Looking back at the Class of 2020 and the way they graduated from the safety of their cars at the very beginning of the pandemic, I never thought that a year later, we would still potentially experience graduation in a similar way. However, a full year later how graduation will be handled for seniors across the country is still up in the air.

Given everything that has happened in the past year, I honestly did not have high hopes for even getting graduation when our senior year began. From the start of the school year back in the fall, it has consistently felt like our senior year never even had a chance to really start because of all of the missed senior activities and traditions that seniors have looked forward to since freshman year.

Throughout most of the year, being online left all of the senior traditions as an afterthought, but as the year is coming to a close, more opportunities are opening up for seniors. Now with social distancing restrictions lifted and the rate of vaccinations increasing, there are some events that NDB is putting on for seniors.

From a senior perspective, I am glad that there is hope for the different traditional senior activities such as the Mother-Daughter Tea, prom, and graduation, but it is not the way that I ever imagined my high school years coming to a close. For being such an untraditional year, I am excited to have the opportunity to celebrate my accomplishments in nearly finishing high school with my classmates as we all prepare for graduation and moving on to college.

Going to a private school during this time is nice because having a smaller class enables us to still be able to meet and have events that can follow the protocol for our county in terms of social distancing and such. Getting together as a class at these events brings back a sense of community and normalcy, and serves as a reminder of what the past years at NDB were like. Although this is never what I imagined for my senior year, it is exciting to know that there is hope for seniors, and that administration and staff are working really hard to make the best of the situation for the graduating Class of 2021.

Overall, the excitement for the future is definitely present for the senior class at NDB as everyone has high hopes for a more normal freshman year to make up for our lost senior year.