesecond-place trophy and Fran-ko Sanabria; the third-placetrophy — both are juniors. Seven other mem-bers also won several finalistpins in a board game com-petition, Computer Integrat-ed Manufacturing (CIM),structural design and such. The confer-ence took place on Feb-ruary 29th at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Or-lando and 10 out of the 26members of TSA attended. The competition con-sisted of 38 different eventswhich fluctuated from chil-dren’s stories to fashion design to essays on technology andmore, and MLEC TSA pre-paredallyearforanychallengethat could be thrown at them. The trophies came

ByKarlaPerez@karlaperez_

from the event on Comput-er-Aided Design (CAD) inthe section of Engineering. “Computer-aided de-sign refers to computers beingused to assist engineers and drafters to create 3D models. CAD software allowsyou to measure height, width,and length of anything andcan help engineers designanything from a violin to thesystem of a car,” explainedFranko, TSA’s President.

Forsome,thiswastheirfirstTSAConferenceinOrlando. “As a freshman, itwas a pretty fun experienceto see how schools across thestate compete in such a largeevent. I got lots of experience and it gave me lots of as-pirations to come back nextyear with an even better per-formance,” said Sergio Paez. Out of the 53,000members of TSA Florida,around two to four thousand

Continued from A1...challengetolearnhowtomakeavegetariandish,espe-ciallysincewedidn’texpecttomakeoneinthefirstplace,”hecontinued. The competitionwas asexciting as it sounds.After theirentryinOctoberof2019,studentsgathered at Jungle Island for anevening of food and celebrationand, of course, to prepare gour-met meals on the spot. Under-classmen learned new skills andgot a one-of-a-kind experienceas student ‘chefs-in-training.’ “I was nervous at first,but as we went by, it was veryfun. I learned what to do andwhat not to do while makingand preparing food. The seniors

TasteOfEducationtaught me how to plate; it wassomething I had never done be-fore,”saidMayaRodger,afresh-manatMLECanda teammem-ber fromthecompetition.“Ihadneverbeen to a competition likethat before,” Rodger continued. ThisisonlythefirsttasteofcompetitionfortheMLEC’scu-linarystrand,buttheyarealreadyhungering for more and lookingto showoff their skills andhardwork outside of the classroom. “Now more than everI’m more inspired to keep go-ing in the culinary field. Allof that adrenaline by work-ing fast and by working withthe seniors really inspired me.Next year we’re going to go allout. I can’t wait,” said Rodger.

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Coronavirus:Factsand11QuestionsByMichelleMairena@miixchii

The news that there are now four reported casesof the novel coronavirus dis-ease in Florida has driven mostSouth Floridians into a frenzy. Hand sanitizers, cannedfoods, Vitamin C supplements,andwater packages are some ofthethingsthathavequicklydisap-pearedfromstoresinthepast48hours.Somepeoplearenowpub-liclywearingmasksandcarryinggigantichandsanitizingbottles—this,accompaniedwiththevisionof empty stores,makes the sun-shinestateseemlikeaplacetakenout of a pre-apocalyptic movie. Thedirerealityis,SouthFloridians—just like the rest ofthe world—are scared.And, it’snormaltobe:nobodywantstogetsick.Butpartofthisrealityoffearfor thecoronavirusalso includesacrudefact:somepeoplearenotactuallyinformedaboutwhatthevirus isorhowtoprepare for it. So,herearesomeques-tions about the virus, answered. What Exactly is it? Is it True There’s More Than One Coronavirus? Thevirus,“COVID-19,”is a member of the coronavirusfamily: viruses that are commonthroughouttheworldandcanaf-fect both humans and animals. Originally,theseviruseswereonlyknowntoinfectanimals,

butsomeofthem—seveninspe-cific, including the novel coro-navirus—have been registeredto cross the species barrier andmove from animals to humans. These seven diseas-es that can affect humans are229E, NL63, OC43, HKU1—whicharefourvirusesthatwerefirst identifiedduring the1960sand are known collectively asCommon Human Coronavirus-es—and MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 (alsoknown as COVID-19)—whicharethreerelativelynewviruses. The new coronavirusthat everyone is worried aboutis COVID-19, which was firstrecognized during an investiga-tionintoanoutbreakinWuhan,China at the end of last year. Manyof those initiallyinfected either worked or fre-quently shopped in theHuananseafoodwholesalemarketinthecentreofWuhan,soitisbelievedthatCOVID-19,whichisamem-berofthecoronavirusfamilythathas never been encountered...

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Withnewvideogamesreleasedtothepublic,nowstheperfectchancetogamethenightaway

Withcoronavirusattheforefrontoftoday’snews,timetobreakdownthedifferencebetweensocialdistancingandselfquarantine.Ja

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Continued from A1...saddening news of their Ham-ilton field trip being cancelled. “Thetop8Smashplay-ers in e-sports were eager to gocompeteattheYouthFair,butthevirus ruined that. Well honestlywhilethisisforsafety,Idon’tseea reason for this. Closing downpopularplacesisgoingtocostMi-amialot,alotmorethantheben-efits it’shopingfor,”saysChris-tianClaro,amemberofMLEC’se-sports club and one of theclub’sbestSuperSmashplayers. Now that St. Patrickswason thehorizon, parades andcelebrations were cancelled as

well. It seems that there’s noth-inglefttodoexceptsitandwait. Other events that aremorepersonal toothers, such asMiamiPride,havealsobeende-layedinfearofspreadingthevirus.Now, many hide in theirhomes and rush off to storesto stock up on supplies. “It feels heartbreak-ing.Amidst this fiasco with thenew virus people have stoppedpaying attention to other events.Many people were looking for-ward to several things includ-ing pride but all of these eventsare being cancelled. I under-stand it’s for our own good but it’s disappointing nonetheless,”says Karla Perez, President ofthe Equal Rights Alliance club. Even schools wereclosed,contrarytothewishesoftheMiami-Dadeeducationaldistrict.Devices and plans were handedout to all students, and teach-ers are encouraged to com-municate with their studentsin whatever way they can. “I have always hadmixed feelings about onlinelearningas it relates to this typeof emergency situation. Onthe surface, it sounds feasible.SchoolslikeMLECwillbeokfor

CancelAllPlans—TheEnd’sNotNear

FrankoSanabria,oneofthecontestantsattheTSAcompetition,bringshomethethirdplaceprizeforComputer-AidedDesign(CAD)Engineering.

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NEWSMarch/April, 2020A2 A3The Harbinger The Harbinger March/April, 2020

FEATURE

Continue reading online

Theaward-winningvegetariandishcreatedbyMLEC’sculinarystrand.

themost part.Courses that haveaccess to a textbook and onlineresourceswillbeok.Theproblemis when you have a course thatrequires a specific software thatyouwon’t have a license to useathomesuchasAdobePremiere.Most students don’t have thatprogramandwon’tbeabletobuyit.Automechanics andelectron-icsthatrequirehandsonactivitywill be hurt,” says Mr. Melton. “Where the greatest damage to learning will takeplaceisinthelowergrades.Iamassisting my wife in preparingonline lessons forherkindergar-ten class. She barely had a dayto prepare her students to useonline platforms. Many of herstudentswere given a device onFridayandsomepickedthemuponSaturdayandhadnoaccesstoteacher support,” he continues. At this point, coun-tries are scrambling to find acure while the virus spreadsand rises in death rates. While more and morepeoplesufferfromthesymptoms,theU.S.andotherinfectedcoun-triesaretryingtoisolatetheissueand eliminate it at the source. For now, cancel allplans,too.Thereisnowheretogo.

attended the state conference and MLEC ended up victo-rious regardless of the myr-iad schools that attended. “Everyone in the com-petition was in the same roomand based on what I saw there, IthoughtIhadwonfirstplace. Iwas a bit disappoint-ed at first but now I’m proudregardlessofwhatplaceIgot,”said William Asencio, whowon the second-place trophy. ThosetenTSAmembers

weren’t the onlyMLEC repre-sentativeswhoattended,though. We had an alum-nus attend as a volunteer atthe event: Herman Gonzalez. Eventslikethesegoasfar as to showMLEC’s excel-lence and quality, demonstrat-ing that our students’ passionsfor different subjects are re-inforced with our outstanding extracurriculars—and thesesometimes stick with themeven after leaving MLEC.

MLECTSAmembersbroughthomesometrophies,withWilliamAsencioplacingsecondandFrankoSanabriaplacingthird.M

LEC

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ed because of its pore-clogging tendencies. Synthetic fragrances are also a red flag, as there is no separate ingredient list for them, and their artificiality could signi-fy hundreds to thousands of unlisted ingredients. It Takes TimeOnce you find your routine, wanting to see immediate chang-es is something that we all want when we first start a skin care. But, the reality is that it takes time to see change — so, be patient, because it is worthy. We are all (for the most part) stuck at home, and start-ing new ways of self care can distract us from the inevitable ennui. So why not try to pick up this self care habit, skin care?

HowtoStayConnectedDuringSocialDistancingByKrystalAlverio@krys-alee

Social distancing is es-sentialduringaglobalpandemic.But, it canget incredibly lonely. Humans are socialbeings; we yearn to be togeth-er, to hold each other, and bein the presence of friends andfamily.AsHumans,we play to-gether, fight together, and lovetogether. Socialization wascrucial to our survival as a spe-cies, and now, we are forced apartbyourdutytokeepthosearound us safe fromthe spread of disease. The Coronavirus,and the disease COVID-19,

has forced many of us to putour lives on hold, break rou-tines, and create a new normal. It can be stress-ful to separate oneself fromthe world, especially since socialization and connec-tions with others are how peo-ple, historically, have gottenthrough the toughest of times. Even so, It’s import-ant to remember that social dis-tancing means keeping physi-cal, not social, isolation. In theyear 2020, we as a people aremore connected than ever, be itthroughtextmessage,phonecall,orInstagramDM.Thereisstillamultitude ofwayswe can inter-act and fulfill our social needs.

And while crucial, so-cial distancing can be hard formany, and can, once again, increase feelings of loneli-ness and despair—So here area few ways to combat thosefeelings, and stay connected. VideoChat Since COVID-19has placed us all on a figura-tive house arrest, it’s becomemore challenging to keep upwith friends and family. Thank-fully, there is an abundance ofvideo chatting apps and soft-ware to help us stay in touch. For Apple users, Face-time seems like a no brainer.It’s the most prominent vid-eo-chattingsoftwareusedamong

young and old audiences alike,which makes it a piece ofcake to communicate withboth friends and grandma. But for those on theAndriod side,Whatsapp, Skype,and Facebook Messenger are asafe bet.All of these apps havethousandsofusers,andarecom-patible with most devices, mak-ing it easy to connect and chat. MovieNightsOnline While you may notbe able to go out with friendsto the local movie theater,there are still ways to enjoy amovie night with friends. WithappsandextensionssuchasDis-cord, Netflix Party, and Metas-tream,It’seasytoforgetthestressandvirtuallyhangoutwithfriends. Theseappsallowapar-ty to simultaneously watch a movie or series together, withthe videos entirely in sync foroptimum viewing experience. It’s not the real deal,but hosting movie nights onlineis still a great way to connect. PlayVideoGames Join, create, andplay with friends in onlineservers explicitly designed for

yourfriendgroup.It’sbeenprov-en that playing video games,evenviolentvideogames,hastheabilitytoimprovefriendshipandcamaraderie among players as they work together as ateam. It’s also an excel-lent way to take yourself outof an isolation hole, as itstrengthens the bonds between friends, even at a distance. UseSocialMedia Even though quarantinehas put a stop to travel plans,hangouts, and other events, itdoesn’t mean you should letyour feed run dry. Posting onsocial media and keeping up apresence on Instagram, Snap-chat, or Tumblr can bringpeople together throughposts of shared experiences. Evenifitseemsuninteresting,postingaboutyourdaycanrelievestress,anxiety,andotherbottledupemotionsIt’simportanttohaveanout-let,andthepeoplewhoseeyourpostcanbecomeyoursupportsystem. Whilesocialdistancing,keepinmindtostayatleastsixfeetapartatalltimes.

TheArtofCookingWhileatHomeinSelf-QuarantineByCarlaRubio@carlaaarubio

Asmanyofusfallvic-tim to self-quarantining, findingways to be productive is key tonot losing motivation during atimewhereitisneededmost.Oneeasyat-homeactivityiscookingandbaking—andiftherewasaperfecttimetopickupsomenewtricks or learn thebasics of thisart,itisnow.Ratherthanorderingin,cookingnotonlyboostspro-ductivity,butitalsosavesmoney. To aid the boredom,find a new hobby, save money,andimproveefficiency.Herearefiveeasydishestomakeathome: FrenchToast Whether one is wak-ingupearlyforonlineschoolorworkorwhetheronejustwantstoeatsomethingquick,frenchtoastisaperfectbreakfastoption. Only taking five toten minutes to prepare, therecipe calls for coating reg-ular bread in a mixture ofegg, milk, and vanilla extract. Cooking the bread inthismixforacoupleofminutesonthepangivestheregularbread

an instant crunchiness and sweet-ness that can be eatenwithma-plesyrup,bacon,andevenfruit. RiceandEggs A more filling optionfor an mpty stomach is theclassic latin lazy meal: rice andeggs.Thename says the rec-ipeitself.Thestepsaresimple: Make the rice in acooker with some oil and saltand in the meanwhile fry someeggs on the pan. Once both aremade, the eggs are mixed withthe rice— the runny yolk act-ingasagluebetween the two—and the plate is ready to eat. Quesadilla Chicken, steak, orsimply cheese are all greatoptions for a quesadilla. This popular Mex-ican dish has been interpret-ed by many chefs worldwide,each finding a different wayto twist the simple recipe. A basic quesadilla onlyneeds a tortilla heated on a panand one’s best cheese thrown on top of it. For a more fillingplate, any protein put inside thetortilla would work perfectly. FudgeLavaCake

At the end of the day,a meal is not complete with-out dessert. In typical bakingstyle, this recipe calls for flour,salt, eggs, butter, melted choco-late, and even powdered sugar. Mixing these in a bowlin the order of dry ingredientsto wet ingredients, along withthe chocolate will create a cakemixture that, when put in theoven for about 12 minutes at425 degrees, will create a cakewith a smooth liquid center. A little ice cream anddulcedelecheandthecommondes-sertservedatrestaurantsisdone. FriedOreos Lastly, to satisfy thesweet tooth, this iconic carnivalsnackcanhelpreplacethosethatone would buy at a nearby fair. The batter for fried oreos is easy to make by com-bining pancake mix, egg, milk,vegetable oil and vanilla ex-tract in a bowl. It looks likenormal pancake batter but isperfect for frying the cookies. Once turned goldenbrown, top them off with some powdered sugar and thesweet treat is complete!

QuarantineandChillByRoxanaCasanueva

@roxcasanueva

Are you bored, quar-antined, thinking you’vewatched everything on Net-flix already? This coronavirusmadness has all of us layingin bed for hours binge-watch-ing our favorite TV shows,daydreaming about catch-ing those $75 flights, and eat-ing all the snacks for fun. Many of us are pass-ing the time playing vid-eo games, board gamesor reading a good book. If the thought of not being able to physically hang-out with your friends or goeat at your favorite restau-rant is getting you down, hereare some shows and moviesthat will keep you entertained. If you haven’t al-ready, check out the gangsand brewing rivalries of On My Block and All American. These shows highlightthe challenges of adolescence. The drama series

Elite has also released a newseason with more dramaand mystery than ever be-fore. All my Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy fans have allthe time in the world tofinish more than 14 sea-sons of pure awesomeness. Catch up on Mon-ey Heist because part 4was realeased on April 3rd.Watch a group of thievespull off the biggest heistin history, the heist ofthe Royal Mint of Spain. Want to watch moreshows that keep you on theedge of your seat? There’snothing more suspenseful thanSpanish novelas. Take yourpick: Sin Senos Si Hay Parai-so, La Reina Del Sur, Puerta 7, Toy Boy, and Rosario Tijeras. Crime, romance,drug cartels, and murder mys-teries will keep you occu-pied during self-isolation.Reality TV shows like The Circle, Love is Blind, and Back with the Ex are trend-ing Netflix originals that willdefinitely keep you dis-tracted for a while. Love is Blind is

#5onNet-

flix’s top 10 shows in theU.S.It’sanexperimentwheresinglestrytofallinlove--withouteverseeing each other face-to-face. Canemotional connec-tion beat a physical attraction?Find out if love is really blind. If you’ve even got-ten tired of that blood redNet-flix logo popping up on yourTV screen, Hulu offers somemovies and shows that Net-flix doesn’t, but be preparedto sit through commercials. If watching mov-ies isn’t really your thing,there are still plenty ofthings you can do at home. FaceTimeyourfriends,play iMessage games, playboard games with your sib-lings, go on Snapchat and Ins-tagram for the 17th time today. Download TikTokand you will be watching vid-eos for hours. As long as youhave an internet connection,you can keep yourself en-tertained. Staying home canget a little boring at times,but stay strong and stay safe.

Skincare:AMomenttoIndulge

With everyone at home due to the COVID-19 in-duced quarantine, there is no better way to pamper oneself and pass time than skincare. As a sect of self-care, skincare is what it sounds like: the upkeep of one’s skin, with particular attention to the face. When considering one’s skincare routine, it’s im-portant to consider your skin type, and any concerns you may have. Here is a short guide to skincare for every skin type: The BasicsFirst, if you use makeup, don’t ever sleep with makeup on — and always make sure that, if you use wipes or other products to remove your makeup, the products are non-alcohol based. Second, stay hydrat-ed. Drinking water is a step that many usually overlook, but the reality is that yes, staying hydrat-ed does help — and overall, hy-dration is universally beneficial. Besides removing make-up and hydration, another ba-sic is moisturizing — even

for people with oily skin. Moistur-

ByKaylaCheung@KaylaCheung3

ization is simply important be-cause without it one’s skin may feel dehydrated or even more oily. In addition, mois-turization has mild anti-aging benefits. You can also buy moisturizers that have sun-screen, because using sunscreen —regardless of weather—pre-vents premature aging and skin cancer caused by UV rays. Choosing The Right ProductsBuying what’s best for your skin can sometimes be difficult, so you need to “sur-vey” your own skin before buy-ing anything. You need to look for skin concerns such as dry-ness, oiliness, and discoloration. Of course, once you identify where exactly your skin lays, don’t necessarily seek the most expensive products on the market because skin-care really isn’t about emptying your pockets for a clear skin. Buying sample size items (which right now you can order through different online sites to continue social distancing) to test different products is a smart way to not splurge too much (in some cases), and if you don’t like the

product much then it’s still less-re-grettable than buying a full-size. When purchasing new products after already trying some, pay attention to the in-gredients too. Buying products with similar ingredients to your go-to’s can, in some cases,

prevent some disap-pointment with

the item’s performance. Now, there are some ingredients that should just be avoided at all costs, such as parabens and aluminum. Both ingredients have been

shown to contribute to hormone im-

balances by d i s r u p t i n g

endocrine f u n c t i o n with artifi-cial estro-g e n - l i k e p r o p -e r t i e s . M i n -eral oil s h o u l d also be a v o i d -

Whilemostpeopleacrosstheglobecontinuetosocialdistance,socialmediahasbecomeacriticalmediumforstayingconnected.

Skincareisnojoke.Findthebestproductssuitedforyourskinandstartanewroutineinquarantine.Adob

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March/April, 2020B4 B5The Harbinger The Harbinger March/April, 2020

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Theshortweekofspringbreak calls for abundant activ-ities to attend with friends and family.But, there isonespecificlocation that all South Floridi-ans just can’t miss this upcom-ing break: Burr’s Berry Farm. This roadside farmstand is open annually fromDecember to May and ispopularized for their local-ly-grown strawberries, shakes,snacks, jams, and jellies. At this point in theseason, you can take pictureswith sunflowers, sit on a picnictable, drink a delicious milk-shake, or even pick strawber-ries from nine to five P.M. ev-ery Monday through Sunday.

The variety of ac-tivities available on this farmis also limitless for all ages. It ranges from afarm-like playground foryoung kids, a sunflower fieldfor Instagram selfies and stationed tractors for teens to explore, and a sitting areafor adults to be able to sit,watch, and drink their shakes. If one wants to takethe feel of the farm home withthem, they can grab a basketpick their own strawberries orgrab a car key to cut off somesunflowers straight from Burr’sBerry’sfieldforjustasmallfee. With this, it’s safe to say that they offer more thanjust eventful activities, butgreat snacks and shakes aswell. They sell strawber-ry, chocolate, vanilla, pineap-

Burr'sBerryFarm—ADelight

ByJaylynGonzalez@jaylyn_gonzalez

ple, key lime pie, cappuccino,and cookies & cream shakes,while their snacks assortfrom strawberry shortcakesand Belgian waffles to hotdogs and nacho & cheese. There is also the op-tion of buying fresh produce(produced at their farm),like peppers, kale, orang-es, tomatoes, and onions. As well as a recentaddition of a window serv-ing fresh-pressed juice for a healthy refresh-ment during your visit. Some combina-tions include kale-apple-car-rot, cucumber-apple-basil,and apple-strawberry-lime. Taking a pit stop atBurr’s Berry Farm this weekof spring break is a sweet op-portunity one can’t miss.

StigmatizedCreativityBySamanthaJimenez

@SammyJ1003

Why don’t you studysomethingthatwillgetyouarealjob? Will that get you money? Wouldn’t you rath-er have a more stable ca-reer like a doctor or lawyer? Chances are, if youhave ever brought up any in-terest that isn’t your typi-cal office job or notoriouslygood-paying job, then you’veheard these statements before. It has been an issue for decades,andthecommonphraseofa“realjob”hasalwaysexcludedyour out-of-the-ordinary careers. Without a set payday, there is no way thatyou’ll succeed— at least thatis what we grew up thinking. The fear our parentshad of us diving into a careerwith a seemingly uncertain fu-turemade them turn us towardsmore stable jobs, but it’s growninto a bigger issue of having norespect for those who may beconsidering these “risky” paths. Pursuing these artisticpassionsoftentakesmoretimeandmoreluck,there’snodenyingthat. However, this doesn’tmeanthattheentirefieldismean-ingless. If it was, then no onewould even be considering it. “If art wasn’t anything,

thenwho designed your clothes.Whodesignedeverythingaroundyou.Everythingisaformofart,”said MLEC Commercial Artsstudent Sophie Ronella-Nuñez. And it’s not just art-ists who have to deal withthis stereotype, it’s musicians,it’s writers, it’s anyone andeveryone who wants to pur-sue a career out of the norm. Now that seniors arereceiving their acceptance let-ters and juniors are deciding on where they might gowithin the next year, ma-jors are at the forefront of these college conversations. But family expecta-tionsandthesecommonopinionsmakes it hard formany studentswhotrulyaspiretostudythearts. It is a commonmisconception that any-one who is interested in the arts is shooting for stardom. Noteveryartloverwantsto be the next Van Gogh, andnot every dancer wants to landa job at Radio CityMusicHall. There are endlesspossibilities with careers inart, music, or even writing—without ending up home-less like everyone envisions. “There’s always a waytofindartasacareer,it’sjustthatmanyartistsdon’tpursuethatas-pectofit.Becauseyesyoucanbeanartistas inyoudraw,butyou

canalwaysbecome,forexample,agraphicdesigner—it’sthesameskills,” said MLEC Commer-cial Arts student Andy Suarez. Careers take time, en-ergy, and of course luck. Itseems like we focus on the

failure in the arts and the suc-cess rate of every other career. It creates this unnec-essary stigma against it and sin-gles out the arts in particular.Yes, it’s a difficult and compet-itive field, but isn’t every field

likethat?Beingadoctordoesn’tcomesoeasyeither. Any path that onewants to take is bound to haveit’s obstacles, some harderthan others, but it shouldn’tstop someone from pursuing it.

NotYourAverageBobaTeaChainByGabriellaLicona

@gxbriellaaaa_

While it is true thatwe all need to socially dis-tance this does not meanthat we have to stop crav-ing the foods we love

or trying new things. Many restaurants dodelivery and pick up, and tobreakennuiandmonotony,spic-ingourfoodsupabitisexactlywhatmany need—and if youlike Boba tea, Zero Degrees isthe perfect food joint for you.

Zero Degrees is anAsian-Hispanic infused fastfood joint in Davie, specializ-ing in exotic boba tea flavors. Miami is known forgetting creative with theirspices and Zero Degreesis no stranger to the trend.

Zero Degrees isknown for its cultural cuisinethat serves plates of carne asa-da with a side of Taiwanese popcorn chicken— soyes, it is a whole cultur-al fest with this food joint. Guests can enjoy avariety of classic Americanmeals like wings and fries,or spice up their plates withcurry fried chicken and othermeals from around the world. Unlike common coffeeand tea restaurants in Florida,Zero Degrees has introduceda new Hispanic and Asianmix with their mangonadas. With signature milkteas and fruity-flavored bobaadd-ins, the restaurant features Mexican tang with mangoshaved-iceandtamarindblends. A popular drink cus-tomers have purchased is thetropical flavored horchatas. Horchata is asweet foreign drink thatoriginated in Honduras, con-sistingof rice, cinnamon,milk,and sugar. At Zero Degrees,the specialty can be served

with infused strawber-ries or in its original form. As part of their Asianinfused drinks, the culturaljoint has more than boba tea. Many of their cus-tom milkshakes consist oflychee or green tea, pop-ular Asian flavors. Guests who have or-dered the pink lychee slushwithbobafindittobeanunusu-al but enjoyable combination.Zero Degrees is the newtrendy joint in Floridawhere guests can pick anastonishing mix of drinksor order a split cup to gettwo separate combinations. In respect to theAsian and Hispanic culture,Zero Degrees simply features different traditional and non-traditional cuisine that Mi-ami residents will enjoy. So, if you can,order or if you wouldrather wait for things to subside, then make sure tospicy it up and try out ZeroDegrees for yourself oncesocial distancing is over.

MenDeserveMoreRecognition

Art,oneofthemanycreativeoutletspeoplelikeAndySuarezparticipatein,isoftenputdownbythepublic--especiallyifonewantstomakeacareeroutofit.

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Thisisfoodchainisunlikeanyother,specializinginboba,smoothiesandhotsnacks;you’lldefinitelybewantingmore.

AtBurr’sBerryFarmyoucanpickthefreshest,sweeteststrwberriesandenjoyamultitudeofsmallattractions.

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ByLuisMila@LuisMila

ByAngelyPeña@angelypena06

&

Menare theepitomeofpower and they deserveamonth for themselves,they have created wars,sparked revolutions,developed laws, andall for a better cause— such a progressive sexcalls for celebration. “ W o m e n ’ sHistory Month ‘’ con-gratulates the progressof women that soci-ety believes to be “im-portant”. What has thefeminist movement ac-complished anyway? It has changed women’s suffrage, pro-vided greater accessto education, moreequitable pay withmen, revolutionizeddivorce proceedings,individual choices inregards to pregnan-cy, and has garneredrespect for their own bodies. Basically, the feministmovement hasn’t done much,nothing too important that is. On the contrary, itwas men who have foundedand developed countries, es-tablished extensive, detailedlegal codes, created religions

and distinctive social structures, defended the interest of the nations they’ve lead—and that’s what’s most important. Men have the incredi-ble ability to take advantage ofcountless women of all ages,and the potential to change

the world for the better of thepatriarchy they’re running Every 24 minutes,there’s a victim of rape, phys-ical violence, or stalking, mostly comprised ofmenagainstwomen. Over 80% ofhigh frequency victims are

women and 82% of domes-tically abused women weremurdered by their partner. Not only have menmanaged to develop a gen-dered economy, social structure, and job force, but crime too—congrats.

But obviously, a monthis far too long to recognize thefemale sex that only got theright to vote in the land of thefree nearly a century ago, incontrast tomenwho have right-fully possessed that right sincethe beginning of timeand have dominated soci-

ety - using their power to opressothers–itsjustwhatmendo. Women have parad-ed with their breasts out for #FreeTheNipple, fought againstoppressive employers that ha-rassed them with #MeToo, andshared their stories of sexual

assault online to providesolace for others with#WhyIDidn’tReportandWomen-sRealityonTwitterandInstagram.On the other hand, men pop-ularized femicide, killinga woman or a girl on thesole account of her gender –and hyped it throughout Lat-

in America and the Caribbean,where in 2018, 3,529 cas-es of femicide were reportedaccording to Global Amer-icans—let’s all clap to that.More than half of all wom-en feel safe being outside atnight, and to the other half, it’s

probably in their head. Afterall, only65% of women hadexperienced harass-ment in the street ac-cording to Stop StreetHa r a s smen t—w h i c h isn’t even that much.And it’snot likehumantrafficking – where 72%of all trafficked victimsarewomen–hasreachedits highest point in thir-teen years: from fewerthan 20,000 tomore than 25,000.Men you have done itagain, constantly rais-ingthebarforeveryone.Men have done a lot. They’ve de-fendedtheirlands,definedsociety,builtcivilizationsfromthegroundup,pro-vided for their families.Their fall from

grace is inevitable, and it hasgiven a rise to a new, pow-erful force to be reckonedwith, women. Women are resil-ient, fierce, proud, formidable. They’re here forchange, and they’re not will-ing to take no for an answer,especially because of a man.

Luis

Mila

DuringthemonthofMarch,werecognizeoutsandingandexceptionalwomen.Sincethebeginningofhumanexistencewe’vepraisedmen—butsure,theydeserveamonth.

FOODIE FINDSMarch/April, 2020C6 D7The Harbinger The Harbinger March/April, 2020

EDITORIAL

MLEC’S Harbinger staff pledges to: Publish articles that will not dis-parage any individual and will not interfere with the rights of pri-vacy. We publish this newspaper for the student body, faculty, andcommunity members. No articles will convey bias or be based onpersonal motives. We will not take credit for the work and publica-tion of others. Any opinions expressed in this publication are not nec-essarily those of the faculty and administration but rather those ofthe newspaper staff and its editors. MLEC’s Harbinger is intended toinform, entertain, and communicate to the public in an open forum.

NeydaBorgesAdviser

AbigailCastroCo-Editor-In-Chief

DevinDubonCo-Editor-In-Chief

KhimmoyHudsonAssistant News Editor

SamanthaJimenezLayout and Design Editor

Web MasterCopy Editor

KrystalAlverioPhoto Editor

Layout and Design Editor

LuisMilaCopy Editor

MichelleMairenaWeb Master

JaylynGonzalezCopy Editor

Business Manager

RoxanaCasanuevaMarketing Director

DanielGonzalezIIIPhoto Editor

Publication Policy

StaffStaff Writers

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AndresCruz

AileenDelgado

AjmaanieDort

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AngelyPeña

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FloridaSchoolsExpectedtoRemainClosed

Institutional closure inall of Florida solidified Sundayafternoon, after state Gov. RonDeSantis announced the contin-uation of online learning for theremainingschoolyear.Panicsub-merges communities, educationis disrupted—and as institutionslook for guidance, there is littleclarityonwhentheycanreopen. Current hazardous con-ditions show no endgame in thecomingmonths.NancyMesson-nier, the director of CDC’s Na-tional Center for Immunizationand Respiratory Diseases, con-firmedthatthediseasewouldcon-tinuetobeactiveuntil2021.“Asthetrajectoryoftheoutbreakcon-tinues, many people in the U.S.willatsomepoint,eitherthisyearornext,getexposedtothisvirus,”she stated in a media briefing. Still,somepartsofFlor-idaare reported tobeoneof theleastaffectedcountiesinthestate.Opposingcommentatorsquestionthe need to extend school shut-downs into summer vacation asitwouldunreasonablyholdbacksocietal production as a whole. But, under the cur-rent dire circumstances, where

the United States bargainsone of the highest numbers ofCOVID-19 cases in the world,students should not have to re-turn to school for the year. Do-ingsowouldendangertheyouth,all the while stimulating riskfactors for the general public. There is no doubt that the virus has affected all sec-tors of this state and the numer-ically minimal cases in certainareas alone would constitute toa greater exponential growthboth in and out of a particularjurisdiction. Regardless of howlittle of an impact the corona-virus has left on certain parts ofthis state, fatal circumstanceswould eventually catch up withthe entire Floridian population. More than that, schoolsareoneoftheworstplacestobeduringapandemic.Byswitchingeducation to online courses, theadministration finalized a deci-sionthatwouldcloselyensurethesafety of thousands and reducethe flying rates of disease trans-missionforanentirecommunity. Children are eminenttransmitters for infections andare always in contact with eachother throughout the day. Oncethey confront viral transmis-

sion, theycanpass iton to theirfamilies who, in turn, couldpass it on to neighbors, friends,and all those that they regular-ly encounter on a daily basis. Southeast Florida—par-ticularly Miami-Dade, Broward,and Palm Beach—are vectorsfortheinfectiousvirusinastate-wide comparison. Miami-DadeCounty exhibits over 9,460 cas-es,leadingFloridawiththemostpositive coronavirus case testsby approximately 35%, whilesporting a total of 215 reporteddeaths. The big plan is to flat-ten the curve but forsaking so-cial distancing standards couldbe disastrous in the long term. Companies are devel-opingvaccinesatahistoricpace

with the help of technologicalevolution. Although one is cur-rently in the making to combatCOVID-19, the procedure willextendup to18months to reachthe finish line. The population,blind to infants, teenagers, andadults,will remainvulnerable tothiscontagiousillnessuntilthen. Unforeseen situations call for a great deal of changes.Unless school leaders can de-velop a strategic framework thatminimizes the liability to viralexposure on campus, openingthe gateswould simplydomoreharmthangood.Advancingshut-downsandlimitingsocialcontactis anefficientprecautionarysteptohaltthischainofdispersalandslow down the risk of infection.

Times like these, whenapandemictranspiresabruptly,iswhentechnologyhitsthepeakofitspurpose:tobeinnovative,effi-cient,andproductive.Machineryandgadgetshavemadeitpossibletostayconnectedfromhomeandlearnthroughvirtualclasses.Cur-riculumsmaynotcontinueasusu-al, but online coursework offersmorefreedomthanatfacevalue—it assures safety and flexibility. Itisimportanttounder-stand the nature of assignments,exams, and academic readiness—allarenegotiable.Butthewel-fareofhumanlifeisnot.Return-ingtoschoolisnotworththeun-derlying riskofgettingperfectlyhealthy individuals caught intothe web of this novel disease.

By Fabiha Faruque@FabihaFaruque

Openingschoolsadmistapandemicisnottherightchoice.

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DearJuniors,ByYasmineMezawi@yasxminee_x3

DearJuniors, The world isn’tending, but junior year is.As the nation enters a shockwave during these unprecedent-ed times, students are foundstruggling through the ropes ofonline classes.Yet, the class of2021isfoundtobetheonesim-pacted the most—academically.As college entrance exams arecanceled nationwide and thethought of entering one’s finalyear peaks through, stress lev-elsaregoingthroughtheroof.Ayear filled with financial strug-gles, college applications, andthose last few tries to secure animpressive transcript awaits.Yet,noonecouldhavepreparedfortheunexpected—sothisyearwouldbedifferent,tosaytheleast. Worryingdoesnogoodand harping on something withno control is useless. Instead,geta jump-start intosenioryearwith goals instead of doubts. Before even enteringsenioryear,juniorsshouldfocuson perfecting their SAT/ACTscoreinordertostarttheyearoffstrong.Although exams are be-ing rescheduled, instead of pro-crastinatingonecanusetheextratimetoperfecttheirstrengths.Itispreferredtotaketheserigorousexamsneartheendofjunioryear,rather than the beginning of the collegeapplicationseason.How-ever,thisisnolongeranoption. Although the scoredoes not define a student, itgivescollegesaglimpseat their

potential and ismeant to negatethe last four years of a student.Studying now may be harderbecause contact tutoring is no longer an option. But, takingtimed practice exams, workingon Khan Academy’s SAT/ACTsites, and even setting face-time calls with friends to reachout for help can go a longway. Other than testing, ju-niors are found struggling tocreate the perfect resume whensummerinternships/programsarebeingcanceled.Someoftheseareshifting remotely to online plat-forms. But as of now, the widemajority have nomeans to, thusreducing a student’s chance of developing impressive summeractivitiesthroughtheseprograms. Even with this setback,there are still ways to becomeinvolved from home. One canreachout to local businesses forinternship—benefitting both theemployer and intern. This in-ternship can involve catalogingtheir monthly goals or learninghowtodopaperworkinthatfield(providing minimal physicalcontact during these times).On-

line summer programs are alsoharder to find, but researchinga few more that have remainedopen and are virtual can help. Allofthisgoesintotheprocessofbuildingaroundedstu-dentsresumetothenbeginthecol-lege application process. Hoursof erasing and rewriting, decid-ingwhatcollegetoapplyto,andfocusing on becoming an adultsoon, college applications takesa big toll on one’s senior year. Entering senior yearwithalistofcollegestoorganizeand apply proves to be a hecticprocess itself. While research-ingcolleges, focusonwhat theyhave to offer—both academical-ly and financially. Get in con-tact with representatives or paststudents to receive insights onreal campus life.A quick searchcan spark a fire of creativityand get one in the flow ofwrit-ing for their essays to come.Junior year isn’t easy and se-nior year isn’t any easier.Academically hectic, men-tally frantic, it’s worth itto start senior year with aleap rather than a mere step.

Junioryearmayhavecometoanabruptend,butyouracademicjourneyhasn’t.Stayingpreparedandmaintainingyourcurriculumwillkeepyoumentallyinshapeforwhenwereturn.Ya

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