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Maya Mercado-Garcia

“It was sad thinking about all the time that’s been lost and the memories we would’ve made had it not been for the pandemic,” Calvillo explained. “The previous years at Downey were always chaotic; things and people everywhere. Everyone talking about their vacations and horrible sunburns. This time, it wasn’t the same. But being a Link Leader, there were still lost freshies so I was still able to help and my favorite part was actually being able to see everyone again in person.”

As Covid-19 numbers continue to decrease, along with the wide distribution of vaccines; Los Angeles County has remained in the red, orange, or yellow tier. This indicates that schools are permitted to reopen for all students in any grades TK-12, per the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. For many students, like Downey’s seniors and freshmen, this is an exciting time as they have been waiting to step foot on campus for their first (or last and final) time. 

For older Vikings, such as Sofia Calvillo, 12, (pictured ^^^ ) this was a bittersweet experience as she had her “last first day” at Downey High School. Calvillo explains how it is no doubt different than before, but how she is just grateful and excited to be back.

“It was sad thinking about all the time that’s been lost and the memories we would’ve made had it not been for the pandemic,” Calvillo explained. “The previous years at Downey were always chaotic; things and people everywhere. Everyone talking about their vacations and horrible sunburns. This time, it wasn’t the same. But being a Link Leader, there were still lost freshies so I was still able to help and my favorite part was actually being able to see everyone again in person.”  

For younger Vikings, many have been anxious to even step foot onto campus for their first time as a DHS student. Isabella Escobedo, 9, (pictures above^^^) describes her first day of highschool as nerve-racking, yet exciting. 

“I just wanted to finally get a taste of what high school is like. I wanted to make sure I was prepared for what is to come,” Escobedo said. “My favorite part about coming to campus was that I finally got to meet my teachers. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me at DHS and I can’t wait to meet more people these next three years on campus.” 

As Vikings get back into the swing of things, they are excited to be back despite the changes in place. Isabella Diaz, 12, describes how it was a unique experience but overall misses school and is so happy to be back for her last couple of months as a senior. 

“Walking into campus on my last first day was definitely strange. Since I had already completed a semester and a half of my senior year, seeing my teachers, finding my classes, and finding out which of my friends were in my classes was not part of the ‘first day’ experience,” Diaz said. “Wearing a mask and social distancing wasn’t really an issue at all, but only getting to meet a small portion of my classmates was kind of weird. Being on campus again, though, was really nice and I realized how much I missed being at school”