Under 18 during Covid 19
There are so many questions to which there are no answers yet. When will I be able to take the SAT? Will college applications be pushed back this fall? Will I get to go on college tours? Will I have a job this summer? When will I be able to hug my friends again?
I have asked myself all of these questions so many times, and every time I’m met with the same fruitless answer: I don’t know. As teenagers, we’re already living in an emotional amusement park, and riding hormonal roller coasters almost every day, and for almost three months now, our entire world has been turned upside down.
Going to school during the week (whether we liked it or not) provided structure to our lives. Sports practice, other extracurriculars, or just going home after school gave us something to look forward to at the end of day.
For some, school was a safe haven. A place to escape a chaotic home life, or even a source of food that was heavily relied on. But perhaps the most important part, and the thing that has impacted me and my friends the most, has been the social isolation. Birthdays, holidays, prom, graduation, the beginning of another summer — all of which now have to be celebrated alone. We don’t get do-overs on our 16th birthday, or our senior prom or high-school graduation.
What I’ve found to be the most common trend in the way that young people feel right now is unmotivated. And why not? No real school, no sleepovers, no teenage antics, not even a date that we can look forward to to know when this will be over. It’s bittersweet to think about the future right now, but it’s one more thing that we can do to remind ourselves that this will not last forever.
Every day is a toss-up. Sometimes it’s all too easy to succumb to feelings of loneliness and longing for normalcy. We are still adjusting to a massive social change, and that takes a very long time, especially when it’s all you’ve known for nearly 13 years.
Wake up, go to school, come home. Repeat. There may be more in between, but it’s the only daily cycle that us teenagers have had in our system. When that cycle gets broken so abruptly and you have no other experience to draw on, your brain can go into panic mode pretty quickly.
Distance learning has brought an epidemic of its own; that being the absolute soul-sucking boredom that comes with learning through a computer screen. Teachers and students alike have suffered symptoms of this illness, including stopping and starting any work about twelve times before completion, either excessive amounts or not enough sleep and the occasional recurring thought of: “I wonder what would happen if I just went into a coma …”
Personally, I am part of the crowd that has had a very difficult time with the closure of school. I miss everything about it. Like many of my friends, I found immense comfort in the hustle and bustle of the school day. I embraced the work and reveled in the breaks. I also participated in many extracurricular activities. and each of them filled me with a different kind of motivation and dedication.
It’s easy for my generation’s struggle in this pandemic to be underestimated. For a generation so interconnected through the Internet and social media, we have ways of communicating with each other that didn’t exist the last time a global pandemic struck, but that doesn’t make the absence of a hug, a kiss or even a high five any easier to handle.
We can manage a few social-distance meetings here and there, but it’s not the same. Facetime can’t always compensate for face-to-face. It’s scary to be so utterly confronted with yourself, especially when you don’t have yourself totally figured out yet. There is so much time and empty space for thought that our minds wander through infinite amounts of places, some darker than others. The best thing that we can do for ourselves as young people during this time is to try our hardest to not lose ourselves, but rather to find a little bit more of ourselves instead.
— Shayne Durkin
The writer is a 16-year-old student at Onteora High School, and this fall “I will be starting senior year. I love school, particularly English, music and Spanish. I want to attend college to become an ESL teacher. I’ve been on the editing staff of my school paper for going on two years, and I regularly write both news articles and editorials for the paper as well.”
Library’s smear tactics
I was astounded by the May 21 Woodstock special district library board meeting. A board member called people “trolls,” referring to those who voice disagreement with the board’s library tear down plan. He stated that the Woodstock Times is unlikely to make a comeback, hence the “trolls” will no longer be given a voice. To see the loss of a local paper as advantageous is repugnant. This from the people who argued that only a special district library can protect free speech! I guess their concept of free speech is limited to speech that agrees with their plans.
They questioned whether said “trolls” actually use the library. I certainly had been a frequent library user and was on the verge of volunteering when things blew up a few years ago. The Friends of the Library feel free to make personal attacks on people. One mild example: I was mocked for suggesting that Census data be used when making their library building plan. I noted an ongoing population decline since 1960, along with an increasing senior citizen demographic. A Library Friend questioned my intellectual capacity to understand Census data. That Friend then argued that Census figures are “meaningless,” that her summer walks through town show “tons” of people. While Friends make nasty remarks with impunity, if one talks back, they scream loud and long that they are being victimized.
Sensationalist accusations have been made against opponents of the tear down. These have been repeated so often, like an echo chamber, that many townspeople believe them. It’s an old, effective tactic.
By the circulation desk, in front of staff and the public, the director accused me of wanting staff to lose their jobs. I adamantly want staff to keep their jobs. Is it any wonder that I stopped frequenting the library? I’ve always delighted in libraries, full of treasure to be discovered. I miss browsing the stacks. I still pay the library tax. But now I buy used books through AbeBooks, which supports literacy programs.
I must say there have been a couple of library staff that remained impartial and helpful throughout. Cheers to them!
The board’s building committee previously noted that as a special district, they are their own jurisdiction. Hence, they do not need other government approvals when carrying out their building plans. Now they plan to build a book barn on the old laundromat site, next to the stream. They observed that the site is in a flood plain, so the foundation must be four feet high. What adverse impacts will building have on the stream?
There was discussion about the library’s recourse to remarks by those they deem “trolls.” Imagine any government entity making the argument that questioning their actions is unacceptable and perhaps punishable.
Carol Anderson
Woodstock
Teresa Thompson is running for a seat on the New Paltz School Board
My name is Teresa Thompson, and I am running for a seat on the New Paltz School Board. I have served on the New Paltz School Board for the past three years, and would be honored to serve the community, students and families of New Paltz for another three years.
I am a 30-year resident of Gardiner and a two-time graduate of SUNY New Paltz, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 1989 and a Master of Arts in English in 1996. My husband Doug and I have owned and operated the Main Street Bistro in New Paltz since 1993, and prior to this, I was employed as an advertising executive and writer at the Poughkeepsie Journal. My daughter is a New Paltz graduating high school senior this year and will be attending Salve Regina University this September, and my son is currently a junior at Ithaca College.
I am the vice-chair of the Regional Chamber of Commerce Foundation at New Paltz and also sit on the boards of the New Paltz Athletic Association, New Paltz Arts in the Schools and the New Paltz High School PTSA. In 2017, I was humbled to receive the “Excellence in Service Award” from both Senator John J. Bonacic and Ulster County Executive Michael Hein.
I am very proud of the work that our Board of Education has done these past three years, and I would love to continue this important work. Three initiatives I am most proud of during my tenure as a board trustee are the development of the New Paltz High School Wellness Center, the creation of REIAC (Racial Equity Initiative Advisory Committee) and this year, the addition of a UNIFY sports team, which will enable our special education students the amazing opportunity to participate in a varsity athletics program.
The next few years will be difficult ones for our community. We will all need to work together to ensure our students, families and residents are supported in every way possible. With probable cuts to state aid, school districts will be facing difficult decisions. Now, more than ever, our Board of Education needs to work collaboratively with our district and community leadership to ensure a healthy, safe and stable environment for our students and staff, while simultaneously being extremely mindful of the financial implications to our taxpayers.
This year’s New Paltz school budget and board of education vote will be done entirely by mail via absentee ballots. You will receive your ballot in the mail and it must be returned by Tuesday, June 9. In closing, I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy, safe and well and I look forward to seeing you around our wonderful community soon!
Teresa Thompson
Gardiner
Claudia Andreassen for Town Justice
I have worked as a mediator for several years in the Saugerties Justice Court with Judge Claudia Andreassen. In the years I’ve worked with Claudia, I have found her to be compassionate and fair with sensitivity to the challenges and situations of those who come before her. She understands the effects of her rulings on each person and thus treats all with respect. Her knowledge of the entire judicial system, developed from her past profession in the probation system, has prepared her well for her position on the bench.
I have seen her laugh with some litigants and I have seen her demonstrate the ability to handle those who are a little argumentative or unhappy with the judgment. Claudia has an earthiness, an openness, a respect of litigants and a comfort in the courtroom.
As a mediator, I’d like to put in a word for having one in the court for small claims cases. While many courts do not have mediation available, Claudia has shown her respect, support and understanding of the value of the mediation process. Of this I am grateful, since I too see the effects mediation can have on those involved….and I like doing mediation as well! With a busy court schedule, this helps take some pressure off the judge.
Claudia has been a court judge and a strong presence in the community of Saugerties. I believe with the many traits of a good judge she should again be the next town justice. I have appreciated the years I’ve worked with Claudia. I support Claudia in this endeavor. Since every vote counts, please come out and show your confidence by voting for Claudia Andreassen for Town Justice.
Arzi McKeown
Saugerties
In the minds of humans
Doctors, nurses, healthcare folks of every kind have shown their heroic importance during these times of Covid 19. Their places on the frontlines are seen by us in the media. I tell you this so you will not think what I say next is diminishing their role in our fight against the pandemic.
The veterinarian is more important to our future heath. That’s right, the vet, who takes care of our cats, dogs, cows, sheep and pigs as well as all other animals. Those who treat the animal world will most likely be the first to sort out where these pandemic viruses started. The immune systems of wild animals are often the first host. What I have heard is that the bat is possibly where the Covid 19 made its transition from animals to human animals.
What is overtly obvious to us all is that the animal kingdom is being wiped out at an alarming rate. The endangered species list is quickly becoming the extinction list. If we include insects that are being killed off by the chemical sprays we use in agriculture, the list grows much greater. Those facts are ignored by businesses, corporations, starving Third-World countries, and educated, conscious people.
The actual birth of the pandemic started in the human mind before the bio virus in wild animals. At the very point humans were able to conquer survival, a mutation began occurring in their minds. It was first noticeable when the hunter began killing more animals than he, his family and tribe could eat.
It takes only a little imagination to see where this led once we reached the industrial revolution and the animal extinction moved into full swing. Some refer to this as upsetting the natural balance of the living earth. I think what happened was humans began believing they were smarter and more deserving than all other animals, and that they should be the kings of the animal kingdom.
What we are facing today all began in the minds of humans. Therefore, the vaccines we seek today need to spiritually and morally broaden our view to include the healing of all living things, or we will be only delaying the inevitable.
So when you pet your cat or walk your dog, ask them what they think, is the vet more important than your doctor?
Larry Winters
New Paltz
Win a Woodstock election
Have a write-in candidate, who did not have sufficient time to conduct a proper campaign, as your opponent.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Vote for Claudia Andreassen in the June 23 primary
I support Claudia Andreassen for Saugerties Town Judge. She has many years of experience on the bench. She is a kind, caring and thoughtful person. I thankfully have never been on the other side of the bench when Judge Andreassen was presiding, but one of my children was for a speeding ticket. My child said that in the courtroom Judge Andreassen was personable and easy to talk to. She did not make my child feel like a criminal, rather that they were the only person in the court. We need this type of professionalism in our Town Court. If you are able, please vote for Claudia in the June 23 primary. Experience counts.
Mike MacIsaac
Saugerties
Please wear a mask
To everyone who is out in public, say taking a walk on the fabulous Ashokan rail-trail and not wearing a mask, here is what you ought to know.
My mother died from the coronavirus. She was in a nursing home and one of her care workers came in contact with someone out in the public who was infected and wasn’t wearing a mask. You do know that’s how this virus spreads — people who are infected and don’t know it are out in public without a mask spreading it to people caring for the most vulnerable and susceptible to this illness.
And for those not wearing masks for political reason, to make a statement, the people you are helping kill are actual people. They were born and lived long lives and have lifetimes of memories, friends and loved ones to cherish for as long as possible.
People not accepting or understanding this is what killed my mom, who was healthy and had no major health issues other than mobility and may have had another good ten years . Please wear a mask when out in public.
Glenn Kreisberg
Woodstock
High-quality broadband
Many of us in Ulster County have observed our own school-age children and college students or have been listening to neighbors and friends weigh in on how their kids have fared the past two months with the abrupt, Covid-forced distance learning from schools.
Some students — mostly independent, highly motivated learners — have prospered academically, at least. Others, whose skills and inclinations suggest they need social and supportive arrangements in schools to succeed, might have struggled with the online lessons our admirable educators have created in short order. Nationally, we’re having critical debates about the extent to which online learning can or should be woven into future K-12 classes and about the tuition charges higher education should demand for off-campus semesters.
These debates are moot for the many families whose neighborhoods and regions are poorly served by broadband. These students without a quality Internet connection are doomed to fall behind their more privileged peers.
Fortunately, Ulster has been well-served by its state and congressional representatives who have worked diligently to use the power of government to bring broadband to our underserved, often rural areas. State senator Jen Metzger has introduced bills that require the Public Service Commission to “study the availability, affordability and reliability of high-speed Internet and broadband access in New York State and produce a detailed access map on its website that indicates internet service by location.” Another would require the PSC to be a more effective watchdog on internet providers, especially those with monopolies, to ensure they meet required standards. Congressman Antonio Delgado successfully pressed the Federal Communications Commission to direct federal funding to Ulster for broadband after it initially deemed the county unqualified.
Metzger and Delgado are examples of elected representatives who have kept their promises to improve the lives of the people who elected them.
Tom Denton
Highland
Apples for health
Please join us in displaying a New York health apple!
For all of the essential workers right now, and for so many who have lost their jobs and health insurance, let’s show our support by fighting to guarantee their healthcare.
Please keep this going by making a picture of an apple(s), with “Pass NY Health Act” on it and post it at your house where people will see it. We suggest a front window, front door or on your car. Also, take a picture of it to send out to your friends and contacts explaining its purpose. Please use social media to spread the word!
Let’s spread these apple images all over the state so that our policymakers and governor will notice them!
Joanna Dempsey
Alex Passas
NY Health Act committee
from Ulsteractivists.org
Remember our veterans
As we prepare for the reopening of our community, veterans, service members and families will need every resource available to assist them as we move forward. We feel this is the appropriate time to announce Vet2Vet of Ulster County.
The Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration (HVCVR) in partnership with Mental Health Association in Ulster and Ulster County Veteran Service Agency (VSA) proudly announce the launch of VET2VET in Ulster County, sponsored by the PFC Joseph P Dwyer peer support program. This milestone is accredited to the many stakeholders that recognize the needs of our Ulster County veterans and their families, along with our active-duty service members.
In 2015, we began our journey by connecting with the veteran community to develop a program that bonded veterans with a shared idea, building kayaks and providing peer support. The support of the veteran community and military service members started a trajectory that has led us to formulate a strategy that incorporated purpose, dignity, respect and honor.
These words represented solidarity, commitment and provision to addressing the needs of the military community. Throughout this process, we were strengthened by the Hudson Valley community and the many leaders that saw our purpose and vision, which further developed and grew our organization.
Our goal never strayed from its mission, which focuses on helping veterans recognize their self-worth and rediscover their strength and assist in their reintegration. We will continue to stand united with our community partners and never forget the support we have received to help realize our goal.
Finally, the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer peer support program began by the recognition of policymakers understanding and identifying that the veteran community is strong when they are united. HVCVR will never forget the first time they took part in a Hudson Valley veterans’ task force meeting. This was the day we realized the true strength of our community and partners. We will never forget, and will always strive to live up the standard they have set.
Kevin Keaveny
Town of Ulster
Vote again for Edgar for trustee of New Paltz School Board
The current health and financial crisis compel me to once again ask for your vote to be a trustee of the New Paltz Board of Education.
At the moment, we face the greatest programmatic and funding crisis in the history of our school district. At the same time, it can be an opportunity to re-imagine our district and to transform our school district for the better. We will have a new school superintendent on July 1; we have four new principals without tenure and several other new administrators appointed in the past year or two.
However, this transformation cannot be done in isolation without also re-imagining public education and school funding at the State and Federal levels
If you re-elect me on June 9, I am committed to the following:
- I will work to eliminate NY State school property tax as it exists and model the funding system of other states like California, Florida, etc.
- I will work with the Legislative Committee of the New Paltz BOE and community to seek funding changes at our State and Federal level. For example, I will seek to tax the super-rich at the Federal and State level to pay their share of taxes.
- There is no reason to keep corporate tax rates at the lowest level since 1968. Consequently and for example, I will advocate for a penny tax on every stock transaction in NY to fund public education. All together there are at least 14 proposals to make billionaires pay a fair share of taxes.
- At our local level, I will advocate to streamline our budget in an equitable and transparent manner by seeking consensus for programmatic changes and using our current financial resources to do more with less. The pain will have to be shared at every level of our district while assuring everyone that we will be OK. The school administration will be responsible for bringing their educational model and reduced budget in several options for approval by the New Paltz BOE.
In the meantime, I will advocate to pass our new budget on June 9 because if our district voters do not approve the proposed school budget on June 9, the administration will have to develop a reduced budget with dire consequences for a later date re-vote. In this latter scenario, whether I am on the board or not, I will use my knowledge and experience in the past financial crisis of the 1970s, 1980s and 2010 to guide our ship in an new equitable direction. The latter crisis led me to run successfully a second time in 2010 for the School Board and actually I helped steer our district out of financial and programmatic trouble. I will seek a transparent partnership with the community, board, staff and students to re-imagine our educational and funding system. I commit to working for this because I firmly believe that as a school community, we must use the crisis to make structural changes to our society, our state and our local schools. I will lead the district to being better off in the long run.
I served for six years from 2007 to 2013. I also have a deep knowledge of our institutional history and operations because I volunteered from 1973 to the present in many school groups, committees and activities. During the last 47 years I have been deeply involved in the educational programs of our four-school buildings because of my personal responsibility for the education of my own three children and many children that I formally for years have represented as a Volunteer Family Advocate for Concerned Parents of New Paltz.
Please check your home mail this week for a ballot for the New Paltz BOE election and budget vote and return it immediately in the pre-stamped envelope by 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 9, 2020.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at home (845) 255-9652. Thanks for considering me to be on our New Paltz School Board!
Edgar Rodriguez
New Paltz
United we stand, divided we fall!
Last night, I heard on the news that many beaches around the country, including the Daytona beaches, were crowded, and very few people there were wearing a mask. I listened as the interviewer questioned the mayor about the reckless defiance of the crowd with regard to social distancing. I felt a righteous anger toward those people on the beach, and how their selfishness was possibly going to cause more deaths of older folks down the road, when they all fly back to their respective homes, and inadvertently pass on the virus to innocent and unsuspecting families and friends. The line of questioning portrayed Americans as good or bad and as us or them. But then, in spite of my initial reaction, I started thinking of a more useful angle for the media to consider in their future coverage.
This is America, the land of the brave and the free. For over 100 years people from all around the world have dreamed of coming to America to experience that land of freedom and opportunity And America has benefitted greatly from so many immigrants who have made contributions to our country, and have been able to raise the standard of living for themselves and their families. Their offspring have grown up with that freedom and opportunity, and have added so much to our American way of life. They, as well as the offspring of generations of American-born families, know nothing but that freedom!
But now the pandemic has taken almost 100,000 American lives in such a short time and this is clearly an ongoing tragedy. There is no question about this. But it’s also important to remember that our strength, over the last century, has come from the attitude of freedom and opportunity. And for the first time in over 100 years we are now experiencing lockdowns, harsh restrictions to our normal way of life and a growing fear of closeness to other folks. Our whole country has been shut down for almost three months now, and although it may be irrational and unthinking, I believe that most people are not necessarily focused on being defiant or in denial. They are all just exploding with the desire to experience the freedom that they were born and raised with. That explosion to get out to the beaches and celebrate freedom is at our core as Americans.
I do not have a great answer for the untenable situation our country finds itself in. But we, and especially the media, need to find better and more creative ways to discuss the ongoing problem. Otherwise, the media is simply playing right into the hands of our current administration, which has done everything in their power to divide us. “United we stand, divided we fall” is not just a title of a song. It’s also the truth.
Marty Klein
Woodstock
Legislators, get back to work
I’m surprised and disappointed that the New York Legislature isn’t in session and working in the middle of a global pandemic. We have less than a month left in the legislative session and they haven’t passed any bills to protect democracy and public health during this crisis.
I support passing S8015A (Biaggi) and S8130 (Myrie), which would ensure people can apply for an absentee ballot electronically and vote from the safety of their homes so as not to risk spreading or catching the coronavirus. Our elected officials need to tell us when they will get back to work by voting remotely.
November 3, 2020 is the biggest election of our lives, and our state legislators must be part of the solution of protecting democracy and public health. I encourage readers and neighbors to email them, saying to do the right thing and get back to working to protect our democracy.
Dr. Lori Morris
New Paltz
Join the family! 
