Un-interrupted

Rising Senior Kelsi-Ann Bailey reflects on her high school experience affected by Covid-19.

My ninth-grade year, the year of freshman acclimation, would be abruptly cut short by Covid-19, followed by an awkward phase of silence and uncertainty over the course of the next few months.

My tenth-grade year would solely consist of Microsoft Teams, naps during class, cooking during English period, and wearing silly blue-light blocking glasses to “protect our eyes.”

Eleventh grade, otherwise known as the most important year of high school, would be a failed attempt to get back to the way things once were. But for me and my classmates, what does that really mean when our entire high school experience has been displaced by a global pandemic, with no precedence.

I get asked all the time, what have I learned from this experience? Am I more able to adapt because of it? How have I been changed?

The truth is: I don’t have the answer because I have no reference point. There is no high school before the pandemic; there is only high school during the pandemic. If anything, my classmates and I simply got used to not knowing.

“I feel as though my high school experience was cut short due to the worldwide pandemic,” says Khiya McLamb, a rising senior at West Orange. “It left my high school experience more about catching up than having fun.”

“I feel as though my high school experience was cut short due to the worldwide pandemic... It left my high school experience more about catching up than having fun.”

—Khiya McLamb

She’s not wrong. How do you “catch up” when the drive and motivation we once had for school—sixth, seventh, eighth graders—essentially disappeared? How do you break the bad academic habits formed over the pandemic? What about friendships and sports and clubs and anything else fun that had been shelved for two years?

Simply: We did the best we could. And yet, this fall, we will be seniors. Luckily, the upcoming school year’s itinerary is jam-packed with fun events that have me both excited and stressed. Prom, Homecoming, Spirit Week … you name it! It’s my last year to do everything and anything I didn’t get a chance to do. And with the group of friends I’ve managed to keep around, I hope to make the best high school memories.

Khiya agrees. “I hope that my senior year is filled with lists of fun experiences and less work. Since I only need one more credit, I want to focus more on my college credits, having a good time, and meeting new people,” she says.

As my last first day of high school approaches, the feeling to prepare for the year grows stronger. School supplies and Quizlet will only get you so far, and the thrills of senior year don’t come cheap. Being ready for anything the year throws my way is key. I want to enjoy all that my senior year has to offer until I have to tackle a whole other beast: College.

Forward Motion

For any senior, preparing for life after high school can be a challenge. As a pandemic survivor, that challenge feels more like Everest. We’re all a little unsure about the path to take, and every step forward feels nerve-racking.

Finding guidance at a time like this is important; it can help you take a step in the direction right for you. I’ve been lucky in that my mom is a career mental health and behavioral specialist. She’s been a fantastic resource for me, and my friends, during these years, helping keep me level headed and focused on the few things that were within my control. The idea of college is scary because I’m not sure I’m academically or socially prepared, but then again … at 18 years old, who can ever really be sure?

But I do know that our high school experiences, or the lack of, have my peers exploring options they hadn’t imagined before.

“College is important, but it isn’t the only way to get a good career,” says Vanessa Marceline, a rising senior who has decided that technical school is a better fit for her at this time. “You can always go into a trade school and have a stable job at the end of it.”
On the other hand, Paola Castellucci has “…made the decision to go to an out-of-state college, mainly because I have family living out of Florida. Being separated during the pandemic made me appreciate family connections more. Since my goal is to become a dentist, I’m moving closer to my aunt, who’s already in the profession. I hope to get a lot of experience from her.”

So, what will senior year look like for me and the rest of my Class of 2023 classmates? Different, I hope.

I won’t lie; Covid made us all a little edgy. I look at things warily and do things differently. Life during our senior year feels a bit like driving a car—having to focus on the road in front of you, but constantly checking the rear view mirror to make sure you can safely merge and exit. Truthfully, the only thing we can do is take one step, or one decision, college or otherwise, at a time.

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