The end of senior year is supposed to be a time of celebration, a time for goodbyes and plans for the future. Unfortunately, the seniors of 2020 have been sorely disappointed when it comes to all of these. The Covid-19 virus, or coronavirus, has destroyed any sense of normalcy about the end of our senior year. We will not be holding any of the normal staples of a senior year while we are still seniors such as prom, graduation, senior trip. The coronavirus has ruined the class of 2020’s senior year in a spectacular fashion. We are still going through the motions, but this year will never be the same.

One of the most disappointing effects of this virus is the fact that it has derailed one of the biggest and most memorable milestones in a person’s life: graduation. I have been looking forward to graduating high school and starting my own path in life since I was in junior high. Graduating was supposed to be an epic moment where all of my hard-work in school finally pays off, except not for this year’s seniors. This year’s seniors are either postponing graduation until later this summer, and for the unlucky few, may not even be having a graduation. This is just one milestone that the coronavirus has crumbled, but it is not the last.

The seniors of 2020 will also miss having a senior trip, which is a class-wide trip to a destination of the class’ choosing. This is something that I was personally looking forward to, mainly because the Cannelton senior class worked extremely hard to raise money for our senior trip, senior shirts, and graduation. We had been planning to go to the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Ohio and then head to Cincinnati to visit the Cincinnati Zoo before heading home. Unfortunately, these plans have been postponed indefinitely with a to-be-determined date for rescheduling. One last thing that the senior class will miss out on is saying goodbye and celebrating with their class.

Finally, Covid-19 has stolen the valuable memories that we could have made with our classmates as we were celebrating our final semester of high school. Many schools have pages of the yearbook dedicated to seniors: senior profiles, senior superlatives, senior class officers, etc. The Cannelton senior class will not have a senior prank, senior skip day, and many more memorable moments. Not being able to create these memories is probably one of the hardest parts of being quarantined because we will never get another chance at our senior year.

Covid-19 has irrevocably changed the lives of today’s senior class. We will miss out on major milestones and irreplaceable memories. The senior class will be denied a normal graduation, senior-related events such as senior trips, and the opportunity to create memories of their senior year. Hopefully, this type of disruption can be prevented in the future. Regrettably, nothing can be done to restore this year, but we can recreate some of the memories we would have had later this summer.