Student Body Leaders Encourage Classmates To Power Through Pandemic

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Dozens of student body presidents from high schools across Utah came together to deliver messages of hope.

Students, especially seniors, found themselves in a tough situation as many will miss out on milestone moments in their lives.

Governor Gary Herbert announced Tuesday the state’s soft closure of all K-12 public schools was extended through the end of the academic year.

The just-released “Rise Together” video features about 60 student body officers who are delivering a variety of messages that show students can pull through these difficult times.

Some of those messages included:

“Together means we are all in this together.”

“We will survive in 2020 — in fact, we will thrive in 2020.”

“We didn’t come this far to only come this far.”

“Keep pushing forward.”

“So Utah let’s rise together.”

Four of the student body presidents behind the production spoke to KSL TV about why they decided to release such a video.

The student body presidents included Marc Lopez from Taylorsville High, Alex Rasmussen from Logan High, Nele Kaufusi from East High and Larsen Brown from Salem Hills High School.

“We just want students to envision the opportunities they really have in life even though they are not able to go to school they still have so many things they can do,” said Lopez. “Not losing hope, staying positive, being optimistic about things you can still do.”

“It’s just really hard to see those things go away and that’s kind of part of this initiative as well to try and replace those holes with things we can do and what we can do to make our lives better,” said Alex Rasmussen.

“My reaction is definitely sad that we would miss the chance for our prom our graduation and even speaking at graduation, but there is a lot to look forward to in the next year,” said Nele Kaufusi.

“I’ve learned so much in the time that we haven’t had school it’s been really moving just to notice all the ways people are trying to connect and help one another,” said Larsen Brown.

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How Do I Prevent It?

The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:

• Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
• Avoid touching your face
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

How To Get Help

If you’re worried you may have COVID-19, you can contact the Utah Coronavirus Information Line at 1-800-456-7707 to speak to trained healthcare professionals. You can also use telehealth services through your healthcare providers.

Additional Resources

If you see evidence of PRICE GOUGING, the Utah Attorney General’s Office wants you to report it. Common items in question include toilet paper, water, hand sanitizer, certain household cleaners, and even cold medicine and baby formula. Authorities are asking anyone who sees price gouging to report it to the Utah Division of Consumer Protection at 801-530-6601 or 800-721-7233. The division can also be reached by email at consumerprotection@utah.gov.