The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

ZOOMing in on being together

Kenny+Wheeler+and+the+PVGTF+seniors+chat+about+the+end+of+their+track+season+via+Zoom+on+Sunday+April+19.
Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler and the PVGTF seniors chat about the end of their track season via Zoom on Sunday April 19.

Many people all around the world are in quarantine and it has been difficult because they can not see their peers as often, or in the same way prior to the pandemic. As a solution, people are embracing the existence of online video chatting, in order to get through these hard times.

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars across mobile devices, desktops, telephones and room systems. 

People are using Zoom for many different reasons. Some people might use it to conduct meetings, class lessons, to catch up or to celebrate holidays with their family they can’t see due to the quarantine.

This past Easter Sunday, Megan Ramirez and her family used Zoom to celebrate the holiday together. 

“It was so sad to not be able to all be together this Easter,” Ramirez stated. “[Zoom] gave us all something to look forward to and still have some fun and laugh on that special day! We had about 25 family members on and stayed on for over an hour. We were so happy to have Zoom to connect and actually all feel together.”

In Iowa, spring sports have been cancelled and since the teams can no longer be together, many are still staying connected via Zoom.

The Pleasant Valley Girls Track and Field team, commonly referred to as PVGTF, is frequently video chatting through Zoom. After a few meetings, Kenny Wheeler, head coach of PVGTF, has found a great appreciation for Zoom because it is keeping the team connected. 

“These Zoom meetings at least gave us the opportunity to come together in our own space,” said Wheeler.

“I think it was important for our athletes to see and talk to each other,” he emphasized. “[It’s] important for them to let them know we are supporting them as best we could and Zoom meetings allowed us to do that.”

Senior Claire Fields enjoys being able to connect and talk to her teammates face-to-face again. “Quarantine is making me really miss seeing my friends everyday and interacting with people,” Fields stated. “Zoom and Facetime allows for friends and family to stay close even though we can’t see each other in real life.”

In times where there is not as much face-to-face interaction, online video chatting sites such as Zoom and Facetime allow people to stay in touch and connect with one another.

As the years have passed, many can argue that social media and online chatting has torn many relationships apart, but because of the circumstances the coronavirus has caused, online communication is bringing so many together.

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About the Contributor
Lena Ahrens
Lena Ahrens, Social Media Manager
Lena Ahrens, 18, is a senior at Pleasant Valley High School and was born and raised in the Quad Cities. Ahrens enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She is also a huge fanatic of all dogs including her own beloved puppies, Sweetie, Baby, Robi, Alafair, and Clete. Ahrens is involved in many activities such as dance, track, and softball. If you know her well, you would see her having a dance party with her sister, Ella, or playing Minecraft with her brother, Lincoln. One of her passions is photography, which she dreams of possibly turning into a career working for National Geographic one day. Ahrens plans to attend University of Iowa in the fall and major in biology. A fun fact about Ahrens is that she loves dinosaurs and has seen the Jurassic Park movies over 100 times in her life. You might find her eating her favorite Whitey’s ice cream flavor, moose tracks, with her best friend, Morgan. Her hobbies include traveling, crafting, eating food, and playing with her dogs. 
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ZOOMing in on being together