2020: The Lives of High School Seniors

As the longest year in recent history winds down, it’s time to take a look at a group of students who are experiencing the biggest year of their high school careers a bit differently than usual: the seniors. As the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools in March, the Class of 2020 had to sacrifice certain in-person events or reschedule them or host them differently, such as prom. However, as the pandemic worsens into December, the probability of the rest of the school year being remote increases with every day, leaving some to wonder what it must be like for the class of 2021, who are experiencing their entire senior year remotely.

The remote situation has created a division between the students with some being in support of it and some itching to get back in the building. Obviously, as we saw, Homecoming did not take place this year, and Spirit Week went virtual. Seniors, who have to deal with applying to colleges, have also gone about that process differently this year. Many colleges are not requiring students to take the SAT when applying for the Fall 2021 term, and some colleges extended their deadlines from November 30 to December 4. Looking into the future, vacations will look very different. The upcoming winter break will be the first one during the pandemic, and the further upcoming spring break will be the second, although circumstances have changed so greatly that the experience will likely be different than last year’s.

Another two events for seniors that might face changes this year compared to last are Prom and Graduation. There was not much time to prepare an alternative to these events last year, but with a year of planning, a new workaround might allow students to get at least a little enjoyment out of them. If the pandemic continues, next year’s seniors may even have an arrangement different from this year’s, but, as we have all learned this calendar year, only time will tell.