What started out as an exciting countdown to end his high school chapters, ended more like the air swooshing out of a balloon and pfft pfft pffting around the room before falling flat on the floor.
We were hosting a foreign exchange student, planned multiple road trips, hiking trails, baseball games, and a concert. Everything was moving along great until the first hole in the balloon showed: the whole world watching as the pandemic spread around the world, eventually affecting all countries. Taking about a month for the stay at home orders effecting the states around us to finally make its way to our area. Sending students home in a hope to keep as many as possible safe and to not overrun the hospitals.
Bright Side #1: The teen was able to do school work without pressure and on his schedule. Teaching him the added lesson of prioritizing and scheduling his time appropriately.
Spring breaks trips to the Corvette Museum (KY), Garden of the Gods (IL) and a tour of the college he wanted to attend (MO) were postponed. Only to be cancelled a couple weeks later when the entire country was put on a stand still. Retail stores, movie theaters, bowling alleys and other places of entertainment all closed. If it wasn’t essential, it was closed.
Bright Side #2: The teen picked up extra hours working at the gas station – people need fuel to drive to their essential places such as their jobs and the grocery stores.
Our foreign exchange student returned to his home country. The prom was postponed, performance at the Red’s game was cancelled, SAT’s cancelled, year end awards cancelled, and graduation postponed “until a later date to be determined in the future.”
Bright Side #3: Finals were cancelled allowing the kids (and teachers) to not stress out any more than they already were from this “new normal.”
As May rolled around, stay at home orders were in full bloom and the high school made some final decisions about some things and on the fence about others. The last day of school was determined, the prom was moved to a definite date and location, pending no changes from the governors orders. The graduation ceremony is moved to the end of July with no location set at the moment, pending approval from the health department and staying in accordance to the governors orders.
The teen would like to skip the ceremony or go virtual and send out the diplomas so the class of 2020 can focus on their next steps.
Bright Side #4: The teen is focusing on his future and is exhibiting true ambition. Go Teen!!
Though the year started out great and ended with a flop, we still did what we could to make his senior year memorable. School officially ended the day before his 18th birthday so for his birthday, we held a micro-graduation party. With cap and gown, he walked to Alice Cooper’s “Schools Out” and did a little dance at the end.
Bright Side #5: The teen is done!
Tapestry of Life 