COVID has forced kids to change their socializing habits. New ideas and ways to spend time with each other are essential with having safe hangouts. Outside hangouts have been a big hit; it’s easier to be safe and have a fun time in the outside hangouts versus inside.

Along with most students, Drew Clark, a BSM junior, has had to change his ways of socializing; he has been trying to keep the same group of people and doing outside activities during COVID. Despite the cold weather, Clark has still been doing outside activities like playing pond hockey. “I think the biggest thing that has changed would be not hanging out with big groups and people I’m usually not around as much. For a period of time, I was trying to see more people outside and doing activities such as going to play football or soccer with friends to try and reduce the risk of exposure. With it now being winter it’s harder to do those things but playing pond hockey has been a big one recently,” Clark said.

Like Clark, BSM senior Peyton Murphy socializes outside playing all sorts of sports. “In the summer we would play spikeball, tennis, and soccer. In the winter, we try to snowboard/ski and play some pond hockey,” Murphy said.

Students have also had to find new ways to socialize with grandparents or to have larger gatherings. Whether it is with FaceTimes or drive-bys, students are getting creative to spend time with them but not exposing them to COVID-19 as well. “FaceTime with grandparents has been a big change and really the only option to not expose them,” Clark said.

The main priority of hanging in this time of COVID-19 is to be safe, and Peyton Murphy has been trying to do just that. “I’ve been keeping the groups of people I hang out with pretty small. We all make sure to stay home when we aren’t feeling well and wear masks when we are out in public,” Murphy said.