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Tess

Greendale Middle School, Wisconsin

Let's start from the beginning; it was a perfect Friday. I loved it. I was in my last class of the day, all excited to go home and excited for the weekend. The principal told everyone to go to their homerooms and sit in their seats so our teachers could explain everything. We went to our classroom, but when we got to the doors, the teachers gave us hand sanitizer and told us to go to our seats immediately and no touching friends. I sat down and asked my best friend what was going on. She told me she had no idea. Kids kept saying that there was a virus going around, but I didn't believe them because there is so much that people lie about.

The teacher closed the door. I looked around to see if we were in danger. It seemed like there was nothing. Now we know the hidden danger was all around us. The principal came back on the speaker and told everyone that we would not be coming back to school for a while. I was so excited because I thought it was like an extra added on summer days. But no, this wasn’t something to be excited about. Our teacher told us that they didn’t know if they would see us later that year. There was a virus that was going on around the world and everyone needed to be as careful as possible. This was when I got terrified.

I told my best friend to text me all the time and Facetime me to stay in contact. I still had a million questions in my head, but it was not the time to ask. They told us to go to our lockers and take some school stuff for our regular classes. The bell rang, and my best friend and I walked in a daze. We were talking about being scared and our fears. As we walked around school everyone was super serious. When I said goodbye, it was the most extended goodbye I have ever had in my life. I said a long slow goodbye but had no idea how long that goodbye would have to last.

© Tess. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.

    Tags:

  • Education
  • Friendship and Kindness