Class of 2021 Seniors Feel Left Out

By: Ava Coogan

March 12, 2021

It's been almost a year without seeing friends and family, without going to events, without attending regular school. The Colonie High School seniors still haven't adjusted to the new way of life, and many feel forgotten about because many have dismissed this current “COVID life” as the new normal.

Online schooling is not easy for most, and students struggle with staying on top of work, participating in class and staying focused, while juggling family life. Many seniors have worked hard their entire school careers and feel that the pandemic doesn't deserve to stop them from feeling honored and appreciated.

“I was most looking forward to graduation because I've been in school for 12 years and I’ve put a lot of work into getting good grades, so I wanted that to be appreciated” said high school senior Kayla Novak.

The students lost part of their junior and their entire senior year; their start to college isn't clear either, so they are losing hope.

“Knowing that these new seniors were coming into their senior year and not even really being able to have a true, real senior year, there hasn't been much going on at all. And now we’re 3 months away from graduation and nothing’s been done,” said high school parent, Joanne Coogan.

It has been difficult to plan events and come up with ideas for the senior class as state restrictions have limited what can be done. Gathering limits, sport limits, and social distancing have made it extremely difficult for in person events to happen.

“Nothing has been done because the adults and students at our school have to stick to the guidelines of the state and rules aren't changing often, they’re doing the best that they can but it just stinks” said high school senior Kayla Novak.

Parents feel it is time to take action, come together and make this year special for the seniors.

“If we could take the opposite back and have a senior prom of some sort it would be nice, have a graduation that's not abbreviated, have a normal graduation of some sort,” said Coogan.

Coogan also goes on to mention that, if necessary, we can put safety measures in place and temperature check people if it means the seniors can graduate with all of their friends.

Last year, the community came together to start the adopt a senior group, where families adopted all the seniors of the class of 2020 to buy gifts for them, they handed out yard signs to all the seniors, put together a graduation for them, and got special shout outs from the Impractical Jokers..

“I think that any effort to make this year special would be appreciated because of how much we lost” said Novak.

There are only a few months left to take action and do something to make the seniors of Colonie feel special and appreciated.