Pandemic robs high school seniors of rites of passage

It’s easy to minimize the struggles of others when one has no relation to the problem.

When the virus was in a different country, it was natural to ignore the pleas, asking Americans to stay safe.

Even now, it may be easy to ignore the effects of COVID-19. People are used to getting takeout meals anyway, but the effects of this virus reach into every aspect of society. They’re already being felt by the young people whose futures are in question as they miss out on vital times in their academic careers and social lives.

I regret to say that I didn’t take the pandemic seriously until it directly affected me, a mistake I fear too many people are still making. This is affecting me, and young people like me.

I asked four students at Coeur d’Alene High School to share how they have been impacted during this time.

THE ACADEMIC

As Salutatorian, CHS senior Kristen Nethercott was expecting many things in the spring semester of her senior year. Breakfast recognitions, graduation speeches and other praise were in her near future.

This has all changed for her, and it hurts. She had been rehearsing her graduation speech since elementary school.

“As silly and trivial as these things might seem to many others, these celebrations allow me to feel pride in making it this far and working as hard as I did,” Kristen said. “These events keep us going through tiring school years, and every student in the district deserves something to look forward to in their last year of high school.”

The idea that she may never have the chance to deliver that speech is disheartening.

“We as students have been told that it is selfish to be thinking about senior activities at a time like this, but I think it is acceptable for seniors to feel sad about missed opportunities that are once-in-a-lifetime events,” she said. “I would just like to stress that practically every student is being hurt in some way by this situation, and so many events that adults might see as unimportant are so important to us.”

THE ACTOR

Senior Dalton Cone shared his insight on how he feels being a part of the spring musical production that will never happen.

“I am sad to know that all of the hard work of the cast will be for nothing,” he said. “I'm sad to say that I won't get to have that final bow to signify yet another end to my high school experience. I am sad that I won't get to experience the feeling of finishing a professional-level production that I invested so much time in.”

Dalton said people keep telling him there will still be time for prom, time for graduation, time for AP tests, but he is finding it difficult to remain hopeful when he feels he will just be let down.

“I want everyone to stop telling me that everything is going to be OK,” he said. “I'm suffocating in anxiety over everything and my feelings about the play being canceled don’t help. Many of my friends also in the production have expressed how lost they feel and how sad they are about this happening. It is hard to put so much work into something just to never have it seen by the masses.”

THE ATHLETE

Senior varsity track athlete Jake Beyersdorf is experiencing the grief and disappointment of a shattered dream. He spent seven years working toward athletic goals that he planned to build on as he entered college.

“I no longer get to be recognized in front of the school for being a senior athlete, I won't be getting any medals this year and I won't be running in college,” he lamented. “I know why everything has to be shut down and why I must stay at home, but I cannot wait until I can be back on the track again.”

Not only is this season shot, but his fall recruitment opportunities are also affected because of the closures.

“To find out in the end that it was all for nothing hurts quite a bit,” he said. “The times where I was sprinting through the pouring rain in 40-degree weather, the times where I found myself lifting alone because everyone else went home already. All of it for nothing.”

THE JUNIOR

CHS junior Lilian Smith offered her thoughts on SAT, ACT and AP testing that should have been occurring soon.

“A lot of students in my class have gone the extra mile to prepare for every single aspect of these grueling three-and-a-half-hour tests,” Lilian said. “Now, their hard work is reduced into a 45-minute test with a completely different structure than what they prepared for. This only torches the students that did put in lots of time preparing for the old version of the test.”

Lilian said she was lucky enough to take the ACT test in February, so she’s not incredibly worried about what will happen for her, but “looking at what most of my peers are going through with this change, it is understandably very stressful.”

“With COVID-19, the SAT is being pushed closer and closer to the AP tests, which is incredibly complicated because which one should students put as their first priority — a test they prepared for the entire year or a test that may open or even slam doors to their future?” she said. “COVID-19 will have an immense impact on the college process in the fall. Large award and internship opportunities are being canceled because of its effects… Furthermore, colleges are more likely to have higher acceptance rates next year since they know that the crash in the stock market and widespread unemployment will decrease the amount of children that will be able to afford college.”

THE REALITY

The existence of both prom and graduation are uncertain at this point. Students will be going to “class” online, however that is a blatant disregard for the students who have no way to access internet at home, or have no way to travel to the parking lots that have district-provided WiFi.

The overall quality of learning will diminish significantly. Students will have to try harder than ever to care about the material they are being taught and — spoiler alert — not a lot of students care in the first place. Seniors who were only going to graduate because they had nowhere better to be than school are now cheated out of a diploma.

Kids are sad, scared and alone.

Don’t pity us. We are well aware that we, North Idaho high-schoolers, are not the ones to feel sorry for. I wrote this to try to gain some common ground, to hopefully reach some shared experience, so that more people understand the impact they are having on the pandemic, which in turn is impacting all of our lives.

We implore you to consider the feelings of the adolescents in the area, and reminisce on your own high school experience, and remind yourself that you are not the only one affected if you get sick.

Stay inside and wash your hands — a critical reminder from the graduating class of 2020.

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Hope McWilliams is a Hayden resident and member of the Coeur d’Alene High Class of 2020.