Movies tend to make the first week of senior year seem like it’s one of the most memorable days of your life. My first week of senior year is unfortunately not what the movies make it out to be. In my case, it was more of a series of unfortunate events. 

It all began the dreary day before school began when, of course, my “trusty” Honda Accord broke down mid-drive on Route 30. After jumping it and it somehow magically arriving at the mechanic in one piece, I was told the repair would take $700 and days. Just what I did not want. 

Flash forward to the next morning – I overslept until 6:50, only five minutes before my friend Cailyn would come to drive me to Eastern. So instead of wearing the jeans and nice shirt as I had planned, I rolled out of bed and went to school in my favorite hot pink hair-dye encrusted pajamas with nothing but my phone and an empty backpack. Definitely not ideal. 

The rest of my day was not any better. Eastern quite literally removed the only enjoyable parts of the day: hanging out with friends in the building before class and meeting up with them to walk around at lunch. Now, not only am I not in any classes with my friends, but I can’t even walk around with them without being lectured by administrators trying to corral me into one of their already packed cafeterias with an inadequate amount of seats and lack of social distancing. Due to the differences in schedules, none of my friends are ever in my lunch period.

Another awful part of this would be the new COVID Study-Hall rule. Now, as a student with a packed schedule for all four years, I was looking forward to finally taking my first study hall as a senior because of the privileges. In prior years, seniors had the ability to leave for study hall when it bordered their lunch period. 

I watched numerous friends do this. I couldn’t wait to finally venture off to Panera with my friends too. But when I went to do it for myself, I was looked at as if I spoke another language. 

The teacher met me with a look of distaste, she protested what I knew had occurred in the past. She even called Mr. Smart to explain the new policy. Not only has COVID ruined my entire high school career, but now because of it I am not allowed to leave for the 90 wasted minutes in my schedule to do something enjoyable with my friends. After all, it is my last year before college. 

The school’s only defense was “we can not have students catching COVID during their Study Hall-Lunch periods” as if we are not otherwise being packed into halls with an inadequate amount of seating on a normal daily basis for school-approved lunch. 

You could definitely say my senior year is a far cry from ideal so far, but hopefully it can only get better from here on out. If not, I will definitely have a lot more to write and rant about!