The MHS senior Class of 2021 has faced many challenges this year in terms of celebrating their last year of high school. Not only have they missed out on the senior year experience, but the second half of their junior year disappeared as well due to the change from in-person school to distance learning. Although it may seem like the school is trying, it is apparent that MHS is just not doing enough to make seniors feel special.
One of the first areas we can look to improve would be the classes and the workload seniors are receiving this year. The Class of 2020 had a much easier second semester since the district was still shifting into distance learning, and teachers were figuring out how to efficiently use online platforms. Last year’s seniors actually had the opportunity to enjoy their last few months in school due to asynchronous learning, but it’s the total opposite this year. Teachers are simply assigning too much work, and many seniors have voiced their frustrations about their classes. Sure, some teachers are lenient with their due dates, but the amount of due dates seniors have to meet is ridiculous and leaves a lot of them feeling overwhelmed, including myself. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how flexible the deadlines are or how many mental well-being resources the district puts out there; most seniors this year have to work twice as hard because they are receiving more work—plain and simple.
As for graduation plans, according to Principal Francis Rojas, the school plans on carrying out a ceremony similar to the one that occurred last year. Apparently, a lot of students and families enjoyed the way MHS held its graduation, as it was more personal and seniors could take more pictures with their loved ones. This plan seems like the best one at the moment; however, it is subject to change as the pandemic and lockdown situations shift. I still wish that MHS would push to organize something close to a traditional graduation because it just won’t be the same during a pandemic. For example, rather than calling in small batches of people for a graduation ceremony that runs over a few days, it would be better to call in larger groups that are socially distanced. This will allow graduation to feel more like a traditional graduation.
There is no harm in looking at what other schools have been doing to appreciate their seniors, and I think it would serve MHS some good to seek inspiration from them. Earlier this month, Dublin High School (DHS) seniors were given free boba and Class of 2021 water bottles that were filled with treats when they picked up their textbooks for the second semester. On their Facebook page, teachers are seen holding up encouraging signs saying things like “We love you seniors!” and “The class of 2021 is econ-ic!” Of course, it is understandable that DHS might have more funds; however, I do not believe it is too much to ask the school to allocate more of its budget to seniors so they can at least have something to take away from their already ruined senior year. I’m sure many local businesses would be willing to sponsor MHS if funding were an issue. I’m not saying that our school needs to give each senior free class merchandise or a free cap and gown (although that shouldn’t be completely out of question), but I’m pretty sure most seniors would at least appreciate a free shirt as opposed to getting nothing.
Overall, I think that there are many areas that MHS can improve when it comes to showing appreciation for the senior class. If the school made a few adjustments to how it allocates its resources and kept in mind that high school is almost over for seniors, the school can definitely make this last year a memorable experience for us.