Written by Sofia Bohorquez
The answer to this question in one word is “different.” There has yet to be a school year like the 2020-21 year, and by extension, that means the “senior year” experience will be much different. Previous senior mantas have a prototypical senior brunch, prom, and graduation. This year, the class of 2021 (CO’21) has only been told that they’re getting two out of the three activities mentioned above—and they’ll definitely look a lot different.
Sadly, there will be no school-sponsored prom for CO’21. Some students weren’t especially excited for this typical senior year experience, to begin with, so they’re not too devastated. Among these students is Hailey Werner; she says, “When it comes to prom, I am sad for students who were super excited to go than I am sad for myself.” She continues to say that she would prefer to have graduation than a prom and understands the difficulty of planning these events, especially during this time. There are, of course, students who have been looking forward to Prom—such as Ari Barbella. Ari has been looking forward to Prom for a while and is super disappointed that we won’t have one.
However, there will be both a Graduation (announced by the district superintendent Mr. Carvalho via Twitter), Senior Brunch, and a Signing Day for the CO’21! The current time, date, and location for graduation are, tentatively, 10:00 AM on June 1st at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center at FIU. More information should be coming directly from the district regarding health and safety protocols, and there may be changes to the schedule because of these protocols. Students continue to have questions about the specifics. Will there be a maximum number of guests per graduate? What is the maximum? Will there be graduation rehearsals? How exactly will safety protocols be followed? And many more.
Most of these questions were answered in an email the CO’21 received about the logistics of graduation. According to this email, “Number of graduates will range from 20 to 958 per school with each graduate receiving two tickets for their parents/guardians. Parents/Guardians will sit in pods of two.” This is disappointing to students like Hailey Werner, who has siblings who were hoping to attend. Does the email also state that the “Ocean Bank Convocation Center at FIU with a capacity of 38-199 graduates” inspires questions about the limit? The CO’21 is less than 199 students. Because the Ocean Bank Convocation Center is suitable for up to 199 students and their two guests, shouldn’t there be more spaces available for family and friends of graduates at MAST@FIU because we have a smaller class? While this has not been answered, I would assume it is a matter of fairness to all graduates, which—if this is the case—is a valid reason for concern. As for health and safety protocols, the ceremonies will be staggered with ample time between ceremonies for cleaning. Masks will be mandatory for everyone in attendance, and there will be social distancing for everyone involved—even graduates on stage.
This year has been strange, but I am glad the CO’21 will get relatively normal graduation as a way to celebrate the milestone!
Sources
Emails from MAST at FIU administration to students