A Day in the Life of a Jenks Student

Photojournal by Emma Zeller

In the midst of the snow days, quarantine breaks, and in class learning, students have had to acclimate to sudden changes in their school life. In these photos, you get to see a glimpse behind the curtain of one student’s daily routine. Lily Lawrence is a junior at Jenks High School, these photos show what that entails for her. Lawrence is the daughter of Jenks English teacher Mrs. Clayton, and she is one of the few students who see a teacher every single day, regardless of distance learning and breaks. Other than select perks, such as having a quiet place to spend lunch or a classroom to go to for emergency snacks, Lily’s daily life is unbothered by the presence of her mom at school. In distance learning, her days are filled with schoolwork, time with her brother, getting together with friends, and enjoying her hobbies. The following photos exhibit her day from morning to night.

Each morning, Lily greets her brother Henry (age 9) before he leaves for school, then she gets ready to work on virtual school assignments. 

“My brother is my best friend,” Says Lawrence. “He’s my favorite person in the world.” 

Lawrence and her brother are very close, he’ll often rush into her room excitedly, waiting to show her his newest drawing or comic book. It’s easy to see that Henry looks up to his sister a lot, he watches her shows, plays on her Minecraft world, and hangs out with her friends.

With a cup of coffee and school work waiting, Lily sits down to do her online classes. 

“I sit here everyday,” says Lawrence. “It’s really peaceful for me.” 

Her window seat and bed are the two places she does homework. She enjoys the calm of seeing cars and people pass by during the day.

Mrs.Clayton and her daughter share a hug and a smile before leaving the house.

“It’s not so different having your mom work at the school you go to,” says Lawrence. “I mean, it’s weird to hear kids coming up to me and talking about my mom, but I get to know things, like breaks and quarantines before other students do. It gives me a familiar place to go to during the school day.” 

Lawrence often pops into her moms room at least once during the school day, she always gets to talk to her in the halls in between classes.

The most important part of Lily’s day is her coffee runs.

“Coffee makes me feel like myself,” says Lawrence. 

To her, these trips are crucial to making it through the day awake. Everyday she can be seen with a Starbucks, Mcdonalds, or QuikTrip coffee in hand.

Lily always makes an effort to include outside time in her day.

“I love nature,” says Lawrence. “I feel connected to it when I’m outside. I think it’s because I’m named after a flower”.

 Lily spent a lot of time in Colorado while growing up, she misses the mountains, the nature, and the energy of the state. She plans to move back there after high school.

Hanging out with friends and watching Adventure Time is one of Lily’s favorite parts of the day.

“My friends are really important to me,” says Lawrence. “I love watching shows like Adventure Time with them, it makes me feel nostalgic.”

 Lily enjoys artistic hobbies. She does a lot of painting, writing, and sketching in her free time.

“I’ve written ever since I could spell,” Lawrence says.  “I do it everyday. I write to relax.” 

It’s not difficult to find notebooks scattered in her room with old writings covering the pages.

“I’ve been drawing since when I was eleven, then I started painting around fifteen,” says Lawrence. Again, this is evident from her room. The walls are covered with paintings, even her furniture is donned with acrylic pictures. 

At the end of the day, Lily sits down, watches YouTube videos, and plays Minecraft. 

“I’ve played Minecraft for about ten years,” says Lawrence. “I love to build things and design things, especially as a kid. Minecraft is just a fun way to do that.”

Whether it’s a hotel, a mansion, a town, or something else, Lily Lawrence has a world for it. She shares worlds with her brother, he will build himself houses and give her tours of his work. YouTube and Minecraft are ways Lawrence de-stresses at the end of her day. This tradition is long-standing with Lily, it’s something to relax and entertain her before she heads to bed. 

No matter what school days look like, students like Lily Lawrence always find time for friends, family, and hobbies. Like many other students, Lawrence has found a routine that works with her schedule.