The Class of 2021 Celebrate the Last Four Years

The Class of 2021 celebrated the last four years, except with a twist. On Thursday, June 11, the class of 2021 gathered together during their last couple of weeks as seniors at Owens Field. Instead of the traditional prom hosted by the district, seniors were able to close this chapter with their classmates within COVID guidelines at the Senior Celebration. 

This past school year, there have been constant changes regarding COVID restrictions. From virtual, hybrid, and half days, nothing about this school year has been normal or predictable. Before the recent lift in COVID restrictions, the district wanted to honor the seniors especially after this crazy year, but in the safest way possible. “Due to the constant change in Covid guidelines and health department, NHS administration found a creative way for the class of 2021 to celebrate the end of high school,” says Karen Greco, an NHS teacher, and chaperone at the event. “The outdoor event allowed students to be together and celebrate while still staying safe.”

At the time of preparation, NHS wasn’t able to provide seniors with a traditional prom due to the high regional COVID numbers. An outside and more casual event was the next best option for seniors to still be able to make a toast to their years together during an unforeseeable time. 

Although seniors were disappointed that they wouldn't be able to attend the NHS prom, most were still excited to celebrate with their classmates after a crazy last two school years. “I think the Senior Celebration at Owens was an appropriate approach to celebrate my class while also following COVID guidelines,” says senior Rose Chrysoulakis. “It’s unfortunate though that the Governor opened indoor events after this was already planned. If the reopening of these places was mentioned sooner then maybe we would have been able to have a more proper prom.”

The Senior Celebration did succeed many students' expectations of what was going to take place that night. “There were lawn games like Cornhole, Jenga, and Ladderball,” says Ms. Lemire, an NHS teacher, and chaperone at the event. “There was a DJ and a dance floor at the Pavillon. There was a food truck with sandwiches. There was an ice cream truck. There were also raffle tickets with Starbucks and visa gift cards.” The class hung out in sundresses and khakis while enjoying the activities and taking pictures to remember the night. 

Seniors were grateful to be able to be together and celebrate with their class since some haven’t seen each other in over a year. “My favorite part of the celebration was seeing everyone, '' says Rose Chrysoulakis. “A decent amount of our class was at the celebration, even the kids who are still learning virtually, so it was nice to see them.” It is true that the pandemic made everyone more appreciative of the smaller moments, as seniors reflect on their years at NHS.

The Senior Celebration definitely wasn’t exactly like the traditional prom thrown at NHS, but the class of 2021 was still able to dance the night away reminiscing about their past years they definitely will never forget. Seniors celebrated the end of an era with the classmates they grew up with to soon begin the next chapter of their lives.