Written By Grace Fetsick

Virtual learning was hard enough for students, but at Rush we found ways to connect even if we weren’t in person. During the pandemic we were out of school for over a year, unable to interact the way we would normally. Students felt out of touch with their peers and the world around them. In this time social media trends were at its peak, connecting people from around the world. If social media can bring together people from different countries, why not bring the students at Rush together? Teachers, clubs, and majors took to social media to interact with students, keeping them updated on the latest information during our 2020-2021 online school year.

The Student Council used Instagram to post about school events, spirit week, and important dates for students. Rush students reshared the posts, sharing what was the latest happening at school. Ms. Kates also ran the GSA instagram which shared important resources for the LGBTQIA+ community and organized theme days to share Rush Pride.

The United Minorities Council took to social media as well as google classroom, to share fun facts about inspiring minorities. Celebrating the diversity at Rush, we followed along for Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, Pride Month, and so much more. Follow them at @aabr_umc to see highlights from our diverse community at Rush.

Keeping us engaged with the theatre classes, Ms. Wojcik posted on the Rush Theatre account clips and pictures of virtual performances. Through the posts we saw the progress of Short and Sweet unfold, counting down the days until the online release. Wojick shared the behind the scenes set up of the Senior Play (also accomplished virtually) as well.

Clubs such as Ghost Club utilized Instagram to share the start of their club and gain the interest of new members. We were first introduced to this club on Instagram and a video commemorating their members was made to spread the word. By posting spooky images of Kanye West, this September, Ghost Club had the largest crowd in their club history.

The common theme of these posts was the positivity spread throughout the online world. Students and teachers together were able to create the welcoming atmosphere of Rush online. This all proves that even if we aren’t in the school building, the Rush community still thrives.

Continuing the utilization of social media this year, a group of handpicked students throughout the grades were chosen to take over the Rush Instagram page with the purpose of spreading positivity. With recent events dividing the classes, the main goal of this account is to connect the grades, creating a more unified community for the Rush population this year and many years to come.