COVID-19. Coronavirus. PPE. N-95. Social distancing. Flatten the curve. Community spread. Just a handful of months ago, if these terms were said to me, I’d probably be confused. Now, though, they have all since become household words. In the world of news writing, we call these “buzzwords,” meaning just the word itself can conjure up a specific time, item or event.

Not unlike trends of the past, the buzzwords tend to come and go with the cycle of the news. I have a feeling that these words might be staying past their welcome, though.

This pandemic has been confusing. I don’t know how else to describe it, and maybe that’s my own buzzword for COVID-19: confusing. It seems none of the folks we typically rely on to keep us informed can agree on things surrounding this virus. The CDC, WHO, even FOX and CNN, are all seemingly on different pages at times. It can be hard to keep up.

With all of the misinformation and contradicting messages, we, the public, seem to be the last to know what’s going on. From one city to the other, the rules on reopening might look different. Living so close to the state line, we see that from state to state, the opinions on what phases of opening we should be in can differ greatly.

Masks aren’t necessary. Masks will stop the spread. Tests available only for those showing symptoms. Everyone can get tested. Do this. Don’t do that. Wait, let’s go back to doing this again. No, never mind. It’s left a lot of us shaking our heads, wondering what we should be doing to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy.

Are we recovering from the pandemic? Is herd immunity a thing? It’s hard to tell, with more testing available all the time, and with distancing becoming shorter and shorter between us. The one thing I do know is this: my own curve is certainly not flattening with all of the social distancing taking place. Much like the “freshman 15” people experience when heading off to college, we can call this the “COVID-19.”

For up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 and what we should be doing here locally, I recommend www.jacohd.org for those not in Kansas City proper, and www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/health for KCMO residents. It’s confusing, but if we work together (and wear our masks when out in public), hopefully we can make these buzzwords a thing of the past.

If I’m completely honest here, I felt as though the 2019-20 school year would never come to an end. But, it did. Eventually and finally. Though, if your student wasn’t a member of the graduating high school class this year, school ended quietly, without a lot of fanfare (or, really any).

My son, Michael, finished his eighth-grade year at Martin City Middle School last month. The ending to his junior high experience was unlike one any of us have ever witnessed before. Instead of signing yearbooks on those last days, our students were signing off of Zoom calls and returning electronics, drive-through style. There weren’t any hugs; it just sort of stopped. Weird, right? But, I’m sure it felt even weirder for our kids.

Our school districts now are tasked with preparing for the unknown. Much like last March, getting ready for the next school year to begin in August is a job that I don’t envy at all. Will our schools be back in session come fall? What will school look like? Will our children be required to wear masks? Or gloves? Or hazmat suits? Will in-person education be optional? Would it be possible for some students to stay home while others are in the classroom? What will sports and other extra-curricular activities look like? Or, as my son wants to know, will he be able to wrestle during his freshman year?

See what I mean? Our school districts simply were not prepared for this pandemic. No one really was, in all actuality. Our schools, and our kids, likely took the hardest hit. They are all working to better plan for the future, but knowing that things can change drastically day-to-day, it is a next-to-impossible challenge to face. The Grandview School District is working to tackle this head-on.

Superintendent Dr. Kenny Rodrequez is spending time hosting discussions with community members, parents, staff and students to determine Grandview’s next course of action, or plans A, B, C, D, and so on. As if preparation for the unknown is possible, Rodrequez and his team of education professionals are determined to cover all the bases, known or otherwise.

This week, the district will be distributing a survey to parents, which will ask the questions I asked above, in order to garner feedback on what those next steps might look like for our students. It is my understanding that they are looking for honesty, however brutal those responses might be. They are aware of the mistakes they made in the last quarter of the school year. They are also hoping to learn from those issues and implement plans to overcome inconsistencies, all while engaging students in a healthy, active learning environment, which will likely look very different from what we are used to seeing.

Again, not a task I envy. Personally, I hope our students, especially mine, can head back to school in August. My son learns better in a structured environment, and frankly, he needs to socialize, too. Regardless of what schooling looks like this fall, our school districts, our principals, our teachers and our students need our support. It truly takes a village, whether in person or virtually.

This year, our family closed the book on middle school. We’re looking forward to high school. I just hope it can be as normal as possible for my kid.

I had every intention of writing my column about the results of the recent local election this week. I have things I’d like to say about that, which, honestly, are things you’ve all heard before. I’m hopeful that those who were elected to serve understand what they are getting themselves into, and that they fulfill the terms they will or have sworn to complete.

I could go on and on about this. I have before. However, I feel as though there is something more pressing affecting our community, and our nation, that I think if goes unaddressed in this space I will be doing an injustice to our readers.

Like many of you, I watched the video that has gone viral of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota. I had to look away as the police officer, with his knee to Floyd’s neck, nonchalantly, with his hands in his pockets, allowed this man to lose consciousness and die. It makes me sick, and I would much prefer to imagine a world where things like this simply don’t take place.

But, I’m not that naive. I’ve been around long enough to see racism first-hand. I’ve covered enough stories of injustice. And, I’ve written in this column that changes need to be made and those changes need to start in our own homes.

I’m just a white girl who was raised in a diverse community to love my neighbors and treat others as we want to be treated. I’m raising my son much the same way.

I don’t have the answers. I wish I did, but I believe the answer will be a collective effort from all of us. We have to work and live together, regardless of our prejudices or beliefs. Let’s get back to basics: the golden rule and the ten commandments. It’s not hard. There’s nothing complicated about equality.

You might have noticed a new name on the front page this week. No, we didn’t hire a new reporter...though we may be looking for one of those as soon as life begins to return to a new normal.

On Saturday, May 23, in the backyard at my mom and dad’s home, surrounded by just a few special guests and our children, Joseph King and I were married. We had this date picked out long before social distancing and pandemics were a reality, and we decided that, if it was possible, we’d still like to get married on that day. So, we did.

The ceremony itself was very short and sweet (less than seven minutes long, according to our iPhone recording), but it was perfect for us. We read our own vows, and exchanged our rings that have been sitting in a drawer since Christmastime, just waiting to adorn our hands. My mom and my brother signed our license, and we began the next chapter in our lives as husband and wife. Hopefully, in a few months, we can celebrate with all of our family and friends, but for now, we’re honeymooning at home (and work) until we can take a real one.

Along with marriage comes a name change. It’ll probably take me longer to get used to than everyone else, and I’ll be calling myself Queen Mary King, because why wouldn’t I? But, I’m happy and excited to begin this next phase of my life with a man who loves me dearly, and even wears my favorite color (and talks about my love of purple in his vows) to make me smile.

This Mary got her Joseph, and she married him. It’s like a modern day fairytale story, only this one ends with me being the one who lives happily ever after. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you for celebrating along with me this week.

Yours truly,
Mrs. Mary K. King