Senior Year Refection

Locked down

Statesman seniors refect on missed festivities and memories due I n a time where seniors would usually be cherishing their fnal moments with their fiends and teachers before graduation, the Class of 2020 fnds themselves sitting at home behind their laptops in a state of longing for what could have been and uncertainty about what is to come; sufce to say, this is not what any of us expected.

Seemingly overnight, the Coronavirus pandemic transformed our society as the world halted on its axis and cancellations abounded. While the news was not delivered until recently, many seniors expected the inevitable blow that was coming: we would never have another day of high school. And, yes, we seniors take no shame in admitting our disappointment about the year’s end. While we recognize that our personal concerns are largely trivial in the grand scheme of public health, there is still a sour and unfulflling taste lef in our mouths as we wish this could have happened ‘any other year’ so we wouldn’t miss some of the defning moments of our high school experience.

All of us have lost something in our own ways. Events such as Showcase and St. Baldrick’s were days away fom happening prior to cancellation. As for athletes, many winter athletes were mere weeks away fom completing the journey they had been striving towards for months, and spring athletes never even had the chance to truly get their feet of the ground.

Despite all the big events, perhaps what some of us will miss most are day-to-day interactions like walking between classes with our fiends, interacting with security guards or waiting in line at Jazzman’s. While we may have taken these mundane moments for granted, many of us would do anything to once again have trouble fnding a parking spot in the harsh weather of February, rushing into frst period eager for warmth, fiends and hopefully a clock that doesn’t read 8:31 a.m.

Perhaps what stings the most is the lack of fnality to our last day of school. No pictures were taken, no goodbyes were said — just “see you tomorrow” to many fiends and faculty who we may never see again. Many of us came to school on that late arrival day anxious about the recent coronavirus news, but the majority of us would have been shocked had you told us when we rolled out of the bed that morning that we were about to have our fnal day of high school.

But these are merely complaints about the fashion in which senior year ended. However, we have reason to worry that further disappointment is yet to come in what is supposed to be the start of an exciting new chapter in our lives. Whether it be students planning to attend four-year universities in the fall or

Spirits up to COVID-19 pandemic; optimistic, prepared for uncertain future

spending a gap year abroad, all of us face a level of uncertainty about what is to come over the following months. As if it weren’t enough for us to lose our senior year, the prospect of losing these pivotal plans we were looking forward to could be a devastating fnal blow to our morale, but we will continue to display the resiliency we have adopted over the last two months.

The truth is, it’s easy to focus on the negatives — not having a glorious ‘second semester senior year,’ anticipated memories or closure to what has been a formative four years of high school. But beyond the daily Zoom calls and constant social distancing is a newfound appreciation for our usual day-to-day lives. Although many of us seniors are longing for a return to what was just a few months ago, we can still refect on the senior year we did get a chance to enjoy and, more importantly, what lies ahead of us.

For instance, clubs and athletic teams recognized their senior members over social media and virtual parties, expressing gratitude and love before passing on the torch. Even without Prom scheduled, we still made sure our tuxedos and dresses weren’t lef hanging in a closet, some dressing up formally with family and fiends over video calls. Keeping with tradition, many of us didn’t forget about senior ditch day on the following Monday.

Though the next few months are unclear to say the least, there is still plenty to feel optimistic about. We can stand tall in our caps and gowns — regardless of how or where graduation is held — knowing that nothing can detract fom any of our grade’s successes over the last four years. As the summer months approach, we can cross our fngers that we can spend in-person time with

fiends before many of us head of in all diferent directions. Most of all, we can all look forward to charting our individual paths, whether it is stepping foot on the college campuses that we’ll call our second homes or forging new fiendships for years to come.

Moving forward, let’s hold on to that hope for the rapid end of COVID-19 with fewer tragedies and the beginning of our new lives. Though we certainly didn’t choose for a pandemic to end our year just as we reached the home stretch, the Class of 2020 is now faced with a decision of how we want to approach the next few months of our lives. Let’s decide to cherish the time with our families, accept each day with a renewed vitality and make the most of every moment.

And of course, once it’s all over, we’ll rejoice and celebrate together; hopefully, we won’t need to be six feet apart when we do so.

6 f. 6 f.

May 2020 - Senior 6 f.