Community makes up for Lost Senior Year

Community+makes+up+for+Lost+Senior+Year

maddie essig

Miranda Parrish, Staff Writer
May 25, 2021

Seniors across the nation have had a less-than-traditional last year of high school. The activities and seniority that come near graduation have been canceled. As it has been frustrating, Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) students, parents and teachers have pushed for in-person learning and in turn, in-person activities.

Dulaney seniors were thus able to enjoy “Senior Barbeque” in late April, allowing them to continue the decades-long tradition of painting the rocks behind the school. Dulaney is also having a “Senior Celebration” instead of a typical prom, which was to be held at Timonium Fairgrounds but has been moved to Martin’s Valley Mansion due to vaccine rollouts at the Fairgrounds. Since Dulaney has been hosting prom after-parties for several years now, the PTSA was able to extend “Senior Celebration” for a longer duration, so students will have prom and after-party at one location.

Compared to other nearby high schools, Dulaney’s senior year is closer to normalcy. For instance, Loch Raven High School will not have prom and Towson High will have a parent-run split prom (May 15 at the Irvine Nature Center). While schools vary in their parties, most intend to have an in-person graduation. Dulaney, Loch Raven and Towson are all planning to have an in-person graduation at Towson University’s SECU Arena, during the week of May 24 through May 28. Most schools will have two time slots for graduation with limited tickets—Dulaney allows two tickets per student. The first slot will start at 10 a.m. for students with last names starting with A through L, and the second will start at 2:30 p.m. for students with last names starting with M through Z.

The annual senior awards were on May 21. Awards and scholarships from Dulaney alumni were gifted to an array of seniors with both athletic and academic achievements.

These cautiously safe plans may not have been expected, but these efforts to make the end of the year “normal” are ultimately what will make 2021 more memorable. Furthermore, seniors are now arranging their annual “Senior Week” in Ocean City with their friends or are taking a different approach by road tripping through different parts of the United States. With more and more states reopening, this summer is looking bright as it is to become one that will never be forgotten.