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Seniors’ Thoughts on COVID-19
- Michael Wong
- Feb 3, 2021
- 4 min read
Most high school students look forward to senior year. In the stressful and chaotic atmosphere in high school, senior year is supposed to be the opposite - carefree and comfortable, as classes become more relaxed and students occupy the school's apex. Sure, the senior project still exists, but the year is enmeshed with Senior Ball, yearbook photos, and, to cap it all off, graduation. Graduation and the final year of high school that it ends is supposed to be a sure thing. It happens every year, and most students look forward to that day when they stand on the podium to receive their diploma in front of their family and friends. An annual tradition.
But this year changes everything. With the advent of COVID-19, the routine of senior year has been thrown into disarray. Events have been canceled and replaced with the unknown, as the Department of Education grapples with increasing case numbers and weighs risks. It all began in the spring of last year when it was announced that school as we know it, would be canceled
Current seniors, juniors at the time, had mixed reactions to the news. Many initially had positive feelings, seeing the cancellation as a break from their usual hectic routines.
"I was kind of relieved [to have] a break from sports," student-athlete Kami Eschiverri recalls.
Others were glad to have a break from schoolwork, with Azure Quitevis noting, "I was quite relieved. I felt like this was the time to regenerate our minds and prepare ourselves for the next school year."
Students Jeremy Peros and Rodel Domingo also remembered feeling excited in anticipation of the hiatus.
On the other hand, some students were crushed by the news. Czerena Bayle felt COVID-19 had ruined her year, stating, "I had so many hopes and plans for the end of Junior year. I was looking forward to my first day of senior year and going to school with my younger sister . . . I was looking forward to the best year of high school.
The then-juniors did not return that year and instead returned to school the following year as seniors. Of course, they did not return to Maui High's Campus - instead, they were to learn on Google Meet, an online platform where students can interact with their teachers and peers through electronic devices.
Teachers and students alike have remarked about the challenges these new circumstances presented. The online setting makes it hard for students to stay focused. "Unlike in-person school, we don't have someone to keep us in check and make sure we get the work done – we have to do it on our own, " Peros remarks bluntly.
Also, online learning removes the face-to-face interactions between students and teachers.
Riley Johnson describes "not being able to see and talk to teachers face to face" as his most immense hardship. Quitevis also laments the lack of "the social and personal connection" typical of the learning experience. These challenges created an unfamiliar environment.
The silversword plant, Maui High's mascot, has adapted to the harsh conditions of Haleakala. Similarly, these seniors have worked to adjust to the new circumstances. Like Peros, some have made a more comfortable transition given that teachers taught some AP classes online during the hiatus.
Others have had to make changes in their routines. "I sometimes call my friends during the school day [to socialize]," admits Tyler Arisumi.
Rodel Domingo describes that he has adapted to online school by employing a "weekly schedule that's been helping [him] stay on top of things." For some, these adaptations have made online learning tolerable, if not altogether enjoyable.
Bayle describes online learning as "weird" and "difficult" but has come to enjoy it. But that opinion is not universal, and many seniors are still adjusting. Johnson states that he isn't 100% comfortable, admitting "I'm still struggling to get the hang of using all of the online resources and to find a routine." Quitevis expresses similar sentiments but notes that "acceptance is key. The more that I accept that this year is caused by something that we can't control and that it is happening all over the world, the more I start to feel better."
In addition to online learning, students have also had to adjust to changes within their extra-curricular activities. Athletes, like Johnson, a football player, and Eschiverri, a soccer player, have had their sports canceled altogether.
Some clubs have transitioned their activities to virtual settings. HOSA veteran and officer Angeline Faith-Cayetano shares that the annual HOSA competition will be held online this year. She admits being "still sad that [she] couldn’t experience a normal HOSA year," but hopes to continue her passions in the club nevertheless. Bayle, Spanish club-co president, notes that COVID thwarted "many activities" that her club had planned. Arisumi similarly reports that the regular choir trips have been canceled, with the practice being strictly online.
Without events and sports, seniors have had to find alternative means for recreation and keeping themselves sane. Faith-Cayetano, Quitevis, and Peros describe hanging out with friends to stay in touch. Athletes Eschiverri and Johnson continue to exercise without their sports. And Bayle details the wonders of binge-watching television to destress. "A daily thing I did this year was watch sunsets because its a reminder that I got through another day," Faith-Cayetano remarks.
Indeed, our Sabers are looking forward to another day. Armed with Saber spirit, they continue to motivate themselves for the future. The prospects of college remind some, like Eschiverri and Domingo, to continue to get good grades. The light at the end of the tunnel inspires others. Peros notes, "Currently, what's keeping me motivated is the hope that we can at least have a halfway normal second semester." "Nothing is set in stone," Arisumi notes. "Everything will get better one way or another and I hope that everything will be back to normal one day."
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