Senior year of high school is one of the most important years kids look forward to. With prom, football games, senior lunches, and getting one year closer to graduating, senior year at Seminole High School (SHS) holds many exciting events. What’s senior year like for SHS’s current senior class?

Senior Anu Kandamkulathy feels “I was so excited for senior year since I knew it was one year closer to being an adult and going to college. I had cousins who told me they absolutely loved senior year so I was ready to experience it.”

The coronavirus made those exciting high school events unlikely, if not impossible, for the seniors. Junior year for the class of 2021 was also interfered with by the pandemic, with prom and club banquets canceled. Football games still happen, but some students are not able to enjoy the experience as they choose to stay quarantined. As the year goes on, big events like prom might still happen, but once again, the turnout may not be as high due to safety concerns. While there is not any definite cancellation of events this year, the seniors seem to be missing out on the high school experience.

Not only are social events minimized, but the students also do not have the same opportunities during the day to hang out with their friends as they did in previous years. A large number of students are doing Seminole Connect, which prevents them from catching up with their friends who are taking classes in-person. Even students choosing hybrid don’t see as many people as they would like to. Football games and lunches don’t feel the same as half the school at home. Not to mention, the whole feeling of making it this far to be a senior isn’t the same if the rest of your class isn’t there with you.

Kandamkulathy now reflects that “I’m conflicted about how senior year is going. I miss being able to see my friends all day but I do like it better than I thought, in terms of online school.”

Without the social interactions involved with school normally, seniors find themselves swamped with school work, college applications, and little time to destress. In addition, the seniors have to accommodate even more change as class schedules change to accommodate Seminole’s new Black and Orange schedule. Longer class periods affect the student’s attention span negatively, but it does give students more time during the week to manage workloads for their classes easier. Still, senior year without senior privileges just means more work and stress for some students. Furthermore, students seem to have difficulties getting through this year as 2020 gives us surprise after surprise.

Another Senior, Julius Walls, feels like “At this point, I am just trying to move on to greater things. My expectations were low, to begin with, considering the situations going on. I don’t feel good about senior year so far, but it isn’t exactly bad, either.”

Even though senior year has plenty of reasons to be completely different from our expectations, SHS still provides a positive atmosphere. Students can still participate in clubs, and with some clubs having virtual meetings and events, the seniors at home can still feel like a part of their campus. Despite this year’s changes bringing the seniors down, seniors manage to stay optimistic and make their senior year better themselves.