COVID and the Classroom
High school seniors navigate a pivotal year and a pandemic. More...
June 8, 2021
We Made It: Anne Laurie celebrated her graduation from Everett High School surrounded by classmates. “This year has been tough” she said, “and to see we survived it and we were able to walk across the stage, that’s a lot for us, that’s really a lot for us.”
June 3, 2021
The Speech: Anne Laurie will address her 500 Everett High classmates when they gather — in person – for graduation next week. She has a message for the Class of 2021. She’s also nervous.
Watch her video diary …
May 6, 2021
Pandemic Prayers: In a year of deep uncertainty Anne Laurie’s faith has been a grounding force. Here’s a look at how her spirituality has helped Anne Laurie through a difficult year.
PHOTO ESSAY: View Pandemic Prayers
April 29, 2021
Six More Weeks: Anne Laurie is counting down the weeks her mother will need to remain hospitalized as she recovers from a bone marrow transplant. Anne Laurie was the bone marrow donor and she shares an update.
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April 21, 2021
House Calls: Anne Laurie is an exceptional student, but the burden she’s juggling during the pandemic – holding down a job, dealing with illness and trying to keep up with remote classes – is hardly unique. GBH News Reporter Cristina Quinn hit the road with Everett High’s vice principal as he works to keep kids connected to school.
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April 13, 2021
Deep Pain: Anne Laurie is now two days away from donating her bone marrow and is feeling significant pain from the injections she’s undergone to prepare. Her mother is worried about her. And Anne Laurie is worried about her mom.
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April 11, 2021
Round One: Anne Laurie is preparing to donate bone marrow to her mother, who has been hospitalized since January for leukemia and will undergo a bone marrow transplant.
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April 9, 2021
Friday Night Gala: Harvard College’s Black Students Association honored Anne Laurie during their annual “Black Legacy Ball” for her contributions in improving the lives of Black people. This year the ball was virtual. GBH’s Director of Photography Meredith Nierman snapped this photo of Anne Laurie holding up her award as she enjoyed the ball from home.
April 5, 2021
Vaccinated: Although she’s only 18, Anne Laurie was able to get a COVID vaccine because it’s required for her health sciences class internship. As she explains in this text message with GBH News Reporter Cristina Quinn, there were side effects:
March 20, 2021
Scholarship Rejection: Anne Laurie is still planning to go to Howard University. What’s less certain is how she’ll pay for it. She was counting on a scholarship, but after taking a math exam learned she’s no longer a candidate.
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March 12, 2021
A Young Bone Marrow Donor: Anne Laurie is a match and next month is scheduled to donate bone marrow to her mother, who is undergoing treatment for leukemia. It’s not an easy undertaking and hospital staff told Anne Laurie she’s an unusually young donor.
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March 1, 2021
Political Upset: Anne Laurie threw her hat in the ring – and won. She’s now Everett High’s senior class president. In this text exchange with GBH News Reporter Cristina Quinn, Anne Laurie explains how she pulled off her victory during remote school.
February 26, 2021
Remote Friendships: Anne Laurie reflects on how a year of remote school has changed routines and friendships.
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February 22, 2021
Celebrating “Blackness”: When Anne Laurie started a club at Everett High to talk about race she hoped to spark a conversation that would reach beyond Everett. This February, during Black History month, it’s taken off. Students from other communities are tuning in for virtual events and educators are sharing powerful stories.
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February 20, 2021
Donating Blood: Anne Laurie has learned she may be able to donate stem cells as her mother undergoes leukemia treatment. She’s worried about the risks for both of them.
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February 13, 2021
Mom Coming Home: Anne Laurie’s mother has been allowed to come home from the hospital for the week of February school vacation. She’s was hospitalized for leukemia treatment in early January.
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January 24, 2021
Hoping For Another Miracle: Anne Laurie calls every day, but is unable to visit her mother in the hospital because of COVID restrictions. The separation is difficult, but so is taking care of younger siblings during her mother’s illness. It’s a familiar responsibility.
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January 20, 2021
Inauguration Day: Like a lot of people, Anne Laurie had high praise for the poem performed at today’s ceremony by Amanda Gorman, the youth poet laureate. She shares her thoughts on the inauguration in this text exchange with GBH News Reporter Cristina Quinn.
January 12, 2021
Hoping For A Match: With her mother now hospitalized for leukemia treatment, Anne Laurie is hoping there’s a way she can help.
January 11, 2021
Climbing Up Walls: With her mother hospitalized, Anne Laurie hasn’t paid close attention to the news. But she’s long been politically active – participating in Black Lives Matter protests and founding a club called Empowering Young Black Excellence. When she finally saw the footage of President Trump’s supporters storming the US Capitol she said Black people “would have gotten killed.”
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January 5, 2021
No Visitors: Anne Laurie’s mother checked in to the hospital today for leukemia treatment. As Anne Laurie explains in a text exchange with GBH News Reporter Cristina Quinn, it wasn’t until she arrived at the hospital that her mother learned about a COVID restriction: No visitors allowed. Her mother is expected to be hospitalized for three months.
January 1, 2021
New Year’s Wish: 2020 was not the year Anne Laurie expected, but she’s hoping for better things in the year ahead.
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December 29, 2020
Christmas: Anne Laurie was able to spend Christmas with her mother, who will soon be hospitalized for cancer treatment.
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December 29, 2020
Scholarship: Anne Laurie has been accepted to Howard University. It’s her top choice. Now there’s the question of how to pay for it.
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December 18, 2020
The Letter: The day after her birthday Anne Laurie changed her mind. She checked her email and shared the letter she received from Howard University with GBH News Reporter Cristina Quinn.
December 18, 2020
Birthday Wish: Anne Laurie applied to — count’ em — 20 colleges, but she has her heart set on going to just one of them: Howard University in Washington, D.C. Letters of acceptance (or rejection) are due out today. Anne Laurie has decided not to check her email.
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December 18, 2020
Turning 18 on the 18th: Anne Laurie would have liked to mark this milestone birthday with a big celebration. Instead she got together with a few friends, because “you know, COVID.” She was thrilled her teachers offered birthday wishes and, perhaps most importantly, that she could spend time with her mother.
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December 10, 2020
“I Don’t Even Know How I Feel”: Anne Laurie is struggling with difficult news. Her mother has coronavirus for the second time. But doctors have discovered another problem, too. In a series of video diaries she shares the devastating impact COVID has had on her family.
November 24, 2020
Righting A Wrong: Long before the Black Lives Matter movement, Anne Laurie decided to do something to help Black women – become a doctor. She was seven years old.
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November 21, 2020
First Acceptance Letter: Anne Laurie shares exciting news with reporter Cristina Quinn via text message.
November 13, 2020
Exhaustion: As the first academic term comes to a close, Anne Laurie finds there’s not enough time in the day for her to work, study and sleep.
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November 3, 2020
Election Day: Anne Laurie is 17, too young to vote, but she spent the day working as a translator for voters who speak French and Haitian Creole. It was her first time inside a polling station.
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October 31, 2020
Crunch Time: Anne Laurie is trying to get all A’s, while also finishing her college applications.
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October 21, 2020
Dream School: Anne Laurie talks about her top choice for college.
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October 21 (cont.)
Say Cheese: Even during a pandemic, Anne Laurie describes how a senior year tradition continues.
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October 9, 2020
Black Boxes: One of Anne Laurie’s biggest complaints about remote school is that so few students turn on their cameras. All she sees are black boxes. The problem may be even worse for teachers. Katie Ingersoll teaches Anne Laurie’s AP Statistics class and says it’s hard to form a relationship when you can’t see your students.
"I've tried in small groups first asking them to put their cameras on. So, a little break out room with three or four people, and almost all of them have done that,” says Ingersoll. “And it's just like a breath of fresh air to see actual faces. It's like, I'm teaching human beings.”
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October 7, 2020
The Grind: Three weeks after starting school remotely, Anne Laurie is feeling the impact of spending long days in front of a computer screen.
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October 1, 2020
A Cappella Alone: One of Anne Laurie’s favorite classes this year is a cappella, here she shares a solo practice session.
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September 28, 2020
Losing Motivation: Anne Laurie excels in school but as she sits on Zoom calls day after day, she's finding it increasingly difficult to stay focused on her work and her goals.
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September 25, 2020
Hoping For Hybrid: Senior year is underway, but with all her classes remote, Anne Laurie says school doesn’t feel “real."
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September 15, 2020
First Day of School: Anne Laurie is excited to start school, but she feels differently by the end of the first day of remote classes.
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