Senior year is supposed to be the most memorable year for high school students. That was anything but true for seniors in the class of 2021 and even the class of 2020. However, as vaccines become widely available and the pandemic starts to become controlled, the remainder of the school year is looking better for seniors.
One of the most traditional senior activities at Central is senior skip day. This year, the seniors were able to plan a socially distanced and safe skip day at Elmwood Park. It was important that the whole class was given an opportunity to all be together for one of the last times.
After not seeing my peers for over a year, it was almost surreal. Just four years ago, we were walking into Central as naïve freshmen, never expecting to have our junior and senior years taken by a pandemic. Even a year after, being back together felt just like I had remembered.
What I love about every single class that has gone through Central is that there are never any cliques. There are always so many friend groups, and a place for everyone to belong. On skip day, this held true. It was proof that everyone is accepted at Central, and that differences don’t necessarily separate us. There were students engaging in physical activities such as frisbee and kickball, decorating signs, listening to music, and others just catching up with their friends.
To some people’s surprise, all the students were wearing masks. While most teenagers have been ignorant of the pandemic and not frequent mask-wearers, Eagles are not a part of that. Through kickball games and even chatting with friends, masks remained on in order to protect everyone.
The importance of senior skip day is not only to get students together to create memories, but also to have a day with no thoughts of school. No matter what, school is always draining, and senior year in a pandemic doesn’t help. Having a day when there are no classes, and no work expected to be complete, is exactly what seniors need during the last couple months of the school year.
Although most of our senior year has been taken away from us, I am glad we were able to gather for a whole day together. Even if it is hard to create memories this year, our senior skip day will be something I will never forget!