This past summer was not a normal summer. COVID-19 made many changes to students’ summer plans, vacations, and activities. Finding other things to do may have been hard, but once they were found this summer was better than most originally thought. 

Having fun this summer was the main focus of many students. They needed a way to interact with others and do what was best for them. People want to stay safe to protect themselves and high risk family members, which caused changes to previously made plans. Two months of sitting at home would be awful, so getting out and being active would help. 

“I faced the challenge of having to stay inside and find alternatives to running with other people. I decided that training was the best thing I could do this summer,” sophomore athlete Joselin Figueroa explained. 

Figueroa is a runner on the Ripon High cross country team. Since team practices had been cancelled, she had to find a way to continue to train for the upcoming season. Running was the perfect pastime for the cross country athlete. 

“Even with the virus I still had a great summer. There weren’t many places to go because of the establishment closures, but my friends and I went to the lake, park, and other outdoor areas,” stated junior Brody McDaniel. 

Indoor business closures have been an issue with Covid-19 and summer activities. The closing businesses are where people go to have fun during the summer, but plans were cancelled because of the closings.  Finding a way to spend time outdoors safely was a big part of the struggles when it came to doing different things in the summer. Seeing families and friends outside was a common occurrence around the city. 

“Summer was amazing and extremely fun. I had a great time, even with the new virus,” sophomore Kacie Johnson said.