With the COVID-19 pandemic being in full throttle last year, life changed severely for everyone. The risk of not just becoming sick yourself, but infecting others, was truly on the minds of many, especially when it came to social gatherings. As a result, to prevent the spread, life at Freehold Township High School was like no other last year. No homecoming. No football games. No in-person after-school meetings. Yet, there was a refuge for students in the midst of the tragedy that was happening around the world: extracurriculars. The arts, sports, volunteering, and fundraising were all fundamental in being a place to forget and to simply enjoy themselves – something that everyone needed. Although many of these activities were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, they still were a modified opportunity for students to come together and work towards one goal. Whether it was being A-North champs, having a large turn-out at a volunteering opportunity, being able to collect as many donations as possible, being able to voice your political concerns at a JSA meeting, performing a dance or song in front of other people, and even having a debate with your peers about any topic in Forensics, extracurriculars were a breath of fresh air for many students.

Personally, as a three-season athlete, the practice was the one time in the entire day that I could look forward to. Since school at FTHS was only half-days the entire school year, you would have to drive to school at 3:00 p.m. in order to attend practice. At arrival, you had to keep your mask on as a safety precaution until you were actually practicing, but once we started, it felt almost like everything was normal, and every horrid thing that was happening around the world just melted away. Although it was also very draining to actually do practice, I knew every single time that I would be able to look forward to the social aspect. Seeing my friends and teammates changed my day completely. But, enough about my experience, because there are so many different clubs and sports that also helped students experience the same almost euphoric feeling. Kylie Cleary, now a sophomore, played lacrosse her freshman year. She said that “you still got to go to games and practices like normal and got to spend time with your friends each day doing the sport you love despite the pandemic. And you still got to travel for games, have fun team bus rides, and sportsmanship”.

The school’s drama department was one of the most affected activities last year, yet many saw it as an opportunity to not only perform after a year, but also meet new people. Happening later in the year and all outdoors, the cast and crew of Seussical were able to rehearse and perform in an adjusted way. Sophomore Michelle LoBocchiaro, who performed as one of the bird girls in last spring’s production, explains, “I made tons of new friends I didn’t know before the pandemic, that I didn’t have classes with.” Even with the social distancing restrictions, many students were able to use the play as a way to socialize, which was something that school did not really offer last year”.

Relay for Life is a club at Township, in sponsorship with the American Cancer Association. Thanks to this club last year, more than $50,000 was able to be raised for the charity. Along with the money generated, there was also able to be an actual event, despite the risk of coronavirus. With social distancing and mask measures in place, this event involved cancer survivors and all the people who helped raise money, coming together at the school to celebrate the money raised. In addition, the event also celebrated those who have won their battle against cancer, along with those who have lost their lives to cancer. Here is what Taryn Conover, a sophomore, had to say on the actual event of Relay for Life: “I really enjoyed it because even with COVID-19, you were still able to enjoy it. It brought a sense of community, even though a lot of things were cut out. We weren’t able to actually do the relay, but we were able to do a lip sync battle, and more importantly, we were able to raise a lot of money for the organization. It was so much fun to socialize, and still be helping such an amazing charity. Although some things were changed, it still was so amazing to have everyone come out for a good cause”.

Despite all the loss and fear during the height of the pandemic, students, parents, and teachers were all still able to come together at the end of the day to celebrate all the opportunities that we still had. Clubs and extracurricular activities offered this light of goodness for every student no matter if you were a football player, a DECA member, or even a writer for the school newspaper. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic continues, people are still finding ways to celebrate all of the good in our world, no matter how little or big it might be.