Students experience disadvantages of enforced social distancing 

Victoria Geiger, Intro to Journalism Writer

Social distancing is very important to not catch this virus going around, but it is a very boring situation for freshman Avery Hill.  

“I miss seeing all my friends,” Hill said. In March, Governor Steve Bullock put Montana into a shelter in place until April 10. Social distancing became very alarming to parents and that caused most of them to keep their kids in the house. 

Not being able to go out and see friends every weekend is really hard for Hill.   

Along with other Rustlers, Hill somehow found a way to make this time out of school worth it. 

“With all this time I have now I can focus on myself,” Hill said. Hill recently went through a break up, and she hasn’t been the same since. Now with all this time she is focusing on her mental health and making the most of her time with everybody because now she knows that people can leave at any time. She said she is doing better and overall improving as a person. 

Freshman Taylar Kleinschmidt soon found herself in the same position. 

“It’s weird being home all the time,” she said. Before March 28, Kleinschmidt made the decision to quarantine herself before it was ordered. She mainly did this because her dad has a lot of health problems, and she wanted to make sure he didn’t get sick. 

During this time, Kleinschmidt also found time to focus on herself.

“Being able to wear no makeup all day is the most comfortable thing,” she said. During quarantine, Kleinschmidt made the decision to stop wearing makeup and really focus on her skin. This has helped her self esteem and her confidence in herself. 

Freshman Jamie Martell is doing the complete opposite of everyone else. 

“I feel like people are overreacting about it,” Martell said. Martell’s family allows her to leave the house, and during this time she has gone dirtbiking, fishing and seen a bunch of her friends. Even though Martell is healthy, this virus could still get to her, but it is not a big concern to her family. 

Even though this virus is deadly, Martell said she will take her chances. 

“Why stay home when you can live life to the fullest,” she said. Having a young sister does make her cautious of who she hangs out with, but she really doesn’t have a restriction. She still gets all her work done online and wishes the best to people and their families.