WEB EXCLUSIVE

The​ ​transition​ ​from​ ​summer​ ​vacation​ ​to​ ​the​ ​regular​ ​school​ ​year​ ​was​ ​seamless​ ​for​ ​most teachers and students;​ ​however,​ ​for​ ​members​ ​of​​​ ​drama​ ​courses,​ ​August​ ​was​ ​filled with​ ​worry.​ ​Drama​ ​teacher​ ​Tim​ ​Carter ​had​ ​fallen​ ​ill​ ​over​ ​the​ ​summer​ ​break​ ​and​ ​was​ ​noticeably missing from​ ​class.

Many​ ​students​ ​were​ ​upset​ ​by​ ​the​ ​unfortunate​ ​nature​ ​of​ ​their​ ​teacher’s​ ​absence.​ ​

“It​ ​was​ ​weird​ ​not​ ​seeing​ ​him​ ​there​ ​and​ ​knowing​ ​he​ ​was​ ​in​ ​the​ ​hospital,​ ​and​ ​there​ ​was nothing​ ​we​ ​could​ ​do​ ​about​ ​it,” said sophomore Hayley Rivera.

Students were not​ ​only​ ​concerned,​ ​they​​ ​also​ ​faced​ ​the​ ​challenge​ ​of​ ​occupying​ ​themselves without​ ​their regular ​instructor.​

“It​ ​was​ ​boring–​there​ ​was​ ​literally​ ​nothing​ ​to​ ​do,​ ​we​ ​learned​ ​nothing,” Rivera said. “We just​ ​sat​ ​there.”

Eventually,​ ​tired​ ​of​ ​sitting​ ​and​ ​waiting​ ​for​ ​their​ ​teacher​ ​return,​ ​some​ ​students​ ​decided​ ​to set​ ​up​ ​a​ ​GoFundMe​ campaign ​for​ ​Carter.​ ​The​ ​GoFundMe​ ​was​ ​aimed​ ​at financially​ ​assisting​ Carter​ ​with​ ​his​ ​hospital​ ​bills​ ​and​ ​for​ ​the​ ​time​ ​he​ ​was​ ​forced​ ​to​ ​take​ ​off​ ​of work.​ In the end, the campaign raised $115.

​This​ ​effort​ ​did​ ​not​ ​go​ ​without​ ​appreciation, according to Rivera.

“When​ ​he​ ​came​ ​back, he​ ​gave​ ​a​ ​speech​ ​just​ ​thanking​ ​everyone​ ​who​ ​contributed​, ​and​ said ​just how​ ​much​ ​he​ ​missed​ ​us​ ​and​ ​loved​ ​us,”​ ​Rivera​ ​said. ​“It’s awesome ​to​ ​have​ ​our​ ​teacher​ ​back.”​

Rivera stated that the absence will not affect the year’s productions.

“We’re​ ​actually​ ​starting​ ​on​ ​three​ ​different​ ​plays already,”​ ​Rivera​ ​said.