DÉJÀ VU. The last day of school before break filled with many unknowns. An announcement is made. We are told that after break, we will have one week of virtual learning, simply a temporary precautionary measure to combat the pandemic, as cases rise each day. Unfortunately, it feels like we’ve been here before. March 13th was our last in-person school day last year, and many students are wondering if November 24th will mark the end of school as we know it this year. What would you do if Tuesday was our last day of school?
What would you do if tomorrow was our last day of school?
DÉJÀ VU. The last day of school before break filled with many unknowns. An announcement is made. We are told that after the break, we will have one week of virtual learning, simply a temporary precautionary measure to combat the pandemic, as cases rise each day.
Hmmm. Feels like we’ve been here before.
March 13th was our last real day of school. Like, real last day. Like, bells 1-7 in real life, quizzes, and tests to wrap up the quarter, no masks, no social distancing. No virtual learners on the Google Meet. No teachers sharing their screens. No assigned seating at lunch.
It was such a perfectly mundane day. Just another day.
But it was our last day of school, and we didn’t know it at the time.
Imagine if we’d known that we would never return to school again that year and that the new school year would be significantly different, posing challenges and obstacles that no student, parent, teacher, or administrator has ever experienced before.
As cases in Ohio and specifically, Hamilton County, continue to steadily increase, a new wave of remote learning emerges for students at Sycamore High School after Thanksgiving break, from November 30th until December 4th.
Who’s to say that this duration of remote learning won’t be extended?
Even worse, what if Tuesday, November 24th, is our last day of in-person school?
The class of 2020 experienced an eerily normal last day of school on March 13th. What if this is our March 13th?
What if this Tuesday is our last day of high school, ever?
Although we can’t predict the future, many seniors are worried that they won’t get to finish off the school year, let alone celebrate their achievements through a traditional graduation ceremony and a prom.
In a survey conducted by The Leaf, about 40% of SHS students answered that they think we won’t return to in-person school at all this school year. In their eyes, Tuesday is the class of 2021’s last hurrah before college.
How can we make it count?
If Tuesday was our last day of in-person school, what would you do? This is what the following seniors answered:
“I would go to my peers and my teachers and express my gratitude to them for providing me with such an incredible high school experience,” Daniel Ronis-Tobin.
“Pack a good lunch and say bye to everyone,” Lexi Zukowski.
“Senior prank,” Ella Burgess.
“I’d go to a few of my teachers and say goodbye to them. I’d also make sure to say bye to some of my friends that I don’t really see outside of school,” Brody Kent.
“I would appreciate being able to learn face to face more at the beginning of the year,” Claire Laneve.
“I would do exactly the same thing as any other day,” Emilio Garcia.
“Get pictures with everyone, have a fun class every bell, and just talk,” Paige Ellingson.
“Yell at random people in the hub from upstairs,” Pranathi Mandala.
“I would make sure to socialize as much as possible with my friends because I probably wouldn’t see them for a while,” Davie Shi.
“I would tell everyone that I have classes with that I appreciate them,” Sid Subramanian.
“I would wear a Christmas sweater,” Clint Beeler.
“Say goodbye to all my favorite teachers,” Lauren Gause.
“I would go around to each of my teachers and genuinely thank them for what they did for me and putting in the effort to try and make school as normal as possible,” Ethan Wallace.
“Have a fight song Tuesday,” Brynn Gvozdanovic.