Yoonjeong Yang’24
While St. Mark’s has been imposing strict guidelines on campus to ensure the safety of the community, they ironically give rise to some overlooked “side effects.” Many students have expressed that due to the rigid enforcement of new policies, they feel quite pressured, apprehensive, isolated, and overly restricted by the strict rules. Some go so far as to say that they are disappointed by school life because it is starkly different from what they had looked forward to. While students do recognize the importance of taking responsibility in fostering a safe community, such emotions are equally valid and worth of discussion.
One major policy at St. Mark’s that has emerged from the pandemic is the mask mandate. All students are expected to have, at least, a seven-day supply of masks. Further, there are specific “expectations” for these masks– they must be machine-washable, be dryable without damage to the shape of the mask, fit snugly on the wearer’s face, and the list goes on. Students are required to wear masks (covering the entire nose and mouth) at all times on campus with a few exceptions of spaces like dorm rooms. The next policy is that of social distancing. In classrooms, students must sit at designated– again, the list goes on. Many more guidelines and routines are to be found on the school homepage, not to mention the Boardingware temperature and symptom checks which in-person students have to fill out every single morning. These routines can surely be exhausting, even if we all know that they are necessary.
I recently felt the harshness of the new policies first-hand, when I was forced to quarantine at the Annex Health Center due to a headache I had. Even though the only symptom I was displaying was a headache, which was probably caused by the recent cold weather, the nurse isolated me in a single room for the entire day while I waited for the result of my COVID test. To be honest, I was not pleased with being stuck inside this room with nearly nothing but a couple of items received from the nurses. At the same time, I understood that the staff was deeply concerned about my well-being. As I spent the day quarantined at health services, I came to understand the importance of the school’s strict guidelines, appreciating their role in keeping every member of our community safe and also realizing how much danger I could expose others to if these guidelines did not exist.
The rules may seem like a lot. Keeping up with academics and sports at school is already a lot, and to have all these added guidelines can surely be stressful. However, when students recognize that the safety of our community depends on our hands, these guidelines may not necessarily feel easier but rather come as more meaningful.
After all, living in a community means looking out for the welfare of others. St. Mark’s is a small community, and that also means that the actions of each individual matter much more. There are still students who do not follow the new rules as much as they should. I have witnessed students who wear their masks only halfway or do not bother to social distance. Not only can this impose danger on others, but is also extremely unfair to those who are following the rules despite the discomfort. “It bothers me seeing people not wearing masks properly,” Anaya Strong ’24 expressed. Anaya is not alone in thinking this way. We all understand how difficult it is to have to adhere to these strict guidelines. We all want to enjoy school life and socialize with our friends. However, this pandemic has presented our community with a new reality, and we have come to know that safety and socializing are both possible under the school’s guidelines.
These are difficult times, but we must remember that the entire world is dealing with this pandemic. Compared to countless others around the world, we are fortunate to live in a community that is safe and cares about its members. Even though the new rules may initially seem strict, they really are not that unreasonable when we consider the alternative of fighting against the deadly virus. As a community, it is our responsibility to make sure that our community is safe and secure. If that means wearing a mask, then so be it. If that means socially distancing, fine. As St. Markers explore the feelings of frustration and loneliness that are natural to emerge during the year of pandemic, hopefully they too will come to understand the significance of their actions even more, just as I did.
