Sunday Special | Coronavirus and the community, Part IX – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

The double graduateThats two graduations in my life that I wont get

Karsyn Bryant poses in front of her two graduation signs Friday, May 15, 2020, at her home in Mahomet.

Karsyn Bryant enjoys filling her day with productivity.

Thats why in January 2017, when she was a sophomore at Mahomet-Seymour High School, the then-15-year-old decided to use her two study-hall periods to have her mother drive her to Parkland College to take classes.

The next year, she became a full-time college student while wrapping up her high school coursework online.

I would say that every minute of every day was accounted for during that time, and I was even taking night classes that didnt get out until 9:30 at Parkland just to get everything in, she said. It was overwhelming at times, to be sure.

If I had papers that were due the same time both at the high school and at Parkland ... the high school didnt care that I had Parkland homework to do, and Parkland didnt care that I had high school homework to do.

On Thursday, Bryant was supposed to walk across the stage at Krannert Centers Foellinger Great Hall and receive her associate degree from Parkland, over a week before she officially graduated from Mahomet-Seymour, where shed again walk across the stage at Krannert.

She did walk across a stage, but it wasnt quite the same. At Mahomet-Seymour, graduates are being filmed receiving their diplomas. On Saturday, shell sit at home watching two virtual commencements.

Its really weird, but even just walking across the stage, its really cool to still be able to do it, she said. Thats the tough part of having two graduations at the same time. Now theyre both canceled, so thats two graduations in my life that I wont get.

The school closures have been strange for a student whos always on the go. While she finished her high school credits in an online format last year, she says its different when classes are built to take place in person.

After finishing high school last year, Bryant began working at a bank while she finished her first college degree.

Of course, Bryant will have more graduations in her future. She plans on earning her bachelors degree in social work from the University of Illinois in two years before getting her masters in the same subject and heading to law school. She then hopes to go into family law and eventually open her own firm, she said, so she can, Be busy but still have time to have a life.

Shes already been through the intensity of earning a diploma and a degree at once, though, so no amount of work will take her completely off-guard.

It gave me more time to process what Im doing and be like, Wow, that was actually really tough, she said. It made me proud of myself to just be like, Wow, this is tough, but looking back, (doing both) was really tough and now I get to just focus on college.

After a long day of studying for medical school in mid-March, Anant Naik had an idea for a poem.

The second-year medical student at the University of Illinois couldnt help in the current crisis in the way he wanted after students were removed from the hospital, where he was on a pediatrics rotation. So he wrote about people who were making impacts, including but not limited to doctors and nurses, and drew some illustrations to go along with them.

Initially, I was going to post it on social media, Naik said, but after sharing it with some friends, they said it could be really cool as a childrens book. After that, I changed and modified the poem until it looked more like a book. I didnt sit down and set out to write a childrens book.

About a month after he sat down to write a poem, he held in his hands his self-published childrens book, titled Heroes of a Pandemic.

Anant Naik, a second-year medical student at University of Illinois, holds the children's book he wrote and illustrated, 'Heroes of a Pandemic.'

This wasnt a road Naik necessarily expected to go down.

He wrote for his student newspaper at the University of Minnesota, where he went to undergrad, but his artwork was less formal. Painting and drawing were simply hobbies he was passionate about. Naik, though, wanted to find a way to make a difference during the pandemic, and his pediatrics rotation put him in a childs mindset.

I realized that a lot of kids are confused as to whats going on, but parents dont really have good explanations for them as to why they need to be at home, and their parents cant really explain whats going on, he said. I was trying to synthesize a narrative that the kids could understand as to what is happening in the world at the moment with the pandemic, what is the story of the pandemic, and also offer a positive lens to look at it through as the story is going on.

Thats why I picked up the idea to honor the sacrifice that the people on the front line are making. Not just the doctors and the nurses, but also the grocery store workers, the truckers and various other people, and synthesize it into a story, and that became this book.

The book takes children through the origins of the pandemic and its implications, highlighting doctors, nurses and other essential workers throughout.

All proceeds from the book go to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that helps health care systems in need around the world in myriad ways. For Naik, that simply added another layer of what he could do to help while hes not allowed inside the walls of a hospital.

When you think about the phrase flattening the curve, were only flattening the curve so that were adjusting to the capacity of the health care system, he said. For many countries around the world who dont have a health care system or a mature health care system, flattening the curve means something entirely different from that.

This book honors the heroes of the pandemic to fund the heroes that are emerging in other countries.

Michelle Huls Rice and her colleagues at the Grainger College of Engineering knew they couldnt recreate the joy and nostalgia that comes with graduation in a remote setting. They decided leave the live online ceremony to the full university commencement.

But they wanted to bring some emotion to students who were capping off four years of college through their computer screens.

Because campus is doing something live already, we didnt want to add to that experience for them, Rice said. We didnt want them to feel like they had to be attached to their computer screens all day. We wanted to give them something to open after the live experience.

In a ceremony where students are siloed in their own homes, they decided that theyd incorporate the ultimate song of togetherness and unity for University of Illinois students and alumni: the Alma Mater.

In a time when touching and closeness are forbidden, the typical decorum for the song is from a world that doesnt currently exist. Fans raise their arms up and put them around their neighbors shoulders.

The College of Engineering, though, asked graduating seniors to send in footage of themselves singing the song. In the span of a couple of weeks, a few dozen videos came in.

University of Illinois graduating senior Tommy Figel put together a video for the College of Engineering, where he's a communications intern, of graduates singing 'Alma Mater,' for the college's online graduation.

I think a lot of us were a little bit nervous because we were asking people who dont normally sing to sing for us and to videotape themselves, said Tommy Figel, a graduating UI senior and intern at the college. We didnt know what to expect. I think what surprised us was all the creativity we got.

Figel is quickly becoming immersed in compiling videos of remote performances. The communications major works with a musical-theater company called iTheatrics, and a few weeks ago he put together what they called a Zoomsical, a musical made over Zoom.

Putting together a compilation of graduates singing Alma Mater would be similar, aside from the fact that the singers arent necessarily trained performers. The untrained singers, though, made up for it. All wore Illini attire, and some sang with their families. Dogs were included, and one graduate hopped around on a pogo stick.

Thats honestly what brought it together, the videos themselves all had a little bit of something unique, regardless of whether they could sing or not, Figel said. Our team is really happy with what we got because we were nervous that people would want to send in videos of themselves singing. It ended up turning out very well.

In all, 33 videos came in. Most followed the directions and sang along to the track Figel provided. Some, he had to tweak. He filled out the background with a track from one of the schools a cappella groups.

While some of the videos may be goofy, he thinks the video gets across the nostalgia the song evokes like it does when its played in Memorial Stadium.

Its a little bit somber and kind of sweet, he said. Its definitely feel-good, but the goal at the end of it is definitely to tug at some heartstrings.

Like many of his fellow graduates, Figel is unsure what his future will hold. This summer, hell continue editing musicals over Zoom with iTheatrics. He hopes to continue the video-editing path in some sort of communications role and eventually wind up writing, editing and directing films.

While that future is on hold, Figel thinks the last few months have been a fascinating learning opportunity for people who want to produce their own videos or simply communicate.

I cant speak for everybody, but for myself, a lot of our summer internships or jobs are canceled or postponed, so theres a few months when I feel like a lot of seniors will be sitting tight while waiting for news to unfold, Figel said. I think in those few months, were going to get a lot of cool, creative content. I think people will have time to think and reflect on their time at Illinois and whats best for them. I think itll be a cool couple of months to see what people do with the new normal.

Actors at Jaclyn Loewenstein's Class Act acting school put on an online performance of 'The Show Must Go Online,' which has over 5,000 views on YouTube.

March 9 was a sad day for Jaclyn Loewenstein, when she turned out the lights on the final show at SoDo Theatre. Her acting school, Class Act, had educated young actors at SoDo for 11 years, but the theaters lease wasnt renewed, with a the buildings owner deciding to rent it to a new bar.

Loewenstein decided shed take a break from teaching before planning her next steps. Then, all theaters went dark, and Loewenstein decided she needed to fill the void.

It just seemed like something I had to do, she said. Even though I was planning to take this time off after leaving SoDo, things just changed.

Loewenstein saw that Beat by Beat Press, a publisher of childrens musicals, had put out one specifically made to be organized remotely called The Show Must Go Online, and she put word out to her most experienced actors. The play was about a musical that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the actors convincing their drama teacher through a series of songs that they can produce the show electronically.

Instead of holding a traditional casting process, the actors looked over the script and ranked the roles they saw themselves playing.

Loewenstein then called each actor individually and helped them scout their homes for the best location to film.

Id look in their bedroom or living room and figure out the best place to stage it. Id look at their shots and help look at lighting that they had, natural lights and lamps, and I guided them through that and talked about props they needed, costumes and things that they needed, and anything else special, she said. They would send it to me, and a few of them nail it on the first try and some of them I would give it back to them and give them some feedback and have them do it again.

The musical culminated with a song sung by all of the students about how the school play can go on with the use of technology, and even though the cast is separated, they can connect through art.

Loewenstein originally planned on cutting a short clip of each actor singing a piece of the song and putting it together in one string. But then she began laying the performances over each other, and the individual performances became an ensemble.

Once I had three of the kids voices in there, I was so moved by the sound that was coming out of them, and I was just creating a choir right there, Loewenstein said. I just kept adding in more videos and decided pretty quickly that this was going to be more powerful if I put them all together. ... I think theyre all such dynamic natural performers that its really fun to see all of their faces up there at once and hear their beautiful, young, innocent voices. I thought it was really powerful.

After three days of editing, Loewenstein hosted a YouTube premiere, where 160 people including the cast watched it together for the first time. In a week, the show surpassed 5,000 views. Beat by Beat Press liked it so much, it hosted a Q&A with Loewenstein so she could give tips to other directors about how to put it together.

Loewenstein isnt sure of her next step as the theater community grapples with the inability to perform shows in front of live, in-person audiences. After putting together this performance, shes more confident than ever that theater can still take place, even when performers and audiences are sequestered in their homes.

So many people can relate, even if they arent theater people and havent had shows canceled, she said. I think everyone can relate to the idea of having a loss during this time. ... I feel a responsibility to fill that gap as much as I can.

The Virginia Theatre, shown Friday, May 15, 2020, in downtown Champaign, remains closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The calendar reminders pop up on Steven Bentzs phone every so often for events the director of the Virginia Theatre had to cancel or postpone, including Ebertfest, and shows by David Sedaris and Gordon Lightfoot.

Whenever Bentz starts getting used to the reality of the world of the COVID-19 pandemic, the phone in his pocket snaps him back to a different time.

The reminders hit me every day that this is what were supposed to be doing tonight, he said. Its obviously been a huge disappointment.

The theater has been dark for months, and Bentz isnt sure when shows will return in their normal form. Luckily, the theater had already planned to close from June 15 to Sept. 1 for a restoration that will include the installation of a new sound system.

When audiences return, the auditory experience will be completely different for those sitting in most parts of the theater.

When that will happen is up in the air, but Bentz and his staff at the Virginia are making plans for when Champaign enters Phase 4 of the states reopening plan later this year. At that point, gatherings of 50 people or fewer will be allowed.

Of course, that means most of the theaters large events wont be able to happen. That possibility wont exist until the area makes its to Phase 5 of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers plan, which wont happen until a vaccine or an effective treatment or enough widespread immunity that new cases fail to materialize, the governor said.

Our thinking is, at that point, thats a small, private event, thats a small, onstage performance, or thats film, Bentz said. Fortunately for the Virginia, it has that flexibility where its a movie palace as well as a live concert venue.

So, were able to focus a little more attention on film screenings and shaking up that program, adding new dimensions for our film-screening program because theres another opportunity to entertain the public and engage them in small groups, because its kind of perfect for that.

Bentz and the Virginia staff are having to think of creative ways to keep engagement with the theater alive. Theyre planning on drive-up concession sales for at-home movie nights starting this week. Theyve talked about hosting performances with small audiences that stream online and private screenings of movies in the massive theater.

The theater, though, was constructed to bring thousands of people together, sharing a moment as they all look up at the stage. It wont serve that specific purpose for months to come.

For 99 years, that is a place for family members and friends to make memories, Bentz said, and to see it dark week after week ... you just think of the thousands and thousands of people that were supposed to attend the event, and thats a hit.

You really, really feel it.

Thursday evening was a warm, sticky night in late spring, the kind that normally attracts a line out the door at Custard Cup as customers fill the tables out front.

Those tables, though, were empty. A few customers went in and out of the doors. A slow stream of cars rolled through the drive-thru as Julia Davis took ustomers payments and handed them their desserts with gloves on and a mask covering her face.

We get geared up, and we get real excited for these upcoming months, manager Ashlee Rhodes said. So, in January and February, were thinking months ahead of what were needing to do and whats happening.

Your hard work doesnt go down the drain, but just like everywhere else, it was a big shocker.

Rhodes said Custard Cup was able to keep on most of its staff at reduced hours due to the drive-thru business. Those workers wear gloves and masks at all times. The gloves are sanitized in between every interaction. The masks never leave the store.

When they wash their hands, they have a timer that tells them when to stop. Customers who come in must wear masks. They set their payment on the table, and the cashier picks it up as they back away.

Theres just no being too careful so we take it above and beyond and go a little further, Rhodes said. We dont want to risk our crew, we dont want to risk our customers.

Rhodes said the pandemic has changed what people deem acceptable in terms of social norms. For instance, a cashier or drive-thru worker wouldnt previously have worn gloves, Rhodes said, because that would come with the implication that theyre making food as well.

Julia Davis serves ice cream Thursday, May 14, 2020, at the drive-thru at Jarling's Custard Cup.

The norm has become, I know that that person wearing gloves is taking my payment and not making my food, Rhodes said. Weve had so many customers say, Im so glad youre wearing gloves while taking my payment as opposed to questioning us on, I hope youre not making my food, too.

Those warm nights with packed tables dont appear to be returning any time soon, and Rhodes understands the reality that restaurants are facing.

But right now, she and her workers are focused on what she can control: shelling out treats to customers in a safe way.

Its there and present for absolutely everyone in this town and in the state, Rhodes said. Were approaching everything cautiously, and as long as were doing everything were doing to keep our workers and our customers safe, were only looking at the positive and working for the best.

Mark Denman Elementary School third-grade teacher Matt Thompson and his five co-workers made a video of their end-of-year field trip where they gave students a tour around their hometown of Danville.

Matt Thompson went into his classroom on Monday evening, a rare occurrence since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled in-person school for the rest of the year. He safely packed up the things his students had left at school with the full expectation theyd come back after spring break so he could send them home with their parents, who drove up to the school and stayed in their cars while the items were placed in their trunks.

Its an anti-climactic end to the school year that normally ends in excitement for the third-grade students at Mark Denman Elementary School in Danville. The year culminates in a multi-week lesson on the history of the city, ending with a trip around town to visit historical sites.

We were pretty devastated, Thompson said. We brought up that our kids wouldnt get our field trip and all of the things that our kids wouldnt get.

The members of the schools third-grade team, though, are problem-solvers and the most creative people Thompsons ever worked with, he said. So they began brainstorming.

Mark Denman Elementary School third-grade teacher Jodi Jones shows her students the headstone of Laura Lee, who founded an orphanage in Danville, during a virtual field trip.

They really enjoy learning about the people from the history of the town, Thompson said, and then it comes to life for them when they go and see the places. ... We got to talking and we decided we would really like to bring the field trip to them. And so we came up with this idea of doing a virtual field trip.

They quickly came up with a plan to take trips to various places and record them. Theyd go to the Vermilion Museum; the homes of Dr. William Fithian, a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, and Ward Hill Lamon Layman, Lincolns bodyguard; and the gravesites of prominent Danville natives like town founder Dan Beckwith, whose body was taken from his coffin, and record themselves giving the students a tour.

Then theyd curate the video and share it on Class Dojo, the app they use to communicate with students and parents throughout the year.

It wouldnt be quite the same as the popular field trip they take every year, but it was a way to keep their students engaged while theyre at home. They want their students to become invested members of a town they care about.

We think that its important for them to know about the history of our town and to be a part of it and feel a part of it, Thompson said. We also think that education is about more than what we do in the classroom.

For Becky Hanson, theres something special about beating on a drum. Its a feeling the Clark-Lindsey Village resident has known since she played the bass drum in high school band, and its one she gets three times each week as she leads fellow residents in singalongs in the hallways of the retirement home.I love beating on the drum, Hanson said. If you can beat on the drum, it kind of releases you.

For the last year or so, Hanson and Ron Black have led singalongs at Clark-Lindsey, starting when Black took his guitar to a public room in the facility.

Black strummed on the instrument he learned as a kid, playing the songs that his fingers havent forgotten since his days playing in a dance band.

Link:

Sunday Special | Coronavirus and the community, Part IX - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette