Please keep reading- it will be worth it. I promise.

I know everyone is sick of hearing about how "sad" the seniors are and how "hard this must be for them", but it's true. Now, I'm not planning on telling you how "high school was the best 4 years of my life" because it wasn't. It sucked. It wasn't all horrible, but I definitely wouldn't do it over again.

No matter how high school treated you, every senior looks forward to their fourth quarter. We did it. Finally, we made it through the hard parts: getting accepted into college, standardized tests, scholarships, research papers, and so many nights that ended in frustrated tears.

Fourth quarter is a celebration all about you and your accomplishments. The senior trip that you organized extra fundraisers to raise money, spring sport seasons that have been suspended, the spring musical that has been in the works for 4 months, senior prom, senior breakfast, the graduation full of family and friends, pranks, water balloon fights, and leaving school a few days early, constantly reminding the underclassmen.

But our year ended in a matter of hours. I walked out of school on Friday and went to work, not knowing it was the last time I was walking away from school. Most seniors had a few hours on Monday to back their belongings and say some temporary farewells, but I spent the day alone in my bed. As someone who is immunocompromised, I thank the country for their preventive efforts, but as a senior this stinks.

We truly have appreciated all of the kind gestures from our communities. The yard signs, t-shirts, and slideshows all bring smiles to our faces, but they're temporary. Those senior memories that are "in support" of this year's class? They make it all 10x worse. Scrolling through Facebook and seeing our feeds flooded with family and friends' posts of their best moments brings tears to our eyes. It's a reminder of everything we are missing out on. We know it wasn't done out of malicious intent, but please look at it from another perspective.

Every senior is jealous that you got to finish high school. It's not directed at you. We're allowed to be upset, so please bear with us. High school was our last step before we became adults. The 4th quarter is closure for every senior. We lost out on two months of preparation for these moments.

I can suggest some very simple gestures: send a text, flowers, or just a little surprise to let a senior know you are thinking of them. They don't expect a huge, glowing Facebook post. Something personal could change their mood for an entire day, which feels like an eternity right now.

Sincerely,

A senior who could use a big hug and some tissues