Sara Chaney is a senior at PN-G. On a normal school day, she is involved in jazz band, wind ensemble and Art Club. This is her #NDNSatHOME story.

Q: What’s the first thing you want to do when things go back to “normal?”
A: Hang out with my friends one more time before I go to college and play some good music with some people.

Q: What’s one positive thing you think you can pull away from this situation?
A: I’m gaining work experience. I took up a job at a nursing home in Orange, the same one my mother works at, as a hospitality aide. It’s put a lot into perspective — and its made me grow quite a bit, as a person and a worker.

Q: What have you learned about yourself while distance learning has been in place?
A: I knew I cared about music, but I hadn’t really realized how much until this point. When I heard we wouldn’t be going back to school at all this year, the first things that hit me hard were the facts that we wouldn’t perform at concert and sight-reading. That I only had two performances with the jazz band — and that we wouldn’t have a spring concert. I almost cried.

Q: If 2020 had a theme song what do you think it would be?
A: “Depressed, Stressed, but **** it, I’m Blessed,” by joegarratt.

Q: Have you taken up any new hobbies with all the free time? What are they?
A: Not really, aside from work. I’ve always enjoyed reading and art and music, but I don’t even have that much time for them since I’m working right now. I enjoy listening to peoples stories though. You hear a lot while helping out at a nursing home.

Q: What’s your favorite distance learning class and why?  
A: English, Mrs. Daigrepont. I miss being in class, and talking to her, but the workload is much nicer to me now.

Q: Finally, what message would you like to give to your fellow classmates?
A: Last year, as they sent off the last graduating class, they had nicknamed themselves the “Disaster class” — entering and leaving with a hurricane. While right now that nickname may fit us better, I think we should be something better. “The Overcomers.” We came into this world with 9/11, some of us really experienced the Great Recession. We’ve been through record breaking storms in our area, the explosion. And through that all, we’ve come together and been strong. And now, there’s this. And like the rest, we will have cuts and bruises by the end of this mess, but, we will overcome. So I think we shouldn’t call ourselves an echo of the “Disaster Class,” or try to take their title. We’re “The Overcomers,” and I believe that’s what we’ll always be.

If you’d like to tell us your #NDNSatHOME story, send an email to: [email protected] and we’ll send you a list of questions. Be prepared to send us a photo of yourself.