Growing up we were always told high school was going to be the best years of our lives and that senior year was always one to remember. For the class of 20′ and 21′ our senior years were going to be memorable but not for the traditional reasons.

Just a few weeks before spring break we had heard about countries shutting down and closing due to the virus we didn’t think that the states would begin to shut down anytime soon the virus was an ocean away. As we are enjoying our spring break we got the news about Governor Kelly closing down schools and making us go remote.

This was something we had never done before and had no experience in. Students began to wonder what was going to happen were we going to be back in the building anytime soon, were seniors going to get their graduation, what about our school traditions?

The class of 20′ was hit hard with missing what we considered the fun half of senior year getting to sign the tower, walking the stage, prom but the class of 21′ had to learn and adapt to a whole new way of learning. When we started many students’ grades took a huge drop. Students who used to be amazing students in class slowly started to lose motivation and who could blame them learning at home with little help on hands help. Students and parents were more than ready to try hybrid learning.

Many students began to go back into in person school and many had the same reason to be able to focus in class better. Students struggled for a little under a year of online learning with being at home it was easy to get distracted and become lost in class. Finally after what seemed like a long time the class of 21′ began to feel some kind of normal going back into the building and seeing their teachers in person. F

or the first few months of “normal” school students began to realize it wasn’t their typical normal. They couldn’t do many of the small things they did on a normal school day like using bathrooms during passing period or walking the halls during lunch.

Many seniors took the opportunity of our new schedule to graduate and finish required classes early while others became second semester seniors with the hopes of having a semi-normal last semester. Class of 21′ took it upon themselves to make sure to keep north’s traditions alive even if we couldn’t be in the building.

They began the year off with TP-ing the front lawn like every year. Now in what’s the last few weeks of their senior year they plan to keep the senior traditions alive and will start their senior pranks.