Part 3:

The dog days of this COVID-19 summer are winding down and our students and recent alumni are planning their return to Poly or the next step in their educational journey. In Part 3, the final installment of our three-part series, Alexandra Nava-Baltimore ’20 shares reflections from Mary Kinnane ’22, Nicole Roitman’20, Giulio Basilico ’23, and Emily Fountaine ’20. A key theme throughout the series has been the connection with family, continuing to feed curiosity and the quest for knowledge, and recharging and relaxing.

Mary Kinnane ’22

“This summer was one of the best summers yet,” said Mary Kinnane ’22, “I found myself working out every day with my brother to get ready for volleyball and crew, as he gets ready for his lacrosse season in college. When I was younger I took culinary classes and always loved it, but with sports and academics taking prominence, I stopped. It felt great to get back into the kitchen during quarantine and throughout summer! I have also spent a lot of time safely at the beach while social distancing. I have gotten a head start on my college recruiting process and SAT prep. I also created an accent wall in my room, with photos of friends and family, as well as places I have been, and places I would love to visit. There have been lots of family game nights which usually end in tantrums and cheating accusations (only kidding, kinda). Although I love spending time with my family, I have definitely missed my friends, and Zooms just aren’t the same. I am super excited to safely return to school and see everyone in the fall!”

Nicole Roitman ’20

“Originally, I had planned to volunteer during the summer at my local public library,” said Nicole Roitman ’20, “but, when quarantine began, I felt all my plans for summer had been thwarted. Fortunately, I discovered that Harvard University is offering free online classes on various topics such as Shakespeare plays and American history. I decided to take a couple of self-paced classes exploring Buddhist philosophy and ancient forms of future prediction to learn about areas that have always piqued my interest, but evaded a spot in my actual class schedule. 

Otherwise, my quarantine has been primarily spent with my family, taking the unexpected opportunity to spend quality time together before I leave for college.”

Giulio Basilico ’23

“This summer I’ve worked and hung out with friends,” said Giulio Basilico ’23. “This is the first year I am getting paid to teach sailing, and we are lucky that our program could operate given the pandemic. While school was still in session I attended a protest with my family, which was a learning experience for me.”

Emily Fountaine ’20

“This summer” said Emily Fountaine ’20, “since my plan for working as a lifeguard at Poly’s Summer Experience Camp was canceled, I am now babysitting in my community, taking online classes to speak Italian, and spending lots of time with my family. I have a very close family and, during quarantine, I was not able to see them. Because of this, I want to spend more time with them and make up for the time lost.”

In case you missed them, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our Summer in Quarantine series.