Summer is always filled with unexpected events, now more than ever due to changes in the Covid-19 restrictions in Illinois. The pandemic and general summer fun has caused students and staff in the school to experience rare encounters of events going the exact opposite to plan.

Students like Melodi Magluyan, sophomore, had a clear idea of what their summer could look like, only for it to actually be quite contrary to what they believed. 

Magluyan’s trip to Six Flags took an unexpected turn for the worse with some unexpected weather. 

“It was not what I had expected, not a single bit. I thought it was going to be really fun. It was actually really hot outside, so it already started off pretty bad, because it was around 90 degrees,” Magluyan said. “And then it started raining on us and then we had to go into a candy shop, and all the rides closed down.”

Unfortunately for Magluyan, the experience did not get much better when her “friend almost fainted, so we had to get out of the line to get her some food.”

While the day did not turn around for Magluyan, she said the memories were worthwhile.

“It was not that fun, but it was a great experience because it’s a great thing to make fun of with my friends and bonded us closer than we already were.”

This was not the only event where the expectation did not match reality this summer. Melissa Touvannas, choir director, had a major event that had been up in the air since 2020.

“[My favorite event this summer was] definitely my daughter’s wedding which had been postponed, it was supposed to be in 2020. And because of COVID, we had to cancel it and do it in 2021,” Touvannas said. “I was very nervous that it wouldn’t be a normal wedding because of COVID. But the timing was perfect, because the state had just lifted all of their capacity limits and all of their masking mandates.”

While the wedding was still not completely normal, Touvannas said, “there were still servers and photographers with masks”, she was still able to enjoy and celebrate although it was not what she had expected. 

“I’m very happy to have been able to celebrate with my daughter, because I know a lot of people couldn’t because of all the restrictions,” Touvannas said. “It felt good to do something relatively normal and we all had the best time.”

Even though these events are very lighthearted, anothers experience could have resulted in serious repercussions. 

Such was almost the case for Sienna Maklhouf, sophomore, on a turbulent whitewater rafting trip.

“I definitely thought the water would be a lot warmer than it was. It was freezing. I thought I was going to be inside of a tube and I was sitting on top of one, barely staying in it,” Maklhouf said. “I couldn’t feel my feet the whole time. And it started raining, and it was just a whole other thing than what I expected.”

While the trip did not go to plan, Maklhouf says she was still happy with the overall experience.

“I would definitely do it again, it was a really fun experience, even though it didn’t match my expectations.”