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Caption: 2020: A Homestead perspective
By: Maura Whitaker
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Caption: First Infection. Riding her bicycle on an abandoned street, a citizen of Wuhan, China, travels down the road wearing a protective face mask to keep herself safe from coronavirus. The outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China, on Dec. 31, 2019. This would mark the beginning of a year full of strife and challenge. Photo by Edwin Remsberg
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Caption: Preparing for Battle. Suiting up in protective gear, nurses and doctors get ready to go treat coronavirus patients in a United States hospital. Photo by Pascal Bachelet
Caption: After spreading rapidly in Wuhan, China, the first COVID-19 case was reported in the United States on Jan. 20, 2020 in the state of Washington. “I wanted to know more about it. It was all new and I knew that there wasn’t much information available. I was worried about the safety of the students, staff, and families,” Mequon-Theinsville School District (MTSD) Nurse Jessica Jost said.
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Caption: First Shut-Down. The abandoned Homestead parking lot sits in silence on a Saturday morning, reminiscent of the months it spent empty during quarantine. Photo by Maura Whitaker
Caption: On March 16, 2020, the Mequon-Theinsville School District shut down due to a rise in coronavirus cases in the community. “I was most concerned for our students, staff members, and their families. Education in our schools in the programming that comes with it are paramount to the quality of our community and our society. Even in the midst of the confusion associated with the school closure, my team and I immediately engaged to craft plans, provide emergency remote learning opportunities, feed children in our community, and to support families,” MTSD Superintendent of Schools Dr.Matthew Joynt said.
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Caption: Quarantine Extension. The Wisconsin state government gathers in the Capitol building to discuss lengthening the stay-at-home order to protect its citizens against COVID-19. Photo by James Steinberg
Caption: On April 16, 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers extended the stay-at-home order until May 24, officially cancelling the possibility of returning to in-person learning for Homestead students. “I was shocked. “But I was still happy that we didn’t have to go back to school,” Aidan Grant, freshman, said on not returning to school for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.
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Caption: Graduation Day. Posing for photos, a smiling senior receives her diploma after years of hard work. Photo by VIP Photography
Caption: After being postponed twice, the class of 2020 finally had their graduation ceremony on July 18, 2020 on the Homestead football field. “Receiving the diploma was a great feeling. Like a closing of a chapter so we could all move on to what we had planned next,” class of 2020 alumna Mackenzie Horne said.
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Caption: School Begins Virtually. The Zoom login page has become a very familiar sight to Homestead students this school year. Photo by Maura Whitaker
Caption: Starting on Sept. 1, 2020, Homestead students logged into their virtual classes for a week before going in-person. “I approached the 2020-2021 school year with cautious optimism as there was still very little information being made available to school leaders to inform decisions and decision-making. That said, I was optimistic and thankful to be working with a team in our school district that took a detailed and thorough approach to providing our families with options of on-campus and distance learning,” Superintendent Dr. Joynt said.
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Caption: In-Person Resumes. Sitting behind plastic dividers, in-person students in Señora Lauber de Garza’s Spanish class work with their online classmates. Photo by Maura Whitaker
Caption: On Sept. 8, 2020, students who opted for in-person learning returned to school for the first time since March. “I was a bit nervous about in person classes in the beginning. I knew that we had great mitigation strategies in place, but was unsure how it would all come together when we actually had students in the buildings. The pandemic planning team did great work to make sure everyone would be safe,” Nurse Jost said.
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Caption: First Positive Student. Plastic dividers separate students in the Homestead cafeteria to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Photo by Maura Whitaker
Caption: On Sept. 12, 2020, Homestead families were notified by administration of the first student who tested positive for COVID-19. “My brother had a loss of taste and smell and a small headache, but I was asymptomatic,” a student whose family contracted coronavirus said.
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Caption: Second Shut-Down. The Highlander Walkway sits deserted, similar to how it was while students learned from home. Photo by Maura Whitaker
Caption: Due to reports of over 10 students testing positive over the weekend of Oct. 24, 2020, school administration decided it was best for Homestead to switch to online learning for two weeks. “The health and well-being of our students, staff members, families, and the community is a priority in the Mequon-Theinsville School District, and closing our schools was something we had to do to support efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” Superintendent Dr. Joynt said on the decision of closing schools.
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Caption: First Vaccines. Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company continues to work hard to end the pandemic. Photo by Dan Kitwood
Caption: On Dec. 11, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration of the United Stares gave emergency use approval to Pfizer to distribute their COVID-19 vaccine, soon followed by the approval of Moderna company’s vaccine. “I feel good about the vaccines. I think in order to get life somewhat back to normal we will need to do this,” Nurse Jost said.