(Publisher’s Note: Members of Linsly’s Senior Class of 2020 offer their reflections on what has been anything but a typical end to their senior year of high school. With the future of senior activities including prom, graduation and senior week still uncertain, Linsly seniors are making the best of their final semester at Linsly and offer their reflections in this series of essays.)
It Wasn’t Going to Affect Me … Right?
When the coronavirus first reached the United States, I was certain it would not affect me in any way. I am a healthy 18-year-old who lives in a small city where not much happens. I was wrong.
When we went back to school after spring break, the threat of coronavirus greatly increased, but I was still adamant it wouldn’t affect me. I was wrong again. On Friday, March 13, Linsly cancelled school to prepare for the possibility of going to online school. I thought it was just a precaution and we would be back in the halls Monday morning. I was wrong again. On Tuesday, March 17, we started what has become the “new normal” – online school.
Personally, online school has not been very difficult for me. I am somewhat of an introvert, so being away from others hasn’t had the biggest toll on me compared to some of my other classmates and friends. That being said, the longer the quarantine draws out, the more I miss my close friends and all of the activities that we were supposed to do in the last quarter of high school.
This year one of my friends and I were going to play tennis for the first time, and though we were definitely not the best, we missed out on the opportunity to try something new. I miss being able to go to track, lacrosse, and baseball games to see all my friends compete in the sports they love. I miss saying hello to my friends and teachers in the hallways and talking about anything and everything during lunch.
Navigating the New Normal & Thinking about Senior Traditions
While staying at home has become the new normal, I am still receiving the best education that is possible in the current situation. All of my teachers have done a great job of teaching us new information over an online format. I am grateful that they have put so much effort into making this an easier transition for all of us. While I miss learning from my teachers in person, they are doing a great job of creating lessons that we can understand.
I think throughout everyone’s high school experience what they look forward to the most is a school’s senior traditions. While these events have not been cancelled yet, the possibility of them happening seems to lessen every day. One of the things I was most excited for was senior shirt-signing day, which is an opportunity to have a small memory of everyone who has impacted your senior year.
I was looking forward to spending time with my whole grade when we would go on our senior trip, participate in Matt’s Day (a day of service on campus in honor of Linsly’s former Maintenance Director, Matt Petri), wear our college shirts, have graduation practice, and lay our senior bricks (a tradition which includes each senior laying a personalized brick in the sidewalk of the school with their name and class year). I also was looking forward to other senior traditions such as playing in the powderpuff football game and, of course, prom and graduation. For many schools these events have been cancelled without rescheduling, but I believe Linsly will still try to honor us in some way over the coming months.
A Time of Uncertainty & New Beginnings
As the quarantine continues, I have established a schedule that makes this whole situation seem a little easier. In the morning and early afternoon, I do all my schoolwork for the day. Then I work out, walk my dog, read, and watch Netflix. On the weekends, my friends and I drive our cars to a parking lot and we sit and talk for hours on end. What gets me through the week is knowing that soon everything will be back to normal. While this time of year is supposed to be a time of celebration for all that we have accomplished, it has turned into a time of uncertainty. As my classmates and I prepare to go on our separate journeys, I will be going to the University of Richmond next year. I can only hope we will have the opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments as Linsly students and make a few more memories before we walk on to different college campuses in the fall.
Eve Ridenhour is a member of the Linsly Senior Class of 2020. She was a captain and member of the varsity soccer team, varsity swim team, and the tennis team. She was a member of the National Honor Society. She was a part of the classics club and was president of the West Virginia Junior Classical League. She was also a member of the SADD club and KEY club.
