Grade 12 students should be getting ready to write their final high school exams and celebrate a milestone achievement with a graduation ceremony and prom.
Instead, they are having to find new ways to mark the occasion and come to terms with the current state of the world.
“Most of us grads have been feeling a sense of loss,” says Korynn Farnsworth, a soon-to-be graduate of Middleton Regional High School in Nova Scotia.
“We didn’t get to finish making memories with our friends, and we missed the last chances to say goodbye to our teachers, the last chances to walk in the hallways, and go to our locker before class.”
These are hard feelings to come to terms with, especially the lack of closure.
“It hurts. I know there’s worst things going on right now, but we worked so hard for 13 years for it to all go down the drain. My friends and I missed out on so many awesome trips this year, but most of all, we missed out on the last year all together before parting ways,” says Shyanne White from Upper Rawdon, N.S., who will be graduating from Hants North Rural High School.
Schools are doing what they can, however, to give students some sort of send-off.
“I do understand that it isn't possible to have them as they were before,” says Jessica Perry of York, P.E.I., “but I am still very sad that I won't get to experience my graduation and prom the same way I had imagined all my life.”
Charlottetown Rural High School, which Perry attends, is planning on having small groups of the graduating class go to the school and walk across the cafeteria stage to receive diplomas and awards. Nothing is set in stone right now, so everyone is waiting to know what they are doing for sure, she says.
Jayden Lempriere says Corner Brook Regional High School in Corner Brook, N.L. has decided to prepare a graduation video of the class of 2020 but will not be having any future celebration. As an art student, Lempriere had designed her graduation dress and had it made by a designer in St. John’s, and now won't get to wear it to her graduation.
Aaliyah Hiltz, from West Kings High School in Auburn, N.S., says grads are also a financial hit. She’s already spent hundreds of dollars on a prom dress and shoes she can’t use.
In limbo
Not only are high school graduates trying to come to terms with the end of high school, but they are also trying to figure out what the next year will look like.
Farnsworth calls it a state of limbo. Although she plans to attend St. Mary’s University in the fall, she has yet to receive a final answer.
“I won’t find anything out until July, which leaves me to make several decisions, including whether to get an apartment if classes go online or what dorm rooms will look like,” she says.
Not knowing makes the future harder to know and see, she adds.
The truth is, students have no idea what to expect or have any idea what the fall university or college terms will look like. Many universities, like Dalhousie, have announced online programs, while others, like Acadia, hope for a hybrid model.
In Greenwich, N.S., Horton High School student council president Hayden Ehler says he’s talked to many graduates and says there is a clear sense of loss and disappointment. Not only does this affect their choice of university, but it severely diminishes the university experience, which is far deeper than just parties and socializing, he says. Without guarantees of in-person classes, Ehler says many students are deferring for a year.
“I've not met one person who thinks this will improve the transition, as the consensus shows online classes are inferior across the board and often make learning much more difficult. As well, there are fewer opportunities for peer-support from friends or classmates and it’s harder to speak with professors in an engaging manner,” says Ehler.
Competent internet connections are also an issue and international students, while saving on travel expenses, would suffer the time zone differential for live lectures, notes Ehler.
Many students are worried about the lack of hands-on learning experiences, especially with labs. Nicole Grass, from Wolfville, N.S., says the whole idea makes her hesitant but finds comfort in knowing that everyone is in the same boat.
Grace Veinotte, from Port Williams, N.S. had planned to attend UPEI, where she was to be on the soccer team. The season starts in September and doesn't last very long, so she says if the first semester is all online, she will miss her first year of sport.
Ehler says many students rely on sports for funding, which is up in the air, along with music ensembles and student government. Many of the extra-curricular events a student may use to become comfortable and confident in attending university are unavailable, he says.
Students also worry about is motivation if classes are virtual. Veinotte says after doing online classes this year, she’s discovered it’s really hard to stay focused and motivated and feels like she has not learned enough to be prepared for university.
As a student with ADHD, Lempriere agrees, saying online learning excruciatingly hard.
“I won't feel as motivated to do my schoolwork if I am at home sitting at my kitchen table, rather than being in a classroom or another learning environment,” adds Perry.
Focus on healthcare careers
One of the positives that have come from COVID-19 affecting the students' school year is that it has influenced career choices for many.
White will be attending the Nova Scotia Community College for the continuing care assistant program then bridging to do the licensed practical nurse program. Although it’s now scarier to pursue a career in healthcare, she says, she wants to fight to help keep people healthy.
Before the virus outbreak, Hiltz had planned on a degree in English then law but has since decided to attend the advanced nursing program at Dalhousie.
“Seeing the impact that health care professionals have made on containing COVID has inspired me to become a nurse, which was something I had always considered but never really put into action,” says Hiltz.
Grass also says that COVID impacted her study choice, as she is deciding between health promotion and the integrated science program.
“The pandemic shines a light on the importance of prevention and health education,” she says. “It is exciting to think I could be involved in researching pandemics or making discoveries in the health field.”
Although the situation is not ideal for graduates, there is a real sense that students are trying to make the best of a bad situation.
“I believe as long as we try, we will be able to get through this crisis together,” says Kayley Miller of Digby, N.S. “COVID isn’t influencing me. It’s a difficult time for us, but that shouldn’t be the reason we give up on our future.”
