By Kentavia Brunson
 
Our senior year has come to an end and all the things we were looking forward to are all canceled. For the past 4 years we’ve been stressing ourselves out and working hard just for moments like graduation. The class of 2020 won’t even be able to experience walking across the stage to receive our diploma.  I am disappointed that being so close to the end I gave up this school year. I had no motivation while in school. Being out of school slapped me in the head and told me to get it together you’re at the end of the road. You can do it! 
 
In the future I hope no other class has to experience what we class of 2020 have experienced in our senior year. I hope that all things will go back to where we can be around others so we can get that graduation experience we have been waiting for, even if it has to be rescheduled to a different month. My advice to other high school students is take school seriously even with no motivation, there is always someone in your corner that is rooting for you and your success. Also make as many memories as you can because you don’t never know what's going to happen that will ruin the school year and plans you have made.

By Ho Mach
 
Millions of high school seniors throughout America are disappointed that their final year has ended earlier than they expected. People are even having breakdowns and some are trying to make the best of it. Though in my opinion, I think the best thing to do is to try our best to move on and focus on the future. It’s not because I don’t care about my final year that I worked hard for or that it ended too soon, but looking back, I never really felt at home in the many schools I went to. I was different from other kids, never fit into any groups, and always felt the need to be alone to do better in school. Throughout the years I met a lot of great people that came and went, as some people who were my best friends became strangers and there was only one person I can always change and be better. That person was me, myself. Instead of complaining about ending school early, I will do what I did all the time. Focus on how to become a better person, getting the grades I want, and continue to try my best every day. I think people should do the same thing I am doing. There is no time to dwell on this situation, and the only thing we can work on is ourselves and how to become better day by day. 

By Elisha Jenkins
 
Hearing that the rest of the 2019-2020 school year will remain closed broke my heart.  This year was important to me and not only because it was my senior year, but this year was my last year of high school. I miss waking up seeing my favorite people every morning and seeing how happy they are to see me. I should have made the most of this year and cherish every moment and should have been a little more outgoing. 
 
Not being able to have a senior trip, prom, and not being sure about graduation is depressing. These three things are like milestones for me. The trip and prom let me know that I’m almost at the end and graduation tells me that I made it to the end. Senior year is bittersweet. The one thing I’m kind of upset about is not being able to go to prom. Prom was big for me this year; it was the last thing before graduation to spend time with all my friends and the people who helped me significantly in high school. I never got to feel what going to prom feels like and now I regret not going to prom last year. I wanted to experience everything a senior would experience in their last year of high school.  

By Adelisa Badzic
 
We’re going onto the second month of this shut down and being out of school. We have just recently received word that we will not be returning back to school this academic year. It is a total disappointment for many scholars, including me. 
 
An event I was really looking forward to was my high school graduation. I am an early graduate, I have been working hard since 7th grade with the goal of graduating a year early. And here I am, almost to the finish line, possibly without the ceremony that I’ve been waiting for. 
Many people say, “It's better than getting sick.” Yes that's very true but it is still very sad. We need a chance to come to terms that we will not have a “normal graduation” like every class before us has. 
 
I was not planning on attending prom this year.  Instead of buying a dress, I have saved my money to have my own personal senior trip with some of my close friends, which I still hope to go on. My heart goes out to all the seniors this year; I hope we get our graduation ceremony since we deserve it. Some advice for underclassmen is have fun in high school but don't get distracted. It's all fun and games “skipping” and not going to class, until there is no class to go to. 

By Tahaara Gazali
 
Stage walk: 
Empty hall, empty seats, not a voice, no awards night...no graduation...no prom, but most disappointingly, not walking the stage to receive the diploma.
 
Walking the stage is a dream that every kid holds, from childhood to pre-adulthood. Many of us dream of it, but sadly this won’t be happening for our poor seniors of the class of 2020, both high school and college students. This day is a very big day for our dear seniors celebrating their accomplishments. These seniors are missing the most monumental time of their lives. This pandemic has taken away the chance to celebrate every kid's dedication and hard work for four years. Senior Amina Gazali states, “I have never in my life thought of not walking the stage and receiving my diploma.” Seniors in the class of 2020 are isolated at home while this pandemic takes away every bit of their joy and their last days of either being in high school or college. However, seniors are not forgotten, as former President Obama announced, and he will be hosting a national commencement speech for the class of 2020. 
 
Class of 2020, our hearts and our congratulations go out to you!

By Jaheim Jones
           
Since March 13th, COVID-19 has impacted the lives of Americans all across the country. Every state, city, town and countryside has since been on lockdown and currently still is. While everyone is waiting at home for the global pandemic to blow over to get back to normal, all the things that were bound to happen during this time will be left in the past. All 24,000 high schools in America have been shut down and hundreds of thousands of seniors missed out on the last year of their high school career. 

My senior opportunities I was unfortunate enough to miss out on this year were senior exit interviews, senior skip day, prom and walking the stage on graduation day. Those four activities would’ve been my last time bonding with my classmates before going into adulthood. Senior skip day, senior interviews and prom would’ve been nice to experience, even if you're not the type for huge crowds and large gatherings. Each activity I’ve mentioned is about growing together as a class before we eventually grow apart from
one another.

The good, bad, and ugly got stopped abruptly for class 2020 from this virus. Out of everything I’ve mentioned, missing out on walking the stage is taking the biggest toll on me this coming June. No caps flying in the air, no graduation cake, no graduation pictures with the principals and no walking the stage. Not just for East seniors but everywhere in America. People who are not in this position wouldn’t know how to feel even with people telling us to suck it up. But everything is always easier said than done and if I had to I would experience each activity I’ve mentioned up above. Either way I am a proud graduate of East High school traditionally or virtually. 

By Anna Burton
 
So many things are closed because of covid-19, school being one of them. This being my last year, walking across the stage was a goal. It was supposed to be something for my parents to see that I did what I needed to do and was ready to go get my life started. Because of covid-19 schools are closed for the rest of the year and that chance of walking across the stage in front of my family and friends has been foiled. Although this does sadden me, I just think that we seniors this year are one of a kind. We get to say we not only survived a pandemic our senior year but we also graduated through this time. We are strong enough to get through this and us getting our diploma – no matter how – is the proof of it.

By Keren Montero
 
Last year I had the opportunity to play one last season with my then senior friends and said goodbye after playing sports with them for 2-3 years. It makes me sad and heartbroken that I didn't get to have the same chance as all the other seniors before me. The chance to play one last softball season before having to leave high school was taken from me. The saddest part is leaving all of my softball friends after talking for months about our “last season” and how we were going to kill it this year. Softball is not just a sport for me. It has created a family for me starting with Coach Vann. She has seen me progress since 8th grade back when she was my modified coach and saw my potential in pitching. She drives us to do our best and she is such a determined coach who loves to see all her players succeed not only in school but outside of it as well, and for that I can’t thank her enough! Not only have I grown close with her but also created a close friendship with Samantha Conrow. She has been catching for me since my freshman year and I have created memories with her not only in softball but in volleyball as well. Her sarcasm will be missed! 

By Hunter White

I already knew that Class of 2020 was not going to have a graduation ceremony or prom. More and more people are getting infected every day so a graduation ceremony is not the best way to go. Although some schools like Penfield and Eastridge are having this ceremony where students can walk the stage and receive their diploma on video and then go home. There will be no audience and all will practice social distancing while students are receiving their diplomas. That could be an option but I would rather my diploma be mailed to me or just come to school to get my diploma then leave. I hope that those are other options for seniors.
There is a Virtual Senior Showcase but personally I don't want to do it. I just want my diploma and 2020 has already gotten worse because COVID-19. I honestly do not care for prom because I just see it as a regular dance event although it has more importance to other people. I would still go just because I wouldn't have anything else to do that day. Since my favorite color is blue I would wear a blue suit with white highlights and crystalized design with white dress shoes and tie. Overall I'm happy I get to stay home.

By Amina Hassan
 
Coming into junior year this year I didn't think I would be learning from home due to coronavirus which many people didn't think was serious. Although I still have a year left, many of my senior friends and family don't. This was their last year to shine and they had many things they were looking forward to. 
 
East High senior Mira Rai had many things to say when asked how she feels about senior events being cancelled. Mira said, “I am really upset that I didn't get to spend the time I wanted with friends and teachers is I knew this year was going to end like this. I was looking mostly forward to graduation. Graduation was for me a time to celebrate success and go into a new chapter of my life. A new journey. Walking across the stage with everyone cheering for me would've made me feel like everyone’s proud of me and accomplished.”
Unlike Mira, my sister Boni Hassan, a senior at Edison Tech was looking mainly forward to prom. She said, “I had already bought my prom dress, my heels and an idea of how my makeup and nails would look. It's really sad because prom was like a day to have a good time with friends, take pictures etc. But sometimes things are just the way they are and we have to work around it.”