By Kyra Ceryanek

The coronavirus has demanded physical distance in many social situations, but people have taken on the challenge of finding new ways to forge connections.

In particular, some students who have had parts of their school life taken away have found ways to rise above being sucked into defeat.

“This whole thing has taught me to treat challenges like opportunities to try new things and do things differently,” said Meryl Phair, who will be a senior at Mount Holyoke College in the fall.

Phair was the captain this past spring of the lacrosse team which adapted its usual team dinners into Zoom team dinners, eating together and playing team games even though they weren’t physically together.

Phair, who is the incoming senior captain of the cross country team, has helped start biweekly discussions over what’s going on in the world. She believes that by having Zoom meetings to discuss a podcast, book, or article about a recent event, the team will get the opportunity to better educate themselves and to be better citizens of their campus and community.

Rianna Massoni, who is a recent graduate of Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, said that coronavirus has given her the time and ability to form relationships with people she wouldn’t normally have the chance to.

“Now because everything is online, everything is at the touch of our fingertips. It’s a lot easier to reach people that I normally wouldn’t have” Massoni said.

Massoni is a part of Wachusett’s Model United Nations and Mock Trial clubs, and she said that coronavirus has brought the club’s members much closer together. With more time on their hands, members take part in text message discussions about current events, things going on in their lives, and just regular check ins.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned from these times is that it isn't hard to reach people even if they're not right in front of you all the time,” Massoni said.