By Evan Kaye, Current Writer
As this strange year comes to an end, seniors reflect on the uniqueness of their experience with the hopes for a return to normalcy in time for their college experience. Seniors have a lot to say about this year, mostly because most feel like their senior year experience was taken from them. The class of 2021 did not have it easy, but they were able to prevail nonetheless. They made the most of what they could this year and had a great year anyway.
Most students would report that this year was more difficult than previous years because they had to take some (or all) of their classes virtually. Many students say that this year was “more difficult because of the lack of connection between students. Keeping cameras on really helped fix that though,” suggests Hindola Gangopadhay, a future freshman at Virginia Tech. The lack of connection between students and teachers made learning more difficult, but students like Hindola found ways to learn that still work for them.
Other students found it more difficult to complete work and learn this year as compared to last year. Jonathan Han, who’s off to UMBC in the fall, describes his year as “more difficult due to loss of motivation.” Jonathan was not alone in the feeling that school felt harder to do, even if the workload was lighter. Carolyn Cullen, an incoming freshman at University of Michigan, says that “I had a difficult time managing my time being in my house 24/7, and school seemed more difficult at home.” Time management had to be a new skill all students this year had to learn. They had to transition from a schedule ruled by bells and teachers, to creating and working on their own schedule. This proved to be a difficult part of online learning for many students.
Riya Patel, an incoming freshman to the University of Maryland says that, “It was like two sides of a coin! One one side, there is the fact that there was a lot of leniency with the college application process. On the flip side, there was little to absolutely no social interactions.” The lockdown affected every part of their senior year, even contributing to their college applications process. It somewhat helped the class of 2021 out, as they had more time to complete applications and research schools. Additionally, some students excelled in the remote environment. Melody Shang, who will be attending Berklee School of Music in the fall, implied that overall, her year has been less difficult than previous years because “the density of classes is lower and the rigidity and stress have been lowered.” Having only four classes at a time has been a huge relief for many students, especially those who take difficult classes. The overall workload has been relieved and many students with difficult schedules can thank the online environment for that.
Senior year was the year to look forward to, the one everyone claimed would be the greatest of them all. So, naturally, many students have felt somewhat disappointed by their experiences being taken away from them. However, PTA and administrators have put together a few events for seniors to have even a slice of their normal experience. On the seniors’ last first day of school, there was an unofficial sunrise event. In the Clarksville Commons parking lot, students socially distanced and watched the sunrise with complimentary donuts. Additionally, around Halloween, the PTA put together an event at the TLV tree farm, where a corn maze, hay ride, and food gave the class another chance to get together. Then, towards the end of the year, the senior awards ceremony was held in the football stadium. Students could see where all their classmates were headed next year and play games like cornhole and spikeball. Hindola thinks “they did an amazing job this year to make sure that every senior felt included and provided events for students to connect, either virtually or in person.” All members of administration and the PTA deserve recognition for their hard work to try and make seniors feel like they can have a normal year. They provided numerous activities for students to enjoy online as well and they did the best they could for the seniors.
When asked what seniors were most upset about missing out on, the answer was overwhelmingly prom. The class of 2021 did not get their junior or senior prom, which is frustrating to many. Some seniors held unofficial proms with small groups. They would get dressed up in their dresses and suits and take photos as if they were going to a real prom and had small celebrations with their friends. This was one way to stay safe and celebrate with their friends and a good way to get the event they deserved. Melody says that other events she felt seniors missed out on were “homecoming, senior picnic, and all the other things we would’ve enjoyed, like having the pep rally rigged.”
The last event for the seniors will be their in-person graduation on June 4th at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The majority of seniors would agree with Carolyn’s statement: “I’m looking forward to having in-person graduation.” It has been a long 12 years of school and it will finally pay off for seniors to have the opportunity to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas alongside their classmates. Having an in-person graduation was the top of the list of “must haves” for many seniors and parents. Melody Shang suggests “I feel it’s totally possible for more people to be there than currently allowed, because of vaccination rates going up and the large space of Merriweather and that it’s outdoors.” The two-ticket-per-senior rule is a critique that many have about the in-person graduation. However, as of Tuesday, the two ticket limit has been relieved. Seniors will now have six tickets to give to friends and family, which allows for a more intimate ceremony for families, something that has been uncommon because of the pandemic.
As students head off to college all over the country, their hopes for a normal year will hopefully be fulfilled. Anya Nguyen, who’s headed off to Rutgers says “my college will be completely in person so I’m hoping it’ll be normal.” Most students are reporting that their schools will be completely in person, which hopefully means that they will be able to have their normal college experience, despite having an anything but normal senior year.