Providing Support for High School Students during COVID-19
Tags: High School, Class Of 2020, Covid 19, Education, Coronavirus

By Dr. Sheri Hernandez

Program Director, Hospitality Management, American Public University

Do you remember your senior year in high school? Do you remember the last few days of your junior year? Remember when the seniors were all done a few days early, and they were off for graduation practice? While those seniors were away, you were able for the first time to hang out on the senior bench or generally just start getting comfortable with heading into your final year at school.

Remember the summer before your senior year? Maybe you were hanging out with friends, working a summer job to save up for college, visiting colleges as part of your family vacation or attending graduation parties for your friends who were a year ahead of you.

It Was a Tough Year for High School Students Graduating in 2020

Let’s now fast forward to the spring of 2020. The graduating Class of 2020 got the short end of the stick, for sure. With the uncertainty and fear surrounding the novel coronavirus that was spreading around the world, their traditional senior year came to an abrupt end.

Lockdowns, Zoom classes, and drive-by celebrations replaced the camaraderie of the last days of senior year, spring sports, proms, and graduations. None of those students knew when they left school one day in March, they would not return for the rest of the year. Nobody got a chance to say goodbye.

But there was a difference. Everything was so new, and pretty much everyone was locked down at home. These seniors had already taken their SATs, and most of them had already committed to their college or locked up plans for the next year.

Many communities that went out of their way to ensure the end of their senior years were special. Communities and schools rallied around their senior class, doing adopt-a-senior gift exchanges. Some also held virtual and even some in-person graduations and socially distant proms.

Then the Class of 2020 faced their summer before college primarily alone, and many were not able to head to their college of choice in person. Instead, many of those same high school seniors stayed at home or were locked away in lonely dorm rooms, taking virtual classes in the fall of their freshmen year.

More than Just the Class of 2020

But remember high school juniors? They were disappointed, too. They did not get to say goodbye, either.

They joined in celebrating their friends who graduated by whatever means possible. They did all they could to make their friends feel special, and they honored their graduating teammates even though lacrosse, baseball, softball, and track seasons were cut short. Those high school juniors felt the loss of not getting to watch their friends perform in their senior concert or walk across the graduation stage.

A quick side note: This is not a “who has it worse” competition. I personally have family members who are very dear to me in both the class of 2020 and 2021. Both classes are facing hardships and disappointments. There was a ton of compassion shown toward the seniors in the Class of 2020, which is fantastic.

And then time just went on. People became worried about their own lives and started experiencing so-called COVID-19 fatigue. The rising seniors in the class of 2021 did not get to take their SATs when they were scheduled in the spring of their junior year. They did not get to complete their advanced placement (AP) classes in person.

Also, they did not get to spend their visiting colleges or getting a summer job or if they did, they were essential workers in grocery stores or worked outside. If they chose to visit colleges or universities, they only got to drive through the campus without meeting anyone.

For those high school juniors, the stress and worry about deciding where to go to college were compounded by not knowing if missing SAT scores or canceled summer internships would harm their chances of acceptance. Some struggled with the isolation and challenges of remote learning, and their grade point averages (GPAs) and class rank dropped.

They had already heard teachers, guidance counselors and parents telling them their junior year is the most important year of their academic lives. Those students were given the traditional advice that they needed to get involved, do well and show leadership skills if they wanted to get into their dream college.

There are many in the Class of 2020 who decided to defer their acceptance and take a gap year before attending college. How will the rising seniors be able to compete with the fewer spots available at college next year? This is also a concern of students in the Class of 2021.

The rising seniors who play fall sports faced the challenge of keeping a team together over the summer through Zoom workouts, welcoming freshmen players and building a cohesive team without ever meeting them in person. Those student athletes had to press on with their summer conditioning and training, not knowing if they would ever set foot on the field and have a senior season.

Many players never did and silently dealt with their heartbreak alone. Some were very fortunate and their schools were able to safely offer a fall season, but the majority could not have any of their friends or family attend their games and cheer them on.

High school athletes missed chances for college coaches to watch them play over the summer and then missed out on their entire senior season. Some lost the opportunity to earn scholarships or a spot on the roster in college. For many student athletes, they lost their entire support system, because so many rely on their coaches for guidance on and off the field.

Returning to High School Classes Wasn’t the Same

If high school seniors returned to class at all in the fall, it was likely masked and sitting at a social distance. Most likely, they could only see a limited number of their friends and only for a couple days a week.

Their “last first day” of school pictures depicted them sitting in bed, wrapped in a blanket, logging in on their laptop and trying to hide their disappointment in not getting to pull into the parking spaces reserved for the seniors. They never got to experience that feeling of feeling just a little bit taller and smarter than the underclassmen as they walked in with their friends, ready to rule their senior year.

These seniors lost the opportunity to attend football games and sit in the front of their student section, planning themed spirit nights and seeing their entire community come out to cheer on their school’s football team. Homecoming, if it happened at all, lacked the “coming home” part, and dances were canceled. The excitement of “promposals” was nonexistent. If they had a homecoming court, they were lucky if their friends could watch a streamed ceremony of them walking across a football field surrounded by empty bleachers.

Even if a school was able to have fall sports in a limited capacity, many schools will be canceling winter sports. For many athletes, that means the last time they were able to wear their school’s uniform was well over a year ago. They don’t get the excitement of showing up to school in the sweatshirt from a college that just accepted them last night.

For this year’s seniors, there is probably no Secret Santa gift exchange and no cookie baking in Family & Consumer Science class. Traditional winter band and choral concerts are canceled; the high school service organizations can no longer visit nursing homes to sing carols.

Many schools that were able to get some of their students back in person for some of the time are now making the decision to extend Thanksgiving break and just return after the New Year. That means that even if they were only attending school two days a week, they can’t wish their teachers “Merry Christmas!” or “See you next year!” as they leave for winter break.

The Class of 2021 Shows Its Resilience in These Challenging Times

Still, this resilient Class of 2021 presses on. They drive through Dunkin and wave to their friends in the parking lot, rather than meeting for coffee after class. They have gifts direct shipped from Amazon to their friends. They Facetime or video chat with their classmates as they decorate their gingerbread houses, instead of getting together for their traditional cookie decorating night. They dutifully answer the college essay prompts of “how has COVID-19 impacted your life and how will we learn from this in the future” with the expected optimism and stories of lessons learned.

In reality, these high school students are scared, disappointed and trying to remain as positive as they can. They are uneasy about looking at prom dresses online, not wanting to get their hopes up. They shun the masked senior photos and reject the cute little zeros made of toilet paper on their class shirts. In a world where there is way too much screen time, going online is their only socialization and way to connect with those who are going through the same feelings.

Compassion seems to wane with crisis. The Class of 2020 had parades, gifts left on their doorsteps, heartfelt video tributes and yard signs galore. Now those same teachers that were considered heroes last spring for pivoting to online learning are called cowards because they are uncomfortable returning to school in person.

Reassure the Class of 2021 That They Are Not Forgotten

This holiday season, if you have a high school senior in your life, take a moment to let them know you care about them and empathize with what they are going through. Yes, you may be going through a lot as well, but remember this is not a competition for who has it worse. Just be kind and let them know you have not forgotten about them.

About the Author

Dr. Sheri Hernandez is the Hospitality Management program director for American Public University’s School of Business. She has extensive knowledge of restaurant operations, food safety, purchasing and training. Dr. Hernandez combines her skills as a restaurant manager with her career experience in financial commodity risk management, consulting, and purchasing to enable her to educate her students with a customer-focused, yet financially sound approach to hospitality management.