BY ISABELLA MARCON
When it comes to the last year of high school, seniors are recognized through celebration. After three years of hard work, seniors are rewarded with events such as prom, Grad Bash and, of course, graduation. However, with the coronavirus spreading rapidly, schools across the globe have closed in hopes to prevent the virus from infecting others. Whether or not this pandemic will continue all the way until the end of the school year is unclear, leaving CCHS seniors with many unanswered questions about their long-anticipated senior events. We asked multiple CCHS seniors about their reactions and thoughts about being a senior in the time of the coronavirus outbreak.
Devon Pita
“I’m very upset and sad about this, but at the same time there is nothing I can do about it, so crying over it won’t help,” senior Devon Pita said. “The best I can do is hope that something else will happen in place of my senior year that will make my experience that much more memorable.”
Ajith Joseph
“While it is unfortunate that many events people were looking forward to were canceled (like DCON or Grad Bash), it has allowed me to look forward to the next four years,” senior Ajith Joseph said. “Considering most people have already been accepted to a college of their choice, this time away from school has allowed me to take a closer look at what college life would be like and how I really [need] to prepare for it. For example, socially distancing myself from other family members at my home made me realize how lackluster my cooking skills are when I attempted to prepare meals. While this situation is depriving us of some senior memories, I’m glad I least have more time to prepare myself for the future.”
Benjamin Farquhar
“[This] makes me feel sad because I’ve been looking forward to senior year and events and it’s been significantly cut short by corona,” senior Benjamin Farquhar said. “I was looking forward to Grad Bash and prom the most, and the fact that both might get canceled is very disheartening.”
Poria Hong
“I’m sad I can’t see my friends face-to-face for a couple of weeks due to the coronavirus since this is our last year all together before we all go off to college,” senior Poria Hong said. “The one event I’ve been looking forward to since elementary [school] was prom. Growing up watching all those teen movies, prom was always at the end of the movie—the happy ending. I got my dress already, made plans on renting an Airbnb with friends. I’ll be extremely disappointed if my plans fall through.”
Marley Patterson
“I feel like my whole senior year is being canceled. I was super upset about everything,” senior Marley Patterson said. “I play lacrosse and won’t even get to have my senior night. I’m most looking forward to prom and although prom hasn’t been canceled, I know it might come.”
Alexander Molina
“I was looking forward to graduation this year. I wanted to be on stage and get my diploma, which we’ve all worked so hard to get after many tiring days, and now I feel like we won’t have that special moment,” senior Alexander Molina said. “It makes me kinda sad cause I feel like senior [year] is supposed to be the final ‘hoorah’ before we go into the real world, and now it feels like we’re just going to get our diploma and move on with life.”
Robert Hidalgo
“I feel like a major experience was taken away. [Senior year] is supposed to be something everyone experiences, so for it to be missing is unfair,” senior Robert Hidalgo said. “I was really looking forward to those last moments with my friends. Without those, it’s like there was never a goodbye.”
Imani Armand
“I definitely feel like we’ve been robbed of our senior year due to the coronavirus. It’s not a great feeling because it’s our last year, and as a senior, it’s the year where we’re supposed to make the most memories and have the most fun. But of course, I understand the reasoning behind all the precautions,” senior Imani Armand said. “I was really looking forward to prom. This is the school dance that everyone talks about since freshman year. To have that taken away would be very disheartening.”
Although living through a historical pandemic isn’t an ideal way to end off their last year of high school, the seniors have an overall understanding that safety and health comes first. With this, however, there’s still hope for salvaging the end of the school year.
Photo by Sydney Katz
