Their own words: Students weigh in on ‘different kind of senior year’
When a pandemic “takes over” your senior year, your outlook changes dramatically. The 2020 graduates’ year took on a new meaning as graduates embraced a new frontier where schools closed, altering their graduations, proms, spring sports seasons, awards ceremonies, and goodbyes to teachers and friends. Memories are precious as they’ve all discovered, but the futures are of course looking bright for these graduates. The Houston Chronicle sends its congratulations to graduating seniors across the area.
“First we got news that we weren’t going to school for two more weeks after spring break, and I was feeling excited, but then they kept adding more weeks. I came to the realization we weren’t going to school anymore. I was upset when I heard the news that my senior year got cut short, but the school is trying their hardest to keep our senior spirit alive. The most memorable part of this semester was hearing the news prom was canceled, only to find out that they were able to salvage our prom and graduation by pushing the date further.”
Darianna Castro
Jersey Village High School
“At Dulles High, we’re all like family, and I think we started to adjust to the new normal really well. Zoom meetings have been super great to get to see and talk to all my teachers and friends when I need extra help and support. Experiencing how it is to live your life during a global pandemic and remembering all the sadness it caused is definitely going to be something I’ll never forget. I’m thankful for the part of the senior year before the pandemic when I was still able to drive my truck to school….”
Anderson Block, John Foster Dulles High School
“I hope this isn’t the ‘new normal.’ I hope for students that follow me that things get back to the original normal. The staff at our school knew this was disappointing for us, so to cheer us up they organized a drive-through for the senior class. That night, we decorated our car along with a hundred or more cars filled with students, and we drove through the lines of teachers waving, cheering, holding signs and honking car horns. Some were flashing car headlights, and some played the music from our high school band as we drove through. The spirit and the love the teachers showed us was amazing.”
Samantha Hughston, Cypress Creek High School
“Our teachers gave us virtual instruction and assignments to enhance our learning. Before beginning instruction, our teachers will often check in with us to see how we are doing or simply let us unwind. I think these are small, but important gestures…. I’m confident I’ll never forget my senior year of high school. This is truly a historical moment…. Although I can’t fully replace my senior moments, my family has insisted that I still take senior pictures using my older sister’s cap and gown. ”
Emily Ramirez Heights High School
“It was devastating as a senior to know that all our senior plans like prom and graduation were to be postponed or canceled. We were supposed to be the first graduating class, but it hurts to know that we won’t be the first to celebrate the senior traditions that we were supposed to. (Our school) passed out yard signs for seniors to put in their yards, and our staff created a sweet video for students in these hard times. The most memorable part of my semester was when I spent a month building a trebuchet with my friends for my Physics C class and launching paint balloons at our teacher.”
Jennifer Lu Bridgeland High School
“During the first day of a tournament, we found out that school had been canceled for the next day and that we would need to return home. I realized that coronavirus was impacting our country in a way I had never anticipated. Over time, I learned that there would be no prom, no graduation, and no more baseball. But I found out that MHS will have a graduation ceremony at Tully Stadium!” Thomas Vincent Jr. Memorial High School
“There are things to try and replace the traditional senior experience, but for many people, including myself, especially at our school, there is a sense of community and brotherhood that means more. I think as a senior in the last few weeks in the semester, everything feels like it just flew by, and our final steps just got taken away. This whole semester will be a memory for the rest of my life. A postponed graduation is something that I never had a problem with, even a virtual graduation.” Alfred Reyes Jr.
St. Thomas High School