Jaylynn Floyd
Staff Reporter
24 June 2020
“I think our class will be in complete and total anarchy,” said rising senior Lyla Farooqi. With everything going on in the world, from being in the middle of a global pandemic, continuous nights of protesting, anonymous leaks on Twitter about Donald Trump, and much more, it’s hard to predict exactly what senior year will look like for the class of 2021.
Will this senior class be let down even more like the class of 2020? Or miraculously, will the class of 2021 seniors get to go to school this fall and enjoy the luxury of having a full school year?
Personally, being a member of the class of 2021, and with everything going on in the world, I think it’s almost next to impossible that we will be able to go to school by this fall. As much of a let-down as it is, most people I know are scared to even leave their houses let alone go into public with a mask on. With that being said, the class of 2021 can probably say good-bye to having their last pep rally, homecoming, and, of course, rocking the color black and our class shirts on Color Day.
All we can do for now is glue our eyes to our TV sets and closely watch what Governor Larry Hogan has to say next. At the time of writing this story, we’re in Stage 2 of reopening the state, which means that gyms, malls, outdoor dining, and much more are finally being opened again, after almost four months of lockdown.
According to Howard County Public School System Superintendent Michael Martirano, “We will not implement a solution that increases risk for people in our schools or counters the guidance provided by health officials. At the same time, these considerations have tremendous operational impacts. For instance, adhering to 6-foot social distancing measures would mean school buses may have to run with only 10 people onboard, including the driver.” What this is saying is if we do have to go back to school, it’ll look very different from what it was like before Covid-19 hit. Social distancing measures would be in place, which would truly change the atmosphere of school. That means no more cramped hallways, or flooded intersections that are a hassle to push through (which we all secretly miss).
With all that being said, the concern of students actually being able to learn arises. “In- person activities and grades will look different without the physical interactions,” stated rising senior Emma Schoeder. Some students may have a hard time adapting to these new online lessons, thus leaving them behind when it comes to learning.
Additionally, Farooqi predicted that “We’re going to have half of the expected school year, and it’ll slowly go back to normal.” Continuing with her optimism, she said “I don’t think we’ll be in school for a full 180 days.” Which if you think about it, is a whole lot better than having no senior year and 0 days of school.
Hopefully our senior class will be able to walk across the stage for graduation and collect our diplomas. It’s a dream of mine, and almost every senior out there, to finally be able to get their graduation gown on, and throw their hats to the skies as they celebrate their graduation. We might miss out on our last homecoming, fall sports senior nights, and our last football season, but hopefully at least we’ll be able to do what class of 2020 couldn’t and celebrate our graduation properly. According to rising senior Erika Kymm, “we’ll walk across that stage.”
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