Two of the things seniors look forward to the most during their final year are prom and graduation. Across the nation this year, these significant events have been canceled for millions of seniors. Baldwin, though, is trying its best to accommodate for those who have had their senior year cut short.

Having prom and graduation take place over the summer would be ideal, and if the district can make it work, seniors may get one final opportunity to say goodbye to their friends, the Highlander family, and their high school years. That is why the opportunity to have prom and graduation is so important to seniors; they will be able to gain a sense of closure.

Usually, the whole month of May is about all of the “lasts”: last classes, last dances, and last goodbyes. Because seniors are in quarantine, they don’t get to go back to Baldwin as students ever again. They don’t even get to see their favorite teachers and staff in person one last time before they move onto the next chapter in their lives. 

Seniors are a little lost right now, and are fumbling around in search of some semblance of normal, because their lives weren’t supposed to change like this so soon.

Having prom and graduation will hopefully give seniors the closure they need to go onto college, trade school, the military, or the workforce. Plus, for those who had already purchased non-refundable prom necessities, having a prom will assure that they did not spend hundreds of dollars for no good reason.

Honestly, seniors are not ready to leave, or if they are, they are saddened by the way their year is ending. 

Some of the senior class may not want to go to prom, though, because of financial hardships from the pandemic. Others may be afraid of falling sick, and may skip prom or even graduation. Or maybe the thought of going to prom is painful to some seniors who would rather not say goodbye. 

Even for all the seniors who would welcome prom and graduation, though, quarantine might stretch on into the fall, and prom and graduation might never take place.

But if it is permitted, the district would be doing the best thing by giving seniors the opportunity for closure offered by prom and graduation. If other seniors find closure in other ways, then they should do what is best for them.

In the end, in these trying times, seniors should use their best judgement to figure out what their personal form of closure looks like, and find a safe way to achieve it.