Like many students across Texas and the country, Kingwood Mustangs find themselves under quarantine. They are either keeping themselves busy such as staying active, remaining in contact with friends and family just so they can stay out of their place of boredom. This has definitely been a crazy time for Mustangs needing to adjust to online learning, but I wanted to look on the brighter side of things. I became interested in knowing about what Mustangs are learning or appreciating during this period of time and noticed that students are starting to learn and appreciate things that were unappreciated. As people read this article, I hope they realize the same things in life. I took some time on asking students from each grade level a few questions.

Everyone was asked to answer the following questions:

“What have you gained during this time in quarantine & social distancing?”

“What do you hope we all learn or take away from this experience?”

SENIORS:

Grace Todd

1. “ This extra time during quarantine has allowed me the chance to spend more time with my family and learn what is truly important in my life. Social distancing has made me realize the importance of my connection to my community, and how much friends mean to me. Overall, this has changed my perspective about many aspects of my life and made me realize that I should be more grateful for my family, health, safety, and friends.”
2. “ I hope everyone learns that we are stronger than we think. We can get through so much as long as we encourage each other to keep fighting.” 

Rachelle Wilshire

1. “ I have truly gained perspective during this period of quarantine which I did not have beforehand. I am finally able to understand that once I accept there are things beyond my control, I am able to focus on what is right in front of me. Learning this simple truth has proved that there is much to be gained from this quarantining experience. I have noticed that I am interested in the moment and finding simpler things to appreciate in each day. My family & I have each other, and we have time. Time together. And most of all, we have time to appreciate and be thankful to the Lord for what we have, not what has been taken away from us. Things return, but lives do not.”
2. “ I’m learning in this time of life to always be grateful with what is given to me. I can be so ungrateful sometimes for the blessings that we’re given to me, and I’m really starting to see that is so wrong. So I encourage everyone that life can be SO disappointing on so many levels, but as long as we are thankful with what we have NOW in front of us. Even the simplest smallest blessing should be appreciated because it was an undeserved gift from the Almighty. I hope everyone remembers to take advantage of this time because it will pass by us in a blink of an eye and we will be thrown back into the stressful routine of normal life again. We will never get this time back. Hold on to it while it’s still in reach and be thankful for it.”

JUNIORS:

Erin Doyle

1. “ During this time of social distancing, I’ve gained an appreciation for the small things in life. Whether it’s just a sweet letter from a friend or going to get ice cream, I’ve found that the small acts of joy can truly brighten someone’s day. Especially during this difficult season, I hope everyone can look on the bright side and search for the little things in life that can bring them joy.”
2. “ I hope we all learn to check in on each other more when this crisis is over. I’ve seen the world come together during this time, and friends and family taking time to stop and consider the well being of others. In a busy world, it’s easy to forget to check in on loved ones and see how they are really doing. It’s vital for us to communicate with those we love and help them in times of need. Whether it’s sending a letter for a phone call, considering others’ welfare can help create a more transparent and compassionate community around us.” 

Stephanie Kovacik

1. “ Throughout quarantine, I’ve learned lots of ways to keep me busy and I’ve learned to further appreciate everything I have in my life even more. Although I miss going out & seeing my friends dearly, I know that this predicament will all be over eventually and we will all carry on.”
2. “ I hope that we all learn to not take things for granted. So many people have suffered from loss throughout this time & it’s very important to realize what you have and appreciate it as much as possible.”

Jane Moore

1. “ During this time in quarantine, I have learned a sense of self-discipline. It is really hard to self motivate and get homework in on time, especially when our grades can’t be affected very much and we are lacking the competitive aspect of education. However, I’ve enjoyed learning more about myself and learning how I can self-motivate to get everything finished on time! It’s definitely a learning experience and something that takes time, and it has been nice having the time to work on that during quarantine.”
2. “ I hope we all learn to appreciate the time we have with our friends and family. We often take that for granted, and this experience has shown us all that one week so much can change, and our lives can be dramatically altered. I hope we start treating everyone we see with kindness and give our full attention to those we are with. It’s important to have strong relationships and community, and being stuck inside is definitely reinforcing that!”

SOPHOMORES:

Katelyn Hardy

1. “Appreciation for the little things in life that I used to take for granted.”
2. “I hope that we all learn to appreciate not only our health care workers but all of the other essential workers as well. I hope people learn to value the time with their friends and family. When people got together before this they were always on their phones so now I hope they decide to look up and enjoy the world around them.”

FRESHMEN

Emily Moore

1. “ From my time in quarantine, I’ve learned not to take school life for granted. I’ve always known getting to go to school was a privilege, but I didn’t appreciate it before. School can get stressful sometimes, but I know once we get back in the building, buried in work and extracurriculars, keeping in mind what quarantine was like will remind me to enjoy each moment.”
2. “ I hope we all learn to appreciate every moment that we have to spend with each other because we never know when things will be over.”

Alyssa Podhorsky

1. 1. “Over quarantine, I’ve gained the confidence and energy to better improve myself. I’ve      finally started working out like I’ve been wanting to, and I’m starting to improve myself and self-confidence.”
2. 2. “Hopefully we learn to cherish the time with people & friends. You never know when you’re gonna lose that. Also, I hope people are learning to do their part in order to help us get past this terrible disease.”

Based on these students’ responses, we know that each of these students are learning their way around this difficult time in quarantine. These responses can impact other people by diverting them into a different perspective on life in general. Many students are on the right track in obeying the restrictions and taking time to stop and consider the well being of others in our community. I really encourage everyone to take a moment and ask yourself these questions. I’ve realized that believing “big” is better than “small,” or “stretching to the limit” is better than “taking it easy” means you’re not being fair to yourself, you have to take advantage of the little things in life while it lasts. In this competitive world of ours, we often need to remind ourselves to pay attention to what you have done or what you have, to appreciate because in the end it can all be gone. I encourage everyone to forget about what’s gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to what’s coming next and what your future holds. We’ll get through it all in the end! You are stronger than you think! Stay healthy, Mustangs!