Recap as the Class of 2021’s Senior Year Comes to a Close

As the class of 2021 seniors are preparing to fly out of the School’s nest and embark on the next chapter of their lives, let’s take a moment to slow down and highlight the senior events that lightened the weight of this past year. In order to understand the process of organizing and preserving the senior events, I spoke with Spirit Masters Sophie Coutu and Loucas Xenakis, who have worked tirelessly to bring joy and a sense of community into the lives of the class of ‘21.

Without a doubt, this past year has been the first of its kind in many ways. However, Student Council members let neither the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic nor the enduring fight against racism, hate, and violence deter them from reimagining traditional events to suit the current climate of our world. Traditions like Senior Sunrise, Ditch Day, and Grill ‘n’ Chill were preserved, given that necessary accommodations were made for COVID-19 safety precautions. 

In the remaining three weeks, seniors have two big events that were unexpectedly approved to look forward to: Senior Dinner and Prom. When asked what the process of planning events was like this past year, Coutu described it as requiring “a ton of communication,” and Student Council member Zoe Gibbs added, “the job this year demanded compromise, flexibility, and most importantly, patience.”

While many senior events moved forward, there were those that, unfortunately, weren’t able to be held. Traditions including the annual Lip Sync, the banging of pots and pans at the end of the first semester, and a senior play involving the entire class were among the list of events that were not held. Gibbs expressed her sentiments regarding the loss of certain staples, saying, “It’s too bad because I was actually really looking forward to doing the senior play and I’m pretty sad I don’t get to perform with my friends and long time peers as ‘The Class of 2021’ in front of our families.”

She reflected, saying, “I feel like we had to do these traditions at 50% and weren’t able to fully do them,” but she felt that they were “still good, still something and I’m thankful for those involved in making these memories possible.” On behalf of the graduating Class of 2021, I thank the School and all of those who supported us along our journey.