As the first quarter of the school year comes to a close, the Class of 2021 has many questions about what the senior milestones will look like during the pandemic. Many seniors wonder what will become of events like prom, the awards ceremony and graduation.

Nazareth started the school year using a hybrid schedule where students were alphabetically split into their classes on different days of the week in order to keep class sizes low and decrease the threat of spreading the virus. For the first quarter, the schedule has been successful. 

Student Activities Director Catherine Hamm said, “Nazareth’s hybrid plan has exceeded all of my expectations. I am continually impressed by the ways in which our faculty, staff, and students have adapted to learning and building community within this plan.”

Depending on the continued success of in-person classes and whether a COVID-related outbreak occurs in the school, the administration would also decide what to do about the senior events as the year progresses. 

“What I can say is that as the year unfolds, Nazareth will continue to follow health guidelines as prescribed by local, state, and federal agencies and that the safety and health of the members of our Nazareth family is our top priority,” added Hamm.

In the meantime, students seem to be enjoying the new schedule after doing e-learning for the fourth quarter of the 2019-20 school year. “I really like having in-person instruction,” said Senior Paul Nemeth.

Prom has also been something Seniors look forward to. Hamm shared, “Pandemic or no pandemic, Nazareth always takes precautions to ensure that all of our students attending prom have a safe and memorable experience. In that same vein, we also have high behavioral expectations for our students who attend prom: it is a special event, and we expect Nazareth students to behave accordingly,” shared Hamm.

This past July, the Class of 2020 celebrated their graduation by receiving their diplomas in staggered positions along with a livestream graduation mass. 

Class of 2020 graduate Lexi DiBrizzi said, “I saw that other schools did it differently, which was nice to have a graduation with everyone socially distanced. I think anything at that point was good because we had already basically graduated.”

This year, depending on how the virus progresses, the administration will figure out a safe way to celebrate the Class of 2021’s Graduation. 

“I would really love to have a normal graduation, so hopefully circumstances change and the case numbers go way down so that we can get the graduation we’ve always wanted,” said senior Olivia Milon.

Although Senior year looks different from what it was years before, students continue to adapt and make amazing memories at Naz.