Under normal circumstances, your senior year in high school is one of the best years of your life. You are almost at the finish line, celebrating all of your accomplishments, relishing in being the ‘leaders’ of the school and looking forward to the future. But what happens when a pandemic changes that? We asked some local seniors to share how COVID-19 altered their Class of 2021 experience.
Sarah Renbaum, The Park School of Baltimore
From the time I started at Park School, I looked up to and envied each senior class. They ruled the school. So, if you told my five-year-old self that my senior year would be virtual with limited social interaction, I would never have believed it. But here it was – no epic first day of school and no homecoming entrance where the senior girls dance to their own song. No real opportunity to make my final mark on the school I attended for 13 years. Instead, I learned about flexibility and seeing the light in an otherwise dark situation. I experienced endless quality time with family, which I know I will cherish when I am away at college in a few short months. I experimented with new hobbies like cooking, tennis and even played competitive games of Fortnite with my brother. Most importantly, I learned how to adjust my expectations. Senior prom is happening, Covid style. Graduation will be in-person but smaller with no extended family. This was not the ultimate senior year I imagined, but my friends and I survived, thrived, and dare I say we may all look back and be better for the experience.
