For Portsmouth High's Class of 2020, a senior year interrupted

PORTSMOUTH — No prom. 

No traditional graduation. 

No senior picnic. 

No spring sports. 

No final play or concert.

For members of the Class of 2020, their last year of public school wasn’t supposed to end like this. 

Like all other students, the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing them to stay at home and finish up their studies online. But for seniors, the final year of high school is supposed to be special, and they’re missing out on a major rite of passage their parents, older siblings and others have already experienced. Some are wondering whether they’ll even get to move into their college dorm rooms next year.

We talked with eight Portsmouth High School seniors to learn how they’ve been coping during this surreal ending to their public school career. How are they handling not being able to see their friends every day? What’s it like learning through a computer screen? And what have they learned from it all?

Mary Camara

The pandemic turned out to play a hand in Mary Camara’s choice of school next fall. 

She was accepted into Penn State, Quinnipiac University, Salve Regina University, Providence College and the University of Rhode Island. Penn State was originally the frontrunner. “That’s an awesome school and I have family in Pennsylvania,” Mary said.

However, she never got to visit the campus because of the pandemic. Since she had already gone to Quinnipiac with her mom in November, that became her final pick. She plans on majoring in health sciences at Quinnipiac next fall.

“My original thought was Penn State, but logically it didn’t make sense because I never got to see it,” said Mary.

Mary played soccer for the PHS girls’ squad, so she was fortunate to compete last fall before the pandemic struck. 

“But I also play with Portsmouth Pirates and this would have been my last season with some kids I’ve been playing with since I was six years old,” she said.

A member of the National Honor Society, Mary’s missing out on her induction ceremony, and hasn’t been able to finish her community service and tutoring hours that are required of students. 

“I was doing mine at Hathaway and I’d go after school a couple of times a week and help out Mrs. King in her (first-grade) classroom. I’d go tutoring for an hour and somedays I’d go help during class. I really love those kids.”

She feels fortunate that at least there may be some sort of graduation ceremony that won’t involve another online streaming session. Although nothing had been finalized as of Tuesday, students have been told of possibly traveling by car to the polo fields at Glen Farm. Individual names would be called and flashed on a big screen as each student steps out of the vehicle for a brief moment of recognition, seniors say. (See related story.)

“It’s the best out of the worst possibilities, but it’s still not the same. I can’t take pictures with my friends and my family, and I can’t have a party afterwards,” she said.

Speaking of friends, she keeps in touch with them via the internet. Due to the situation they’re all in, however, the conversations aren’t always memorable.

“We try to do a group FaceTime once a week so we can talk a little bit. It’s been difficult. We text each other and say, ‘What’s up? What are you doing?’ And they say, ‘Nothing.’ It’s the same thing every week.”

Like most seniors we spoke with, Mary said she’s learned through quarantining that she used to take a lot of things for granted. 

“I was always complaining about school. But personally, I wasn’t ready for it to end just like that. It’s been hard to deal with. I don’t really get to see my friends, and I won’t get to say goodbye to my teachers. I’m looking forward to the summer, hoping this blows over and I can spend as much time with my friends before college.”

Max Dooley

“I’m doing all right,” said Max Dooley. “It definitely gets boring at times with online schooling. You don’t realize how much of school is interacting with teachers and not just work until you’re at home on a computer all day.”

Max had a date for the senior prom and was excited to be going, but that’s not happening now. “It’s definitely a bummer that it was canceled. I’m also on the student council, and we’re going to try to use some of the funds for a really nice one-year reunion,” he said, adding that some of the money will probably go back to the school.

Max was planning on playing lacrosse for PHS this spring, but a broken wrist would have kept him off the field anyway. 

“But I know a ton of my friends on the lacrosse team aren’t getting to play, as well as friends who play other sports. That’s awful. It’s a real shame.” 

As for the “drive-in movie type of graduation”— if in fact it happens — Max is glad he’d at least be together in some fashion with his class. “It’s better than watching it on a computer,” he said.

Max, who plans on studying neuroscience at URI next fall, said the at-home order has revealed how much he misses human interaction.

“School may seem like a drag at times, but at this point I wouldn’t mind another week of school. I really miss my teachers. Being at school is definitely better than being at home in front of a computer.”

Mia Phillips

Mia Phillips is one of the reasons her classmates may be able to at least come together in one spot for graduation.

“A few weeks ago, my school was talking about how they were going to have graduation online, like a Zoom class,” she said.

That didn’t sit well with many students, so she started a petition she was going to present to school administrators, and was interviewed by Channel 12. The idea of an online graduation got squashed, she said.

“I’m definitely grateful because it’s going to be better than doing it over Zoom. But it will be a little sad because we won’t be be able to meet with our friends,” Mia said.

Distance learning is going smoother now, she said. “It’s worked pretty well for the most part. Me and my classmates would rather be in school, but the teachers did a good job putting something together quickly.”

Not being able to see her friends has been hard. “It was crazy the day (Gov. Raimondo) announced that seniors wouldn't be able to come back. We were supposed to have dress rehearsals and senior picnic and things like that. We’re trying to come up with some alternatives,” Mia said, noting that senior picnic may be rescheduled to a time when pandemic restrictions are further lifted.

As for missing prom? “Thankfully I didn’t order my dress yet.”

The pandemic, she said, has taught her “how to adapt quickly” when thrown into an uncomfortable situation.

Mia committed to Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, and is thinking about studying psychology. However, she’s “100 percent” concerned about whether the campus will be open to incoming students for the first day. 

“If that happens, we might as well go to CCRI and save money on room and board,” she said.

Ava Troppoli

Unlike the majority of her classmates who are going off to a traditional four-year college, Ava Troppoli is following her dream of pursuing a cosmetology degree in San Francisco, where her parents lived for 11 years after college.

The pandemic “has turned all of our lives upside down, but specifically for me, my plan to move 3,000 miles away and start this non-traditional path has really been affected by the virus,” Ava said. “I feel so sad that my plans are so uncertain right now after it took us so long to sort out what my life would look like after graduation. Much like my classmates going off to college that are uncertain what their fall semesters will look like — if they can move into a dorm or even have a summer orientation — the same can be said for kids who have chosen to not go away to a four-year college. The same questions and uncertainties linger for all of us.”

Choosing to move so far away from the only home she’s ever known is scary enough, she said. Having to also wear face masks, or navigate a big city that’s been shut down, or possibly see her curriculum cut short if another outbreak happens in the fall, “is very anxiety-causing,” Ava said.

“I would hate to be in the middle of my degree and have to move back if the city is shut down as soon as I get settled in. People might not understand that the cost of cosmetology school is right up there with a college tuition. One year tuition at the Aveda Institute in San Francisco is $28,000 and I plan on doing a double degree program of adding esthiology to my cosmetology courses, which is another $13,000. This is real money, so having to do any of these trainings virtually, or from within the four walls of a city apartment, would not be ideal. Hands-on is a must in this field.”

Not being able to say a proper goodbye to her classmates or teachers makes her sad. “I do like seeing them all on my computer when we have our classes. I pray every day I will have a chance to walk across a stage in my cap and gown like my sister Bella did in 2017, but nobody seems to have that answer for us.”

Thankfully, her family is healthy and is trying to concentrate on the good — “the silver linings that my mom likes to talk about.”

Ben Chase

Ben Chase has been missing out on a lot this spring. 

He plays trombone in the concert band and jazz band, runs track, and is in the National Honor Society. He’s also the senior behind Youth 2 Youth, a club he established as part of his senior project which focuses on healthy living, wellness and positivity, 

“We did a couple of events throughout the school year and we were going to go the middle school, but then they closed the schools,” Ben said. “Yeah, it’s not fun.”

With spring sports canceled, any hope of establishing a mark in the 3,000-meter run, or with his teammates in the relays, got dashed as well.

“There was always the hope of a school record,” said Ben, who plans on majoring in athletics training in a five-year program at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. later this year.

Missing senior prom, which was going to be held at the Officer’s Club at the Navy Base, “kind of sucks for me because I had already asked someone. It means a little less to me, because I’m a guy,” he said.

Originally he hated being stuck at home due to distance learning. 

“Senior year, you’re trying to be with your friends and spending less time at home. So I’m spending a lot of time with the parents — not that I don’t like that, but …”

He texts or FaceTimes his friends all the time. “I’ve been hanging out with the same three kids; we have a group chat called Quarantine Group.”

While the pandemic “will probably build character,” Ben said he wishes he could “go back to school for a week, or even a day, just so I can have the satisfaction of leaving.”

He also feels bad for some of the teachers. He mentioned one in particular: band director Ted Rausch.  

“He wants to be in school just as much as we do.” 

Olivia Brennan

“It’s definitely been a hard experience, when this is the year we’ve all been waiting for,” said Olivia Brennan, who has a passion for the stage.

Not performing in front of an audience is difficult, she said. “I usually do two shows a year. One was canceled and another was postponed,” said Olivia, who plans on studying performing arts administration at Rhode Island College in the fall.

To help fill the void, Olivia and Teagan deGroen are putting together a virtual senior showcase on May 21 (time to be announced). It will feature drama, band and chorus students at PHS.

“We e-mailed all the seniors in those department and gave them the opportunity to record a video of them doing a performance — 30 seconds to one minute. We’re also going to say a few things about each senior,” she said.

Online learning has been going well, although her advanced placement (AP) classes are more difficult. “But the teachers have been good about giving us extra time, even if it means ‘staying after school,’” she said.

Olivia, who’s been making daily to-do lists to keep herself active and creative, remembers a time when she’d say, “Man, I can’t wait to get out of school.”

No more.

“I’ve learned to appreciate what I had, and being able to spend more time with friends,” she said.

No seniors want to have an online graduation, she said. “It’s not about the diplomas, but more about getting together as a class one last time,” said Olivia, adding she hopes an event at the polo field or a car parade is organized, just to give seniors a sense of closure.

“This is supposed to be about saying goodbye to one part of your life and being able to go to the next,” she said, adding she hopes her first day of college isn’t held online as well. “I really hope we can go into a normal college experience. That’s part of growing up.”

Brennan Siebert

“School starts at 9 a.m., so I sleep in until then and wear pajamas all day,” Brennan Siebert said of his distance learning experience. “There’s more free time than usual, especially for someone like me who does all these extracurriculars.”

Brennan, who began the school year by convincing more than 50 seniors to trek to the PHS football field at 5:30 a.m. to watch the sunrise with him, is used to being surrounded by friends.

“I miss the social interaction of being present with my friends. Now I’m seeing their face and hearing their voice over a screen,” he said.

Still, Brennan acknowledged it’s probably been easier for him to stay in touch with friends remotely since he comes from a military family. “I have many friends from all over the world because I’ve traveled, so I’ve learned to stay in touch with them.”

A lot of things have gone by the wayside for him this spring — Model UN, a Science Olympian competition, Youth 2 Youth with Ben Chase, theater, the National Honor Society induction ceremony and more.

“I’m upset about prom. I hit my seventh month with my girlfriend and I was excited about that. We may host our own little prom in our backyard and have a few friends over.”

Brennan will attend the Air Force Academy and plans to fly out for basic training on June 24. 

“I’ll be yelled at to do pushups, so this time in high school is especially important for me right now,” he said. “It’s upsetting, of course. This is supposed to be the best time for us.”

He understands, however, why social distancing and the at-home order has been necessary. “It’s for the greater good because we’re keeping everyone healthy.”

Kailey Oliveira

The quarantine has also been difficult for Kailey Oliveira, who said she loves being social, with friends nearby. 

“That’s the one part of school I really enjoy,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong; I love my family, but sometimes they drive me crazy.”

Kailey is a member of the PHS Green Club, which originally had “huge plans” for this year’s Earth Day Fest on April 22.

“Instead of having our annual festival in the old gym … we ended up meeting, one at a time, to get our T-shirts, which is all we did to celebrate Earth Day. It’s a huge bummer,” said Kailey, who’d like to study environmental science education at URI.

“We’re so upset we’re not getting a prom,” she said. “For me, the prom and the graduation is something really special. The last week for seniors last year looked like so much fun. Now we’re at home and seeing each other through computer screens. This was going to be the last time we were going to be with all our friends.”

She likes the idea of driving to the polo fields for prom, if in fact that happens.

“Honestly, anything will be better than a virtual graduation. Yes, we won’t be able to interact with our friends, but getting to see them at a safe distance will be better than nothing.”

Like her classmates, Kailey said that when social distancing regulations are eased up, she’ll appreciate things like exploring the outdoors and connecting with people more going forward.

“After this quarantine, I’m going to enjoy time with my friends more and make sure I’m being mindful of what it was like when I was locked up in my own house. Right now you can’t go into a grocery store without wearing a mask, which is kind of scary.”

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