Last updated on November 19, 2020
Lynn: This is Lynn Levy, and I’ll be conducting a short senior feature with Amelia Hare. Amelia, do you mind introducing yourself?
Amelia: Hello! My name is Amelia. Amelia Hare if you wanna be formal. My pronouns are she/her/they/them/ze/hir, and I am now a senior! Who would’ve thought.
L: Excellent. A lot of these questions are gonna be related to quarantine and school. Sorry in advance for that. That’s kinda just how it is, but the first batch of questions are a bit less school related. You’re an artist. How’s lockdown affecting your artistic talents?
A: There are pros and cons. The pros are, because I’m at home, I’m not limited by what I can do at school or like, on the bus. I have all the time in the world to do whatever it is I wanna do. So I’ve been doing a lot of painting and woodworking and ceramics and candle making and fiber art and sewing. Things just generally exploding all over the house.
L: That’s a lot of work.
A: … It is. The con is I draw more when I’m out in the world, and I’m not out in the world. So for like the first 3 months I just wasn’t drawing.
L: Any tips or words of advice for any other struggling artists out there? It doesn’t have to be related to lockdown if you just have a cool art tip, you can say that here.
A: Try different mediums. If you can’t do your usual thing, try something different. You’ll live and it will be fine. And, you know, keep your pencil sharp and get a good pencil sharpener cuz if you don’t it’ll just eat your pencils.
L: Okay. I think that’s all the more personal questions. School time! So this is a senior feature, and you are a senior, so there’s gotta be a lot of questions about senior leadership and responsibility, but let’s start with some general student questions. What classes are you taking?
A: I’m in Stats, Advanced Bio, Social Justice in Humanities, Hope and Misery for Comp Lit. I’m also in Orchestra. I’m in black social dance … and I think I’m in French. The final French.
L: You think you’re in french?
A: Oh no, I’m sure.
L: Okay. How’re those classes going?
A: Well, I think everything’s going quite well. Gotta keep my grades, push through this last year. I’m constantly afraid in French class because it’s a lot of tenses and I’m not good with those. Advanced Bio is good even though everything is hard to wrap my brain around. Stats is, like, oddly comforting.
L: Right??
A: Yeah! Like I feel okay! And that’s new for me in math!
L: Sorry, keep talking.
A: (Chuckles) Both my Humanities are pretty good. I’m really enjoying Kate’s Hope and Misery because we’re reading Sci-Fi and talking about Black HISTORY and it’s all very exciting and refreshing.
L: What books are you reading?
A: We’re reading The Parable of the Sower.
L: That’s a good book.
A: Yeah, I want more Octavia Butler in my life. I’m hungry for Sci-Fi now.
L: Mhm. So! We had a more impromptu online semester in the spring/early summer. How’s this semester been different from that one.
A: It’s just better. Like we were all just thrown into that mess last year and no one knew what to do. Teachers, students, everyone just … chickens with their heads cut off. This year I can tell they’ve had more time to plan and figure out what’s gonna work best. Last year I was massively overwhelmed and this year I’m only slightly overwhelmed!
L: Yeah. Any specific things the teachers have done to improve it?
A: Just like, lessening up the homework and making all the work in class and giving us time to work in class. It’s mwah. Great, keep it up.
L: I was gonna ask “Is it worse???” But I don’t think it is. Any words of advice for any students who might be struggling with the online format? I know I am.
A: Talk to your teachers as much as you can. Just like, tell them we’re you’re at. Even if there’s nothing they can do about it, they’ll still know and they won’t … come for you. But when you can, set aside time for yourself! Like, do not skip on rest, do not skip on eating or drinking or anything. Because Zoom will suck the life out of you if you do not keep replenishing yourself.
L: Okay. Time for the senior questions. Last … last bit. You’re involved in Q-club, so I understand. Do you wanna talk a little bit about that? How’s that been? You’re one of the leaders.
A: I am. This year’s been quite different because we haven’t really had that big of an attendance. The first couple meetings were pretty eventful but mostly it’s just been a couple of younger kids showing up, being relatively quiet, and it’s sad because I was really excited to have a leadership position this year and it’s way different than I thought it would look.
L: Yeah.
A: I wanna talk about things and learn about things and there really aren’t a lot of people to be doing that with. We also don’t really have an adult yet so if anyone wants to be our faculty…
L: I’ll put a call out for that. Faculty, if you’re reading this … Q-club. Give it some thought. Okay! So there’s a lot of pressure on the senior class to be role models and community leaders. Any thoughts on that?
A: Definitely looks different this year because we’re not in the building in which we can sabotage and vandalize everything. BUT it looks way different and I don’t think we know how to be leaders in that online format yet, and there’s less of a call to do it.
L: Did we know how to be leaders in the first place?
A: I think … I think we could have had a fair shot if we were in the building, but now it’s different and I don’t know how to be a leader on zoom besides if I’m just leading a meeting or something, showing up and leading it. Talking in class and stuff but it looks different this year and I think it gives us an excuse to slack which I’m not into. But it’s the way things are. Like, what can we do? It’s weird and hard and almost impossible.
L: Okay. Do YOU feel like a community leader or a role model to the underclassmen?
A: Sometimes. This year not quite as much but I feel like I’m relatively together and I try to do the things I need to do, but you know, no ones really there to SEE me do anything. So I don’t know. If people are LOOKING for me then maybe but probably not. There’s potential though.
L: Potential. Okay. Thank you so much for your time. Amelia, it’s been a pleasure.
A: Of course.
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