For high school seniors, ‘it’s so unreal’
Class of 2020 missing out on beloved rites of passage — proms, graduation ceremonies
During their four years at Danville’s San Ramon Valley High, Lindsay Clark and her girlfriends enjoyed spontaneous trips to InN-Out, hikes on Mount Diablo and late-night chats in cars about school, family, boys, “everything.”
The girls were especially excited about reaching senior year, when they could celebrate together with prom, graduation and other school traditions before heading off to different colleges and separate lives.
Sadly for Clark and graduating seniors all over California, the final months of school for
the class of 2020 come as the outbreak of COVID-19 wreaks havoc on many aspects of people’s lives.
“I can’t believe it. It’s so unreal,” said Clark, as she and her friends shelter in place with their families. “Since freshman year, we would all talk about this time we’ve been waiting for, and now it’s all gone.”
This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond announced that K-12 schools will stay closed through the end of the academic year, signaling the need for high schools to cancel, postpone or drastically alter events that are beloved rites of passage for American teens.
Clark and friends Ella Maita and Olivia DeWarns “totally understand” the public health reasons for closing their school and canceling their May 16 prom. They are trying to stay upbeat and hope the school can hold another party this summer.
Still, they’re sad they can’t see each other or go to prom in gowns most already have purchased. They were especially looking forward to posing for pictures together before heading to the ball.
There are other moments they won’t get back: Going around campus to get their yearbooks signed by classmates and favorite teachers, participating in the senior prank and gathering for “Senior Sunset” on the football field the evening before they walk across a stage and get their diplomas.
“Honestly, it’s really upsetting,” said Maita. “The second semester of senior year is supposed to be a really special time.”
School officials are sympathetic, knowing that seniors are missing out on events that are supposed to cap their high school careers. Websites for high schools around the Bay Area show the words “canceled” by calendar listings for spring musicals and concerts, baseball and softball games and track-and-field competitions. Other events for seniors that probably won’t happen include awards nights, “ditch days” to Santa Cruz and grad night parties lovingly organized by parents.
Principals are reaching out to student and parent groups to devise ways to hold graduation ceremonies and proms remotely or to postpone them.
“I have been with these students for four years, and there is no way I am going to allow them to be deprived of these special memories,” said Cheryl Lawton, principal at Branham High School in San Jose. “We may need to be creative, and the timeline may be summer or fall, but they’ll have something!”
Matt Hewitson, principal at Abraham Lincoln High in San Jose, said almost philosophically, “The graduating class of 2020 is going to have a very different senior year than any other class that came before them.”
But for Hewitson, the issue is personal. His son, Cameron, is graduating from Abraham Lincoln. Hewitson admits he’s like a lot of parents who are disappointed they won’t be able to take photos of their newly adult children with their prom dates or watch them get their diplomas while surrounded by peers. A child’s graduation is a milestone for parents, too, he said.
Cameron, meanwhile, misses seeing his girlfriend and was excited about taking her to senior ball at Levi’s Stadium on May 16. With the spring weather, he also longs for his afternoon baseball practices and games. He was especially eager for a small ceremony that occurs at one of the final games of the season. Senior players are honored with their parents on the field. “I was having a good start to the season,” he said. “I loved all my teammates and I had great coaches.”
Hewitson is trying to help Cameron — and himself — put their school’s closure and canceled graduation into perspective, telling his son: “You won’t have the same graduation as many people in the past. You’ll have something different. Years from now, it will be something to remember and to talk about.”
But what still hurts is that seniors had little or no time to say a final, in-person goodbye to classmates, teachers or coaches. For most students, their last day on campus was March 13, but they didn’t realize it at the time. Many school districts didn’t decide to close until that afternoon, and the districts expected closures would only last two or three weeks.
“We just finished an English in-class essay and took a break and when we got back to the classroom we found out school would be closed,” said Christine Zang, a senior at Palo Alto’s Henry M. Gunn High School. “I really miss seeing people I’ve basically grown up with at school, and even the small interactions with classmates and teachers.”
On that Friday, Liliana Blechman and her best friend Kayla attended a tech rehearsal at Branham High School for “Side Show,” their spring musical. Liliana had a juicy supporting role, while Kayla had one of the leads. The production was supposed to be a culmination of their four years in drama.
With their school closing, their show couldn’t open March 19, leaving Liliana, Kayla and their castmates heartbroken. “Everyone was crying and hugging and trying to hold onto each other,” she said.
Like Lindsay Clark, Liliana also had her prom dress ready for her May 23 prom at the Tech Interactive museum in San Jose. In addition, Liliana works at her family’s store, Trudy’s in San Jose, which sells prom dresses to girls throughout the Bay Area. Liliana spent the past few months helping other girls find dresses they could feel confident in. “It was really rewarding,” she said.
In fact, a Trudy’s prom dress customer made headlines in the past week for offering up a way students can still enjoy their proms. For her canceled March 28 junior prom, Natalie Reese, of Danville, shared a video of herself on TikTok, dressed up in her pink ball gown and dancing around her living room with her father.
“It was a way to share the experience with other people, and take back this thing that is ours,” Natalie said.
Lindsay, who starts Chico State in the fall, also stays connected to her friends virtually. But last week, they found a way to see each other in person, but at a distance, for her 18th birthday. Her friends drove past her house in their individual cars, honking horns and holding up balloons.
“It was awesome,” Lindsay said. “We’re trying to make the best out of a bad situation and are just hoping that this will pass.”