The winter has finally hit Chicago and we are feeling every bit of it. The cold chills came upon us so abruptly that, for most of us, our bodies had no time to adjust and prepare for the shift. Colds have been popping up around the school. Teachers call in for sick days, students lay at home sick in their beds, and the rest of the school population suffer through each day sneezing, coughing, and spreading germs throughout the building.  Some professionals have solutions for keeping yourself protected during the winter season. For one, it is recommended that we take cold showers during the winter. Some may find it hard to believe, but the cold water has been proven to help the body to hold on to the warmth stored inside to help keep the body from getting sick. Keeping your hands clean is also an important aspect to consider when it comes to your health as germs are easily spread through touch. On top of well known remedies such as sipping tea, a  very important and often overlooked component of keeping healthy during the winter is getting your shots prior to the winter season. The flu shot is key in protecting our health. Most schools make it mandatory for students to receive the vaccine in order to come to class.

Here at Whitney Young, we uphold such standards. Leilani Williams ‘21 stated, “I am glad Whitney Young and CPS requires us to get most of our shots or else I might not have thought twice about them.”.= On the other hand, Siauna Respress ‘20 says “I find the requirement for shots to be excessive because I stay on top of my shots because I want to and feel that everyone else have that choice as well.” Despite our opinions on the CPS health code system, we can all agree that getting sick is not fun for anyone. Sofy Paulson ‘20 encourages students to “stay warm, drink a lot of tea, and keep your germs at home.” We should all do everything we can to stay healthy during this chilled season.