Class of ’21 shares perspective on senior year in pandemic

Jake Minnick '21

Most seniors are sick and tired of hearing and seeing the words, “shut down, rescheduled or postponed,” in their daily school lives, but when going to school during a world crisis, these words tend to be more common than not. A handful of seniors shared their perspectives on how they’ve been feeling about the supposed “best year” of their life.

Seniors have been told that most senior events are still on for the Spring and early Summer of our senior year. Some students are happy that the administration is taking an optimistic approach, while others are not so satisfied with the response.

“I appreciate that they’re trying their best to give us some semblance of a normal senior year but I do think it’s important for them to be realistic and honest with us about these future events,” shared Jarett LeVan ’21.

Mackenzie Sozio ’21 shared a similar perspective.

“I find it nice but at the same time a little misleading based off everything so far we had a “hoco” planned and we all got excited, but it had to be cancelled (which I totally understand), I just don’t want my hopes up too high,” she said.

Christina DiMaggio ’21 and William Dennery ’21 had different thoughts.

“I do appreciate the optimistic administrative approach when it comes to pushing events to the spring. By giving us potential dates of when things can happen allows me to become hopeful that they will occur. However, I just don’t want these events to feel rushed in the moment,” said DiMaggio.

Dennery shared a similar idea.

“I find it optimistic because I feel like we’ve all known that it was going to take some time to readjust events and athletics so that it would work out. I truly believe that we are nearing the final stretch of this pandemic and for us students, there is really nothing to do except have high hopes and be optimistic about having an eventful last half of our senior year. But yes, I do appreciate it and it’s comforting that the administration wants us to have these events,” he said.

Those seniors who are involved with athletics have also shared a perspective on what their senior athletic season has been like this year.

“I feel pretty satisfied personally with how the athletics program has taken the seriousness of the virus. I feel confident being in a team environment, especially now that there is a vaccine and that there can be some teammates who have already been vaccinated,” said Dennery, a goalie for the Minutemen lacrosse team.

DiMaggio shared a similar view.

“I was not necessarily anxious when coming back to cheer this year. If anything, I was excited to be able to attend the games and cheer on our school. I feel cheer is doing all the right things when it comes to following protocol.”

Sozio, a member of the track and field program, also had shared some insight.

“Athletics are very weird; it’s a very unpredictable schedule with cancellations often, but everyone is trying to adapt. It’s annoying that the seasons got pushed so far back and now, most people are out of the routine of practice. Going to practice is one of the only things that helps because it’s nice to have some sense of normalcy and see the people I’ve been running with for the past four years,” she said.

LeVan, presented a different perspective to the school environment, being a member of the school’s technology department.

“Outside of wearing a mask and sanitizing everything before we distribute, working with the tech department hasn’t changed too much with COVID. The biggest difference has probably just been the uncertainty of the work schedule with school restrictions and shutdowns,” LeVan said.

If one thing is certain, it’s the stress of the uncertainty that has taken a toll on the senior class, and the desire to have safe senior events in the near future.