by Fiona Campbell
Grade 12 students, Robbie Campbell and Rachel Heenan, had their final year of high school cut short because of COVID-19.
Both go to Donald A. Wilson Secondary School in Whitby, Ont., but are now taking their classes online.
From coping with the cancellation of prom to graduation dates at risk, find out how the situation is affecting them.
Robbie Campbell
Do you remember when you found out you couldn’t go back to school? How did you find out?
I found out through friends online who were posting links saying I got two weeks after March break. You're not going back. And then after that, I think mom and dad found out. And from mom and dad it's like, oh, you're not going back for the foreseeable future.
What were you and your friends’ initial reactions?
Well, first, when it was only two weeks, we're like, alright, that's two more weeks off. That's, you know, extra-long March break and all that. Everything's been cancelled, it's disappointing. I mean, because there's a lot of the end of Grade 12 year is like, where everything happens. It doesn't happen at any other time, like prom and graduation. I was the only one going on the Europe trip. So, my friends weren't really all that disappointed about that.
When did you find out that your Europe trip was cancelled? Who told you?
I found out from the organizer, Miss Fung, who, you know, texted me or texted everybody and said that it was full-on cancelled and that was a little way into March break.
Did you expect it to be cancelled or were you surprised?
Yeah, I was expecting it as soon as I found out it was like, all of Europe was shutting down and like Italy completely shut down first. I was like, ‘oh, yeah, this isn't happening.
And then what about prom? How did you and your friends react?
I was kind of disappointed because I was planning on going. I didn't have a date or anything. But I was just going to go, you know, just ‘cause. Some of my other friends, they had dates for it. So, they are a bit more disappointed. I don't know. Everyone is just kind of bummed about it, I guess.
How do you feel about this happening in Grade 12 year versus any other year it could have happened?
I think it's the worst thing that could have happened.
Were there any other events or things you were looking forward to?
For school, not really. Everything else I could have, you know, done more for volunteering, but have gotten those hours done anyway.
How have you been staying connected with friends during the pandemic?
I've just been talking to them online a bunch, talking to them, you know. We’ll playing games with them, like I probably would have done anyway. I guess I would have seen them a bit more by now. But yeah, it's just trying to talk to them and keep in touch.
Rachel Heenan
How did you find out that you probably weren't going to go back to school?
I actually found out when I was at work and all my friends, they came up to me and they're like, ‘oh, we're actually not going back to school until April 5.’ And me, like, I honestly thought that that was a lie and they're just joking. So, I googled it and then I found out and I was so surprised.
And have you started up your online school yet?
Yeah. We actually started yesterday…We have a few assignments already to do.
How has this pandemic affected you?
For the educational side, it's affected me because prom, like, that's like a big aspect of the Grade 12 life, you know. That's kind of like the end goal for everyone and it's just kind of disappointing thinking that that's most likely going to get cancelled for us. And the graduation is also going to be postponed, where we have the ceremony to officially have graduated. So, that's kind of, like, worrisome for all of the Grade 12 students because we don't really know when that's going to happen either. But then for the online school aspect, I found that it was kind of like a smart idea. Just to like, not even for Grade 12 students but for everyone, to put us all back into the right mindset of like, we still have responsibilities and we still have to do at work. So, that was kind of good. And I'm glad about that because honestly, I was getting kind of bored and homework right now is probably like, the best thing for all of us to do. And then for my personal life, a lot of things have actually been affected by that. So, we had a Quebec City trip, and me and three of my other friends were organizers for it. That was supposed to take place over the March break, but that is now being postponed to either the summer or potentially getting cancelled, like, in general. And then you know, just like the whole friend aspect, that's been a bummer because I know for me and for my friends, a lot of us are getting kind of like, you know, depressed just because we don't have, like, our social life anymore.
Have you found that your teachers are giving you a lot of online work?
I think that it's honestly like the perfect amount. So, for right now, for my classes at least, I've only gotten two extra assignments plus, like, the two ISUs I have to do. So, I feel like it's just like the perfect amount to get us back into the mind space of, like, we still have to do work, you know?
How have you been keeping in touch with people?
For me and my friends, I'm sure my outside of school friends at least, we have a little group chat that we always just talk and, like, we'll FaceTime each other sometimes…the online world is great at this point, especially for times like this. But then, like, for my in-school friends, I know there's a few that, you know, we have friends that are only your friends at school, so, I can't really talk to them. But yeah, basically just like FaceTime and Snapchat and everything that you can get digitally, really.
Is there anything else in your life that has been majorly disrupted by this pandemic?
Well, not just for me, but I'm sure for everyone else our summer. It's kind of scary just to think, like, you know, for me, I also had a job. And the money that I was making, I would always put some away for school, but now, we can't work anymore. May 5 is when everyone should be going back to work, at least for me, but I really highly doubt that that's going to happen. But yeah, all the money that I was making, I would put it away for school but now I can't even do that.
Is there anything you think I've missed or anything else you’d like to say about being a Grade 12 student during this time?
Nothing really. I'm just, for me it’s just, like, having prom cancelled. That's just a really big thing because I know for me and like a lot of my other friends, that's kind of been the end goal towards, like, you know, going away for university. It’s probably like the last thing that we all have together to actually share the last moment with each other. Just the thought of that, like, being taken away is just, I don't know, it's just so depressing.
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