Juniors, on Homecoming just nine months ago, we gathered in our hallway to hang streamers, balloons, and posters onto every surface that we could find.
The poster that stuck with me the most was one that hung on the last wall of our hallway, just as you enter the breezeway. It read “HELL YEAR” in capitalized, bolded-red letters. But underneath this line, in light blue script, it read, “heavenly grade.” This, I believe, describes us perfectly.
We became upperclassmen this year and were able to experience many of the “heavenly” perks that came along with that title. First, the sports seasons were beyond exciting! We finally earned the right to sit in the front half of the bleachers during games. Many of our classmates made it to varsity teams, so we cheered loudly for our friends while proudly holding up their fatheads to show our support.
We achieved new levels of academic success with offers of AP classes, acceptance letters to the National Honors Society, and leadership roles in the clubs to which we had devoted our past two years.
At the same time, we embarked on the exciting (and nerve-wracking, but mostly exciting!) beginning of our college application process. We filled out our brag sheets, signed onto Naviance, met with our guidance counselors to find the best college fits, and scheduled campus visits.
But our junior spring was cut short by COVID-19. We missed one of my favorite events every year, Battle of the Grades. My classmates and I had looked forward to making posters to display our class pride, squish into our section of the bleachers, fight our hearts out, and wear Ardsley blue. But instead of picking up my T-shirt in the Commons with a herd of classmates trying to do the same, I opened my front door for a single Custom Ink package -- which, of course, I couldn’t even touch until it was Lysoled and Cloroxed by my mom.
It is sad that the coronavirus made us wonder things like what our BOTGs would have been like, or whether we will ever have one again. While I look forward to the pandemic coming to an end, I also know that our culture has been changed forever. To give just one example, the safety of having our whole grade together in a small, confined space will always be reconsidered in the future.
"Instead of picking up my T-shirt in the Commons with a herd of classmates trying to do the same, I opened my front door for a single Custom Ink package -- which, of course, I couldn’t even touch until it was Lysoled and Cloroxed by my mom."
Typically, Junior year is labeled “hell year” because getting excellent grades is vital to being accepted into the colleges of our dreams. COVID-19 has certainly created a hell year, but not in the way that we imagined. It requires us to social distance (something which is very difficult, given our very social lives) and we’re still trying to figure out how to adjust. Rather than worrying about the scores we will get on our SATs/ACTs, we are worrying about whether we will even get the opportunity to sit for these exams. Many classmates (including myself) had just finished Driver’s Ed and were ready, but ultimately unable, to take the road test. Our freedom, independence, and new form of socialization -- which all come with the milestone of being a driver -- have been put on pushed back. Instead, our main (and only) form of socializing is through little pixelated rectangles on Zoom.
We continue living day by day with questions of what the future holds. We don’t know what the SATs/ACTs, the college process, or our senior year will become. Whenever we do make it back to school, and whatever that looks like, I know we will have a greater appreciation for our connectivity and community than ever before.
So, Class of 2021: despite not getting the year we expected, we have survived. We have made it through our hell year. I hope to see you all soon, so let’s continue to practice social distancing safely and cross our fingers for normalcy in September!
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