Much was made about the Class of 2020’s abrupt end to their senior year, which saw all of the cherished senior events canceled seemingly overnight. Now, as the pandemic continues to disrupt daily life, it is the Class of 2021 who must deal with the pain of missing out on milestone events.

“It’s just very crushing to know that there are schools out there, who are a lot larger than us, and they’re able to have all of these senior events,” said senior Francesca DiMiceli of Middletown. “I just don’t understand how if [some schools] are able to host a thousand-person prom, why can’t we host a seventy-person one?”

DiMiceli, who mentioned that she has been looking forward to the prom for years, expressed a sense of frustration felt by many in the senior class over the decreased likelihood that important events will be held. In her eyes, the Class of 2021’s senior year has been “bleak,” and this reality has been fueled by the district’s hard-line stance on clubs and activities.

“I was really excited to be on photo [club] council,” DiMiceli said. “Photo club is a club that could run completely virtually and work just fine, so I don’t understand why the higher-ups are stunting our ability to just have some normal things.”

Senior class Vice President Mahita Dasu of Marlboro echoed these sentiments, as she conveyed her council’s inability to plan events due to roadblocks imposed by the district. Initiatives such as an ice-skating trip and allowing seniors to paint their own parking spots were ultimately shot down, leading to mounting frustrations for the once-productive council.

“Planning events is always fun, but it’s been tricky this year. It can be frustrating when we try hard to get something to happen but it doesn’t get approved,” she explained. “We’ve been trying our best to come up with new things for our grade to be excited about but it’s just really difficult some days.”

Within both the senior class council and school clubs, seniors in leadership roles have found themselves with little say on how to run things this year. Senior Hayden Minard of Union Beach was yet another example of this, as they had to reckon with a reduced role as president of the LGBTQ+ Alliance.

“This year I was really looking forward to being president of the Alliance and getting stuff done for that club… I feel like there’s going to be a lack of closure,” Minard said. They went on to point out that last year’s seniors at least had some semblance of normalcy in their senior year, due to having a senior trip and the vast majority of their school year under normal circumstances.

Now, with the likely reality of missing out on a conventional prom, Color Wars and senior trip, Minard is focused on the future and the blank slate that comes with the start of college.

“I’m looking forward to the fresh start [of college],” Minard said. “We’re never getting our senior year back because we’re in a pandemic so it’s time to move forward.”