The Class of 2020 will be one for the record books, of that there’s no doubt. But many of them would trade their fame to be back at school.
Most high school students wait impatiently for their senior year and all the great things that come along with it, and the Class of 2020 will likely be missing out on most of those things. Scholarship assembly, awards banquets, spring softball and track, state speech contest and the state powerlifting match are just a few of the many events that seniors look forward to.
To add insult to injury, Marietta’s prom date, April 10, has come and gone. And although administrators are doing their best to try and reschedule prom – and graduation – they’re at the mercy of a lot of factors they have no control over.
But those administrators do realize what a big deal the last quarter of senior year is, and they’re looking at several alternate ways to recognize seniors.
“These kids look forward to their senior year, to spending that last nine weeks with their friends, teachers, and coaches,” said High School Principal Adam Sherfield. “They left for spring break thinking they’d be back in a week and the fun would start for them, and then they find out that they’re not coming back, and everything they’ve looked forward to is changed.”
Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the Class of 2020 really isn’t getting much recognition, and they understand that, but that doesn’t make them miss their special times any less.
“We began to really try and think of some ways that we can recognize and honor our seniors, but ways that allow for social distancing and staying at home,” remarked Sherfield.
One way that the school is honoring seniors is by posting their picture and a short bio on the school’s website.
Another is with a senior portrait lawn sign.
The signs are approximately 18 by 24 inches and include the student’s picture and name, along with “Senior 2020”. Although Sherfield and his team haven’t firmed up their plans yet, they are working on ways to display the signs at school and then allow the seniors to take them home as a keepsake at a later time.
“We realize how much these kids are missing out on,” Sherfield explained, “and this is just one way that we can show them how special they are to us.”