Quarantine – Through the eyes of senior student Abbey Duncan

Hi everyone! My name is Abbey Duncan and I am a senior at Mountain Ridge High School. I’ve been taking classes at MCCA for six years including tap and jazz. That means six years of rehearsals, performances, memories and growth. Due to the current situation involving the Coronavirus, my last semester of classes at MCCA has been interrupted. Not only those classes, but my senior year of high school and extracurriculars, as well. Because of everything happening in our country and around the world, we all are suddenly finding ourselves searching for and adjusting to a new normal.

At this time last year, I was performing my school’s spring show, preparing for finals and prom, and working on my showcase numbers. I remember thinking how much I couldn’t wait for next spring. I was excited for my senior show, my last showcase, my senior prom, my high school graduation, and everything in between. Now, I find myself completing my senior year online, unsure of what the future may hold. I am not going to lie, I am upset. I am annoyed that I spend my day staring at a computer screen instead of spending time with my friends. I am annoyed that my senior prom will be in my backyard with a few people standing six feet away. I am anxious because my freshman orientation was cancelled and is now an online program. I am angry that I might be mailed my high school diploma instead of walking across the stage and being handed a document after twelve years of working like crazy. I am worried because my future hangs in the balance of whether this virus goes away or not.

Even though I am upset, I have to stop and think about what I could gain. I will be attending Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina. I am beyond excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to start that new chapter of my life. Right now, I am getting to spend quality time with my sisters and parents, something I am going to miss when I move out. And that is why I am learning to be thankful for this time to slow down from the madness of life. The last four or so years have been complete chaos and I have loved each and every chaotic moment, but time like this is rare and how we choose to spend it is up to us. Watch some movies, play some games, read some books, maybe even learn something you’ve always wanted to learn, like another language or some dance move, but ultimately use this time wisely.

I am grateful that our government is taking this seriously and is working to protect us. I worry for those out there who have contracted the disease and are suffering. However, we should all be using this time to be with our families. And we may even grow from this experience, if we choose to accept it. What’s important right is taking care of each other, while, of course, staying six feet away.