Missing milestones in a global pandemic: Not what the Class of 2020 was expecting

MANCHESTER, NH — The Manchester Central High School graduating class of 2020 has weathered some tough storms. There was a nine-hour lockdown that took place in September of 2018. There have been multiple fights, bad press, and administrative overhaul within the district over the course of their high school careers.

None of it, however, has challenged them quite as much as this global pandemic.

The diversity of Central High School — not simply in terms of race, but in interests, income level, religion, and more — is one of its core values. Different groups such as athletes, students entering the military, class officers, student council members, and others who are attending college are all viewing the effects of this pandemic through different perspectives, as events are cancelled and government officials are weighing the possibility of not returning to school this year.

Senior class president Raiyan Bayumi, who is one of the key planners of events such as prom, graduation, and class day, expressed his concerns with the coronavirus and the conflicts it creates with these events.

“Although we aren’t sure how prom or class day will be affected as of right now, the possibility of prom and other major events being cancelled is strong,” Bayumi said.

While Bayumi acknowledges this tough possibility, he also remains optimistic.

“I know that our state officials are working tirelessly to combat this crisis,” Bayumi said. “My hope is that this will all be over sooner rather than later, to serve the possibility of my classmates being reunited before graduation.”

One event that has already been canceled is Central Week, a spirit week full of dress-up days, a barbecue, and the final pep rally for seniors. One of the planners of this event, student council vice president Aashaya Rajbhandari, said that she was upset about the cancellation, saying, “Not knowing that the last pep rally would be our last, and not knowing that last year’s barbecue would be our last [is upsetting].”

Rajbhandari and the rest of the student council have entertained the idea of hosting some of the Central Week activities virtually. “We had a talent show planned, so we were thinking about having people sending in videos of their talents.”

Jack Mulcahy, a senior on the boys’ varsity tennis team, said about the possibility of not having a spring sports season, “It would definitely stink if we didn’t have it because we’ve been playing once, maybe twice a week … getting ready. We were going to have a really good team too.”

While upset about the possible loss of the season, Mulcahy acknowledged that this is not a major problem in the context of the virus.

“I wouldn’t say I’m really sad, there is worse stuff happening. That’s not the biggest deal right now,” Mulcahy said.

Right now, sports seasons are scheduled to start on May 4th, but with the peak of cases and deaths hitting New Hampshire in late April, there is a possibility that the rest of the school year could happen from a distance, and spring sports would not take place.

Seniors are also beginning to make choices about their plans for next year. Rajbhandari, who is in the process of picking a school, is having some difficulties.

“I didn’t visit schools but I knew once I got accepted I could look at them or go to accepted students day and now they’re all virtual so I have no idea what the school is actually like,” she said.

This is a problem for many seniors, as these tough choices about where to spend their next four years are approaching quickly, and may not be able to see the school itself.

Some students at Central are not just worried about now, but also the summer. Rajbhandari said about her plans for the summer, “Right now we have the assumption that ‘spring inside, summer outside,’ but that’s not even definite yet and that’s what I’m scared about.”

As for students with other post-high school plans, senior Kaylee Covey is enlisting in the Marine Corps this summer and is worried about her entry into the military during this crisis. She is only able to make limited contact with her staff sergeant, and there is the possibility that deployments and ship dates could be moved back. She is also worried about the spread of the disease within the base, saying, “The pandemic makes me a little worried about serving just because it’s a very bad viral infection and…it could potentially spread throughout the base and hurt more people.”

While some students are worried about the possibilities of cancellations and how the rest of the year will be impacted, there are some who believe that their plans for the fall will still be in place. “With all the measures we’ve taken so far with social distancing and all, I’m pretty confident that in the transition between spring and summer things will be relatively back to normal,” says Yves Bayubahe, another senior. “At most, near the end of the summer things will be settled and we’ll be on time for college.”

Eamonn Ryan is an Editor in Chief for The Little Green, Central High School’s student publication.