School closure brings change to spring events

Elise Keller
Editor-in-Chief

Senior Rahman Ali does final lap for graduation Friday, May 17, 2019, at Moss Field. Photo by Jaden Fields

Students are yet to return to school following spring break due to the health concerns brought about by COVID-19. The closure began on March 15 and will last through the end of the school year.

This spring term, which usually brings numerous school events like prom, senior awards and graduation, has been brought to an abrupt halt, but students and staff are working to ensure the students retain some normalcy in this unprecedented time.

Student Council vice president, Mary Claire Wolk, said her organization has been meeting virtually to discuss these altered plans.

“Prom is postponed, but we are working with the administration to make sure we get a great prom no matter when we have it, even if it is in the summer. There has thankfully been no event that we have planned to do that has gotten canceled. We are working to make sure we can make these ideas virtual and still follow through with them,” Wolk said.

Wolk added that Student Council elections were held online.

Other school events are being moved online. Principal Matt Irvin announced in an email the future of the following events.

The spring play, originally planned for April 2-4, has been canceled.

The April 10, Statesmen Service Awards were moved to online.

School Service Day, set for April 14, was canceled.

The Top Hat Awards were released in an online presentation on April 17. Prom, which would have been on April 18, is now expected to be on June 20.

Upcoming events through the end of the term have also been moved online, postponed or canceled.

The April 20, Band Awards will now be in an online presentation.

Both the April 21, NHS Induction Ceremony and the April 22, Jazz Concert have been canceled.

The Schoemehl Run will be held virtually on April 25.

The April 28 Band Concert and April 29 One Acts are canceled. Senior Awards will take place online in a presentation on May 3.

The STUCO Banquet, May 6, will be online.

The Choir Concert, originally planned for May 6, is canceled.

On May 7, the Statesmen Sports Awards will be through an online presentation.

The WG A Cappella Extravaganza, set for May 8, has been postponed, and the Orchestra Concert set for May 12, is canceled. In addition, all sports have been canceled for this spring season.

May 12, was also the date set for the Class of 2020 graduation ceremony. This has been postponed, but the administration is working to make new plans to ensure seniors get this experience.

“Our school is committed to complete the last part of your journey with us including a prom and graduation ceremony,” Irvin said to students of the Class of 2020.

The school has reserved June 26, and July 24, at Chaifetz Arena as reschedule dates for the ceremony.

Senior checkout is still set to take place on May 6-8, and underclassmen will have their last day of online learning on May 21.

Until that date, students will continue with the “Distance Learning,” a plan that the school has been working to prepare since before students left for spring break.

The school prepared by “sending out surveys to both staff and students on what they have at home. Do you have computers, do you have internet access, so if we have to do any learning from home, what resources to we have and where do we need to pull resources from. Who needs what,” school nurse Rachel Huertas said before the decision to close the school was made.

“Everything from school trips that get canceled to how to deal with sick kids, everything we do is all recommendations that we get from the local, state and national level,” Huertas said.

Summer school in the Webster district is yet to be determined, but the decision will be made following these same recommendations set by DESE and the departments of health.

Finals for each class are still going to continue in some form. For some, these finals, and the end of the school year, are just weeks away, but the end of the quarantine is still unknown.

“It’s so hard to be away from others and this time can be very emotional for some! Make sure you reach out to those you care about and show them how much you care! Have fun on zoom and play an online game with your friends! Make the most out of your self-isolation,” Wolk added.