EAST PEORIA (HOI) - Many have sacrificed during the COVID pandemic, including school aged children. Forced to forge through their school year in ways they had never seen before. Parents and educators asking if their kids will ever return to normal. With no warning and little preparation, schools closed their doors in March, 2020 after Governor JB Pritzker announced all schools would close for 2 weeks on starting March 15. Marie Berlinger was a first year pre-kindergarten teacher when the pandemic hit in the spring. "It all happened so quickly. Started with panic and quickly it was you have to roll with the punches. It's craziness," she said.