Blaine High School (BHS) seniors Ingrid and Marni Aosved were visiting their future college, Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, on March 13. Back at BHS, between fifth and sixth period, their friends all started texting them at once; Washington governor Jay Inslee had just announced that schools would be closed for at least six weeks to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
Weeks later, Inslee extended the closure through the rest of the school year, making it official: aside from some schoolwork at home, high school was essentially over for Ingrid, Marni and the rest of their senior class. The class of 2020 had its last day on a Friday in March, and it happened without students, teachers or administrators even realizing it was the last day.
The pandemic and stay-at-home order present a lot of challenges for seniors. They have to make sure they can still graduate and many are applying for scholarships that require official transcripts and letters of recommendation. They have to prepare for tests and do schoolwork at home, in an environment with more distractions. They won’t have prom or a typical graduation ceremony.
But the biggest hardship of all, some Blaine seniors said, is missing out on the chance to say goodbye to all those who helped shape them and to savor all the lasts: the last band concert, the last class with a favorite teacher, the last track meet.
“I have so many people who I don’t necessarily talk to or text but who I would want to say goodbye to,” Ingrid Aosved said. “This was going to be my last tennis season – that was hard not even having a first tennis match. There’s a lot of daily stuff that I wasn’t aware that I wouldn’t get to do again.”
Marni Aosved felt relieved that the state was taking the virus’ spread seriously – she and other seniors who talked to The Northern Light feel the closure is necessary – but she is also sad to miss out on saying goodbye to all the communities of which she was a part.
“I’m in wind ensemble. I wasn’t able to play with them one last time; I wasn’t able to play tennis one last time, clubs were ramping up to do their last big hurrahs, and now that’s all canceled,” she said.
Tobin Akre, who has attended Blaine schools since kindergarten, shared a similar feeling: “You know, a lot of these people, I’m never going to see again. You get to know people for 13 years and it becomes like a second family.”
Akre was a starting pitcher and a leader on Blaine’s varsity baseball team, which had its season cut short before games even began. Blaine had an experienced team and Akre was looking forward to a winning season.
“We felt like we could lead a team deep in the playoffs and potentially to state. I just wasn’t ready for it to end like that,” he said.
Before schools closed, senior class president Emma Mulryan was planning for events that would never happen. In addition to prom and graduation, Blaine seniors will miss out on smaller rites of passage like senior skip day, senior pranks and the senior walk through the primary, elementary and middle schools.
“Since we’re such a small school our whole class is pretty close. From our first day of high school they said it would go by fast but we didn’t think it would end that fast. I wasn’t ready for it,” she said.
Dylan Burnett thought there was a strong possibility the initial closure would be extended until the end of the academic year, but he hoped to go back to school again.
“It’s unfortunate that I saw a lot of people for the last time on March 13,” he said. “I’m hoping there will be some sort of graduation-type ceremony. I’m really hoping that there’s something like that so that we can have some type of final goodbye.”
Burnett, who plans to attend the University of Washington next year, was already taking an online calculus course, so switching to more learning online hasn’t been too difficult, he said, though he misses being able to get more immediate answers to questions.
“I’m missing the teachers themselves because I think Blaine has one of the greatest selections of teachers I can imagine,” he said.
While all Blaine students have by now started coursework online, some have found they still have extra time on their hands.
To save for college, Leo Good took on more hours at Burger King – he’s now working full-time, while studying at home and applying for scholarships. He plans to play football next year at University of Redlands in Southern California, and he’s doing body-weight workouts at home for the football program. Looking back on his last day of high school leaves him wanting more.
“Knowing that that was the last day feels wrong. It was just a normal day of school,” he said. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to my teachers. I didn’t get to say goodbye and thank you to all the people who made an impact in my life.”
After transferring to BHS as a sophomore, Charles Streeter was starting to feel like he knew everyone and school was becoming more fun, he said. Now, he’s filling his free time with schoolwork, yard work and he’s practicing piano more, he said.
He plays piano for his church, Northwest Corner Catholic Community in Ferndale, which is streaming its services live on Facebook. He just played at the church’s Easter Mass on Facebook.
“That was a good experience,” he said. “I get to get out of the house and set up a little recording area in an empty church.”
For this year’s senior class, the uncertainty isn’t over. Beyond graduation, students are wondering if they’ll be able to get together with friends before summer is over, if colleges will start next fall and what the job market will be like.
Some colleges are already preparing for the possibility of holding classes online next fall. If that happens at Willamette University, Ingrid Aosved said she would consider taking a year off and starting college in 2021.
“Part of the reason is there are a lot of freshman-year experiences that are important that I wouldn’t want to miss out on,” she said. “And, I’m going to be paying a lot of money to go to a private school and I don’t want to pay that to go to school online, because it’s not the same.”
Parents are also missing out on the pomp and circumstance of senior year. Maryjo Vega saw her son Adam walk on stage and turn his tassel in 2019, but she might not get to see her son Mason do the same this June.
“It’s filled with all sorts of emotion. It’s one chapter closing and the next chapter opening. It’s the reward after all those years of work,” she said. “Being a parent of a student who graduated just last year and seeing all the joy that came along with it makes it really magnified, for me anyway, because I know what he’s missing out on.”
Blaine school district superintendent Christopher Granger, himself a parent of a senior, said the district will find a way to honor its seniors. Though the state has closed schools through the rest of the academic year, Inslee didn’t rule out the possibility of in-person gatherings for graduation or other events before the end of the year, depending on what shape the state is in by then.
Granger said the district is looking at options and logistics, but will wait to see what restrictions on gatherings will be in place before making a decision or announcement.
Vega, Kim Covell and other class of 2020 parents are looking for ways to make graduation special for seniors. Covell was helping to plan grad night, the traditional post-graduation night of activities and celebration. Since that’s off, they’re looking into other possibilities including putting together goodie bags for all seniors, decorating doors or hanging banners in public places for the class of 2020.
To donate or help raise money for something to make the end of the year special for 2020 seniors, contact Covell at blainehssafesobergrad@gmail.com.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here