LIFE

Social distancing guidelines and the coronavirus have undoubtedly thrown the world for a loop, affecting everyone from grandparents to healthcare professionals to essential workers—but what about the high school seniors?

Twelfth graders completed years of work, prepared to be rewarded by the distribution of diplomas on a large stage. As the days ticked down, teens held onto the hope of having a Breakfast Club moment where they march out of their school's doors, fists pumping in the air in triumph. But this year there will be none of that—no ceremony, no strut down the hallways, no prom, and not even graduation. In fact, there's a good chance that commencement day will be spent just the same as the past few months: quietly indoors with family.

Alexis Horton, an 18-year-old student from New York City, confirms that coronavirus has shaken up her senior year. "My school has a Bridge program where we choose an internship or independent study to engage in for the final weeks. It's been a tradition at my school forever," she explains. "I was so excited to be working at a non-profit daycare center for children. When I found out that I no longer had that opportunity, I was so upset." Seventeen-year-old Justine Denamiel has faced end-of-year project cancellations as well: "I was going to end my senior year by creating a collaborative performance with my peers. We were planning on working together every day after school, putting together a film and live dance performance. We never even got to start what we were going to do." 

For Long Island senior Ariel Wiener, the prom cancellation has been most upsetting. "From the second senior year started, I waited for the day I got to pick out my prom dress, the dress of my dreams," she explains. "I went with my best friend and mom, and I chose this long, rose gold Jovani design." Now, Ariel doesn't know if or when she will get to wear the gown. "Prom has been something my friends and I have dreamed about since we were little," she says. "And just like that, it's gone." Makana Michaud—a senior at a Catholic college-preparatory school in Hamden,  Connecticut—was also looking forward to her school's prom celebration. "My friends and I were going to get a party bus to travel to and from the event in, and we were all going to have a sleepover that night. Now, we don't get to show off our dresses or enjoy one last dance as a group before college," she asserts. "Not to mention, the pandemic has made our school cancel our final senior mass, which was supposed to be a really special moment for us."

Twelfth-grader Jordyn Sinclair is particularly bummed over being isolated from her friends. "It's really heartbreaking to not be able to see my friends in the halls anymore," she says of her high school in Teaneck, New Jersey. "I participated in so many activities—from being in a dance ensemble to walking in fashion shows to managing the softball team—and to not share those last moments with my class hurts. I don't know if I'll ever get that chance again." Jordyn is also crushed by the potential of an online graduation ceremony, which lacks the traditional pomp of an in-person commencement. "Receiving my diploma in the mail feels like I never really accomplished anything," she asserts. "I'm trying my best to push through and be happy because I'm safe and healthy, but everything is just so sad."

Seventeen-year-old Becky Hershkowitz mourns not being able to celebrate her class properly, which she had planned on doing before taking on college responsibilities. "My grade was supposed to fill the common space with balloons and blast music from a speaker on our last day," she explains of her New York City private school.

Jules Holland—a senior in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts—is also devastated about missing out on her school's end-of-year festivities. "We were just beginning to come up with ideas for our senior prank. We were thinking about parking our cars in a big circle in the parking lot and playing street games during class time!" she declares. Additionally, Jules faces another difficult circumstance: "It's already springtime, and I don't know where I'm going to college yet. I'm trying to decide between four schools, and I've only visited one because I can't travel at the moment."

Senior Julia Tremba is most upset by the ambiguity of her NYC school's situation—no decisions have been made yet about prom or graduation, and she and her classmates are simply left in the dark. "They told us that we're going to have some type of senior celebration that combines prom, senior dinner and commencement, but they don't know when," she explains. "They said that they reserved dates in August and December at a venue, but looking down the line, that seems so far away. Plus, who knows if the social distancing guidelines will even be lifted by then?"

As a senior myself, I can testify firsthand how profoundly I've been affected by the recent outbreak. I've taken part in grade-wide Zoom assemblies, pondered over digital assessments, and read about virtual proms, but I can't pretend that everything's normal—because it's not. I cherish that handshake with my Head of School as I strut proudly toward my diploma. I crave that final embrace with the group of friends who have supported me since the start. I treasure the moment when I glance across the room and see proud tears pouring out of my parents' eyes. The concluding moments of our high school careers have been robbed from us, and that's not okay. In fact, we must acknowledge that our situation is abnormal, that it's far from "okay," in order to move on. In sadness lies strength, and that power is what will continue to propel us forward as a grade. Specific dates for graduation and prom may still be undetermined, but one thing's for sure: our frustration and despair will bind us with fellow senior classes, and together, we will fight for the final moments of high school we deserve.

How has the coronavirus affected you or any seniors you know? Comment below!

by Carrie Berk | 4/13/2020