High school seniors, schools adapt amid pandemic
Mar. 7—Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, high school seniors like Emily Dominguez have had to adapt and deal with a lot of change — including missing out on events that typically mark the end of their high school days.
"Coming in as a freshman, I did not expect that this is the way my senior year would have gone," said Dominguez, an 18-year-old Yuba City High School senior.
Robert Pogue, principal at Yuba City High School, said that, typically, the school would host things like rallies, prom, Senior Sunrise and Sunset, homecomings, graduation and other activities that seniors would often have the opportunity to participate in.
"A lot of those activities just haven't happened and we missed that not just this year, but last year as well," Pogue said.
He said some things have been able to take place in a virtual format — such as a talent show and school spirit days — however, others have been canceled.
Last school year, prom was canceled due to COVID-19 and graduation took place virtually. He said the hope is, this year, to host an in-person graduation and potentially prom even if it looks a little different and they're able to find a way to do so while following guidance.
"We make the best of what we've had," Pogue said. "... These are, of course, traditions — kids look forward to going to high school, they look forward to graduation and prom and a ceremony. They've watched their family members do this, they've all heard about it. It's a time to celebrate their accomplishments and have fun with their peers."
Dominguez is the head drum major for the school's marching band and the Associated Student Body president so she has had opportunities to be a part in planning events.
"It's made me more creative in how I have had to plan these events and having to (make) them virtual," Dominguez said.
She said, for the band's winter concert, they hosted a virtual concert where everyone recorded their parts individually and then someone put those clips together.
"(Through ASB) we've been doing virtual spirit days, students would dress up and we would also have virtual background days (where students) could experiment with virtual backgrounds in Zoom," Dominguez said.
She said, however, that she's excited that they will be getting a football season and the first game is scheduled to take place in about two weeks. As a member of the marching band, that's something she's looking forward to.
"It's kind of weird," Dominguez said. "I know that I'm still getting it back, the aspects of football games and conducting the band onto the football fields, it was something important to me and in marching band (before COVID-19) we were able to go to different parades but also do competitions in that parade style and conduct the band out in different cities in Northern California but that was taken away."
She said they have also missed out on things like Senior Sunrise and Senior Ditch Day.
"For me, having all of these leadership roles, I can deal with planning virtual events in general but it's like I would like to see all of these people and socialize with them at these events that I'm creating," Dominguez said. "... My biggest hope is with the numbers going down and things starting to open back up, we just got our football season down, I hope that we have that season successfully and that no one catches COVID and that there's no outbreaks."
She also hopes that they're able to have an in-person graduation and some sort of prom — even if it's with modifications.
Throughout the pandemic, she said her support system has helped her make it through.
"I would really have to say my support system (has helped), whether it be my teachers or my parents or different friends and family members who push me to be the best person that I am. There were times that I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel because the pandemic made it seem like there's nothing else I could do," Dominguez said. "... Make sure that you don't think of the numbers going down as a sign to stop maintaining any safety (measures) ... we're just coming back up and don't let us go back down."
Marysville Joint Unified School District
Gary Cena, superintendent of Marysville Joint Unified School District, said secondary schools will open for in-person, hybrid instruction after Yuba County enters the red tier of California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening framework.
He said student athletes are currently able to participate in a number of outdoor sports, including golf, track and field, swimming, tennis, baseball and softball.
"Throughout MJUSD's COVID-19 journey, we have had four collective goals: slow the spread of COVID-19, ensure the health and safety of students and staff, maintain relationships and facilitate student learning," Cena said. "... Public Health guidance has served as a compass throughout our journey. Dances are not permitted under guidance at this time. We want to offer as close to a traditional graduation ceremony as we can, within Public Health guidelines, in order to recognize seniors' accomplishments and honor long-standing traditions."
He said Public Health is working on a set of guidelines for graduations which will help schools work with students and parents to figure out what ceremonies will be able to look like.
Shevaun Mathews, Marysville High School principal, said they usually have senior nights for the athletes, a senior send-off rally, homecomings and more, but many things have had to be canceled due to the pandemic.
However, Mathews said they hope to host some sort of outdoor senior picnic onsite, depending on guidance, for the students toward the end of the school year.
"(Students) want to get together one more time before graduation," Mathews said. "... Some of them haven't really seen each other for about a year."
She said they're also pushing for as close to a traditional graduation ceremony as possible.
"Last year, the city of Marysville and some businesses sponsored that banner project where we were able to put (the seniors') pictures on C and B streets to kind of congratulate them," Mathews said.
They hope to do the same thing this year.
Bob Eckardt, Lindhurst High School principal, said even the senior experiences of being on campus and being with their peers, talking about college applications and scholarship applications have been affected.
"If we get to a point where in-person instruction or hybrid (is permitted), I think that social aspect, being able to see people is going to be very, very big especially, for our seniors to gather in part with their peers is just kind of a big thing," Eckardt said.
He said the typical senior events are even thought of differently, they're not just milestones but a symbol of normalcy.
They hope to also host some sort of senior picnic so they will have the opportunity to have time with their peers within the guidance.
Eckardt said they also hope to host some sort of in-person graduation — even if they have to do multiple ceremonies to keep the number of people down and Plan B is some sort of drive-through graduation similar to what was done last year.
"It's definitely been an adjustment and it's been a struggle," Eckardt said. "This pandemic has had an impact across the board in every way, shape and form."
Wheatland Union High School
Nicole Newman, superintendent of the Wheatland Union High School District, said students have been in school and then out of school due to COVID-19, but now they're back in school in a hybrid learning model and "we have no intentions of shutting things down unless we have an outbreak. Everybody's practicing their safety protocols and measures."
Newman said outdoor sports are starting back up — including football and cheer.
"We've missed out on things like football homecoming, basketball homecoming," Newman said. "They're missing out on being here as a whole."
However, she said the district is planning a modified prom that will be outdoors and will be limited to the seniors.
Newman said they're also planning to do a senior parade like last year as well as a traditional graduation ceremony — which is planned to be ticketed and likely only with household members of graduates. The ceremony is also going to be livestreamed so those who can't physically be there can still see it.
They're also helping to plan a Sober Grad Night, planning to do senior awards virtually, distributing yard signs for seniors, adopt-a-senior and more.
"It's a rite of passage, they've done these events, their parents have done these events," Newman said. "Because of so many uncertainties last year, that senior class was unable to participate. We're trying to not have that happen again. We know a lot more now and we feel like we can do these things safely."
