“I’M coping okay with the whole lockdown,” claims Nambucca Valley student Montana Wall.

“The most difficult part is definitely not being able to see my friends everyday, for me they help lift me up a lot so it can be a bit hard some days not being able to see them but can still always talk over the phone which helps.”

Last Thursday, the statewide lockdown was extended to Saturday August 28, with fingers in the Valley crossed that restrictions will end as scheduled.

This comes after a continued rise in COVID-19 cases across the state.

“Although it’s an extremely trying time, I ultimately hope to be able to see the best in it and stay happy and healthy,” said Bishop Druitt College student Madeline Howard on maintaining positivity during the lockdown.

Lockdowns and restrictions have had their effect on many aspects of life in the Valley.

Sporting and group gatherings unfortunately aren’t allowed at this stage, which has a major impact on the social lives of our local youth.

“I think the extension is a good idea just to make sure that we are safe with everything that’s happening, but it’s a bit scary not knowing how long it’s going to be for and definitely scary not knowing what’s going to happen with our HSC and how everything is going to unfold going ahead,” continued Montana.

Meanwhile, certain students in the Nambucca Valley are being forced to continue with their trial exams, even though they’re not able to do them at school.

HSC student Eden Kenny expressed concern that open-book exams opened up the possibility of students cheating.

“The lockdown’s become a hard task, especially when we’re close to graduating.

“There’s really not much to do at the moment.

“There’s nothing we can do about this lockdown and I wish instead of going round and protesting, people just stay in their house and do what they’re supposed to be doing.

“Our last week of trails has been put online and that just seems useless to me.

“They’ve cut down the exam questions and the time and made it an open-book.

“I don’t see the point in this as it gives people a chance to cheat and we all know that’s inevitable.

“Due to the trials being delayed a week, it has cut back on time we could spend learning the last of each subject’s syllabus.”

Valley HSC students are finding different ways to achieve their study goals through the restrictions.

There are those who plan an itinerary, and those who play it by day.

“As someone who is relatively able to self-direct their learning, lockdown will probably not be detrimental to my HSC marks; however it can still be very difficult to stay focused and it can be quite unmotivating not having a distinct idea of what will happen for our HSC in the coming months,” said Madeline.

“Personally, I plan to cope with lockdown by sticking to a schedule of when I wake up, when I study, when I exercise, and when I relax in order to provide some structure and incentive in my day.

“I also aim to use this time as an opportunity to regroup and refocus on studying for the end of the year, while also taking time to make a conscious effort to hang out with my family, get outdoors and stay active.”

 

By Rhys GLEESON, Junior Reporter