Socializing in the Time of Distance Learning

With the pandemic this year, we all know that keeping our distance is key which ultimately separates us from our friends and family. Covid has shown us new and interesting ways for all of us to keep connected. With FaceTiming our friends and keeping in touch, there is always a way. Senior, Ali Yassine this year created a club that would connect the fellow students of San Dimas from home but also at the same time, be playing a fun and exciting role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragon.

While in-school learning is on a pause, that does not mean the fun of being in a club has to stop either. For the Dungeons and Dragons club, the fun was taken to online. Ali Yassine wanted to create a fun and immersive space where anyone can join and feel safe. Yassine says “…providing a space where the people who feel that they don’t belong to any particular group could have a place where they feel accepted.” The point of the game is to complete the quest and challenges in this adventure as it’s also controlled by the Dungeon Master. At first, Yassine knew it would be a challenge to create a club as it would be hard to get people to join but also the fact that it would be entirely online. “At first, I wasn’t sure if running this club online would even be possible but together with my group of club leaders we made it work and pushed through the difficult times and rough patches.” Even after the club went live and word got out, people with this interest flocked over. Yassine describes the club as a “form of escapism” as it is a safe place to truly be yourself while simultaneously slaying a dragon with others. The club allows creativity as you are forced to come up with new ideas and strategies as each time you play the game, it is a brand new adventure waiting for you. 

Dungeons and Dragon is a fun and immersive experience that you can have with your friends. The club is a safe place to be yourself while interacting with others. With covid causing high schoolers to lose their memorable experience, online clubs are just one of the many new ways for a high schooler to have a normal year at San Dimas