Senior year

REFLECTING ON AN ONLINE SENIOR YEAR

AS THE END OF OCTOBER approach- for the second semester. es, leaves are piled on the vacant bleachers, The senior year I had once envisioned was one the senior deck remains deserted and our of after-school Spikeball and a severe case of seniorsports facilities collect dust. Meanwhile, I itis. sit at home, trapped in a digital box on the days that Now, with college apps and online classes, the I should be laughing with my friends on the senior most interesting thing I can do is change the backdeck, or building our float and ground of my Zoom screen and preparing for our Spirit Dance. As the younger sibling of two The most interesting the farthest place I can venture out to is my own backyard. Palo Alto High School graduates, I saw my brothers in full thing I can do is change I’ve always looked at senior year as the end goal, the camo on their first day of school the background of year that I’d finally get to relax and dressed up in togas for Spirit Week. I was excited at the prospect of finally my Zoom screen and the farthest place I before I go off to college, leave this bubble and find out what the real world is like. winning Spirit Week and having one last chance to can venture out is my This mentality may seem like a fast track to catching sedress up with my friends. backyard. nioritis, but It seemed like al- to me it’s tramost every senior dition. I went in the years ahead of me participat- through three years of hard work ed in building the float or perfect- and stress to finally submit my college ing their spirit dance. Now, the apps, and now it feels like I did all of the football field is filled with an work to receive none of the benefits. eerie quietness, and the quad is I know this may be something I would completely deserted. The cars in call “a first world problem” because there are the auto shop slowly rust with- so many larger issues around the world, but out any students to tend to them. it bothers me that we’re missing out on so many When school was initially can- memories that previous generations of Paly alumni celed, I had mixed feelings; I was excited have made. that I would be able to take my tests and quiz- And while my feelings on this subject are still zes in the comfort of my home, and I felt pessimistic, a small part of me holds onto the begrateful that I wasn’t a senior since they had lief that come January, we’ll be back in school and to miss out on their second semester. I was everything will have a chance at being normal blissfully unaware as to how long the school again. shutdown would last. Even if this thinking comes off as illogical, It’s overwhelming to realize that I am it’s important that we focus on the future so that missing out on memories that every “typ- we can figure out how to get out of this together ical” high school student has had before — the outcome of this year will be representative us. The traditions that I took for granted of the steps we take to make the most of what are now either canceled or up in the air we have. v