Area seniors started the spring of 2020 by buying prom dresses and planning graduation parties. They end it with hopes these milestones will still happen, but are concerned the current COVID-19 disruptions could extend to their after high school plans as well.
“I’m a little concerned about the transition after high school. I know that some universities are already in talks to go online for the fall semester, so that’s worrisome,” Poplar Bluff High School senior Harrison Warren said.
The idea of colleges using online courses is a point of conversation.
Three Rivers College announced its summer semester will be all online. The University of Missouri is planning on-campus classes for the fall semester.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn a second wave of COVID-19 could be worse than the first and arrive with the flu season in the fall.
“I think maybe it could force colleges to switch to start thinking about more online learning. So, it could be interesting if this next year for college is like straight online instead of actually going into class and everything, so I kind of have thought about that,” Neelyville senior Taylor Asher said.
“I’m concerned that if this lasts long enough that fall semester might be postponed or something of the sort,” Poplar Bluff senior Elizabeth Shirrell said.
She’ll be attending Truman State University, which is over five hours away, with a major in nursing and a minor in military science. If the college needed to have all online courses, it would have a big impact on her.
Neelyville senior Hailey Stewart is focusing on the things she wants to happen. She’ll be attending TRC with an athletic scholarship for cheerleading.
“I’m just hoping I’ll be able to get into the gym with my new cheer team and getting to do what I love,” she said.
While schools postponed or rescheduled events such as prom and graduation because of the early closing, other things seniors were looking forward to couldn’t be postponed.
“My last cheer camp with the elementary students,” Stewart said. “It’s always my favorite event with my cheer squad and getting to get the younger kids involved is always so fun and being able to be someone they look up to.
“This was my very last one, and I didn’t get to say good-bye to my little future cheerleaders. I was very sad when this got canceled.”
Stewart said she is glad the district could reschedule prom. The Neelyville prom is scheduled for June 29.
Shirrell said as a member of JROTC, she was looking forward to the military ball — which the district hopes to reschedule — and the award ceremony the program normally has.
“It’s difficult to not be able to celebrate with my cadets, their successes this year,” she said.
Shirrell said she bought a prom dress several weeks before the virus hit Missouri and is planning to attend the rescheduled prom on June 20 — or July 18 if it needs to be postponed again. However, several of her friends won’t be able to.
“I have many friends — at least six or seven of them — that will be going into the Army June 3, so ... they won’t be able to attend, and I know there’s plenty of others that are doing college summer programs or something like that,” she said.
Warren is dual-enrolled at TRC, which are classes he’s needed to keep up with, but his high school course work has been optional.
“It’s nice to have the option to finish out the academic year,” he said.
He plans to attend the University of Missouri to major in biological sciences.
Shirrell also had dual-enrollment classes with TRC, but has otherwise been doing house work with her family and trying to prepare for college the best she can.
Many of the seniors agree the school districts are doing their best to provide resources, reschedule events and keep connected with students during these unexpected times.
“I don’t think they were incredibly prepared for anything like this to happen, but you couldn’t expect them to because nothing like this has ever happened,” Shirrell said. “But, I think that they’ve done the best they can with the information they have, and the resources they have.”