During the pandemic, students’ summers were abnormal due to laws put into place to help slow down the spread of COVID-19. The rules fluctuated throughout the summer and all students and their families handled it differently.

“At the start of the summer, I couldn’t go to anyone’s house and no one could go to my house,” sophomore Charlie Johnson said. “As the summer went on, the rules started to loosen up but I still had to be careful and wear a mask and use hand sanitizer.”

Travel plans changed while some weren’t able to happen at all because of restrictions. Many families adapted and chose some safer options that allowed for fun but also stayed within the guidelines of COVID-19 safety.

“This summer I was supposed to fly and see my cousins in Seattle but we were unable to because of COVID-19,” senior Becca Lieb said. “My family changed up our plans and drove to the Outer Banks in North Carolina along with family friends and stayed there for a week.”

Students who did travel found that the places they visited had different guidelines and regulations than Massachusetts. The laws around COVID-19 varied on the number of cases.

“My family and I go to Greece each year to visit our family,” junior Chris Nunn said. “We weren’t as worried about [the coronavirus] over there. There were masks worn at restaurants and stuff like that, but it was pretty relaxed there. But we still had to be careful because we stayed with our grandparents and we didn’t want them to get sick.”

Traveling over the summer was also different than usual because of efforts to keep areas clean and safe. Students had to be careful while they faced these strange circumstances.

“The [Greece] trip was really up in the air at first,” Nunn said. “We had our flights canceled twice and had to reschedule because America’s guidelines were all over the place. That was a really big obstacle, but once we were there, I think it really helped us appreciate it more. Normally we just go every year and have fun, but this year we took it in more because it’s different.”

As the school year approached, athletes began to prepare despite their seasons being up in the air. Although the soccer season is happening this year, pre-season events are uncertain.

“When [the Maine soccer tournament] was canceled, I was upset because our team looks like it’s going to be very good this year,” Johnson said.

In Wayland, sports practices were able to happen but with a few changes, like wearing a mask and rules for the sport changing.

“I had practice over the summer for crew and it was different than usual because we had to use single-person boats instead of our regular season larger boats,” Lieb says.

Students’ summers were unlike no other, but throughout all of the uncertainty and constant change, kids made the best of it and enjoyed their break.

“I appreciated this summer more because I was lucky to be able to go away,” Nunn said. “I was able to appreciate seeing my family and friends in Greece more. When I got back, I started focusing on the upcoming soccer season, which is thankfully going ahead.”