Given the unprecedented nature of how this school year ended, we at the Bleu Print wanted to give the Chelsea High School senior class a chance to reflect and respond. Their thoughts are compiled and posted below.

What is something that teachers or parents may not understand in regards to the realities you and other students are facing right now?

“The pressures of being perfect that are put on by peers, teachers, parents, stranger, and ourselves. Even if they say that we don’t have to be perfect, they end up mad or disappointed if we are not.”

“Not feeling like I actually graduated or that I deserved it. Despite all the work I did for the past couple of years, I feel like I didn’t do enough work at the end to earn being a graduate.”

“Everyone keeps telling us, “Oh you got robbed, you missed out on so much!” But in reality, we can’t comprehend what we really did miss out on. We’ve never experienced any milestone as big as graduation, our last day of school, or even the chance to savor our last high school sports season.”

“That we are hurting just as bad as them.”

“We have real emotions and opinions that matter and are valid. Just because we’re “young” doesn’t mean we are all naive.”

“How purposeless we might feel right now, also we didn’t have our graduation so it feels like there is nothing to show for all the years of hard work.”

“Senior year is supposed to be a time to make memories have the most fun you can and grow into the young adults we want to be. Since COVID-19 all those times have been taken away from us. We never got our last goodbyes or our prom with the ones we call friends and those are memories we keep until we are old and smelly. So as most people say you’ll be fine, or it’s not that big of a deal, to them they had all these opportunities while we, the class of 2020, never got to live in the moment of a high school senior.”

“Teachers, admin, and parents understand we are missing many major traditions of high school, but we also missed the opportunity to say goodbye to those we will rarely ever see again. That’s something that will be hard to make up for some.”

“We as seniors didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“Mental Illness and how it’s not something we can control, but something we have to struggle and live with.”

“The best part of any seniors year was taken away from them. The time we spent locked up in our house we were supposed to be at school basically not caring about school and just being kids living our lives before we get released out into the real world. It may have helped me for the future but it’s something we’ll never get back it might not seem like much but it truly is a lot and it affected all of us in our own way.”

What have you learned over the past few months away from school?

“I have learned a lot about myself. I’ve used this time to reflect and I think it’s been very beneficial honestly.”

“Basically I’m a grandma now because all I ever do is embroider, bake, and read. I learned how to do all three of those over quarantine.”

“I’ve learned how much of a support system my friends are, and how social I truly am. I’ve also learned how much time I spend away from my immediate family during school. Having a bunch of AP classes and full-time sports didn’t allow for much time to see family, so when it was all paused, it was nice to see them more.”

“I learned that I am more than what one person says I am, that people may break your heart but just because it broke doesn’t mean it can’t heal.”

“How to ride a motorcycle, 4 wheeler, solder, and how to get bored while watching tv.”

“I have learned that I am a person who is always busy, but that it is good to make time to catch up with myself and relax during the week and every day.”

“How much teachers care about you, both in school work and in your personal life.”

How has the state of the nation affected you emotionally during quarantine?

“Although it may not seem likely, the majority of the senior class, or school as a whole, suffer from some sort of mental illness(es). And with this pandemic, alongside the uprisings and protests in the streets regarding racial inequality, these events can affect our mental health drastically; depending on the person.”

“Looking at all that’s going on in the nation right now is really difficult.

“It hurts my heart.”

“It’s also forced me to educate myself and start paying more attention to what’s happening around me in the world.”

“This led to some emotional hardship for sure. I (and many others) had to learn to deal with the stress of a pandemic, school work, and prepping for college in new ways.”

“I have been really upset. But the current climate has also just solidified my values and helped me to learn that I don’t care about what adults think of me. I only need to follow my moral compass.”

“It has made me feel that almost everything is out of my control and that’s incredibly nerve wracking.”

“Angry at the USA and Cops”

“A lot more anxious and depressed”

“I’ve decided that I will retire to a “Two Rivers” lifestyle.”

“It’s been awful seeing what has been going on. The violence and the tears we see brought on by so many situations. It’s caused me to leave social media for a while and just live in my moments.”

“I’m talking with a therapist weekly.”

“I’ve been beyond frustrated with the police brutality and the racism that’s still so apparent in the US. And the fact that people can’t accept that racism is still so prominent is infuriating.”

“It has made me quite proud seeing most of the nation stand together to fight COVID.”

“I have been through the worst possible things in life no one should have had to go through and if I can make it past that I can make it past anything. I just have to keep my head up!”

“I’m just sad because people are killing people.”

What is something that you will never take for granted again or something that you missed during your last few months of high school?

“I’ve really missed casual physical affection. Hugs from friends and just being able to sit next to people and talk.”

“I missed soccer, seeing my friends, and being with others.”

“I’ll never get to eat another lunch room cookie ever again! Those things were the best and I never got to savor my last one.”

“I really missed having closure on May 31st. That date has been a beam of light for me for four years and having to keep thinking about CHS when I’m ready to move on has been emotionally taxing.”

“I will never take for granted the familiarity of high school and the comfort that it had. I will forever miss being able to say a proper goodbye to a school that has given me so many opportunities and set me up for success. I will never take for granted teachers that truly have your best interest and push you to be a better person.”

“You never know when you have to say goodbye to the people you love.”

“We live in the present and that’s the best gift of all. I know that I will definitely miss being at school but I’m the memories I did make. Also, going from a Dexter Dreadnaught to a Chelsea Bulldog was the best decision made in my entire life.”

“I’ll never get my senior lacrosse season which was something I was looking forward to all year long.”

“I will never take company c and theatre for granted because they both really changed my life.”

“Can’t think of anything, senioritis was just starting to kick in for me”

“Scheese’s talks about marvel.”

“I missed my senior season of tennis. I will never again take for granted chances at anything. Because I didn’t get another chance to prove to myself what I can accomplish, I will not take for granted the first or second chances that I receive in anything in life.”

From all of us at The Bleu Print, congratulations, Class of 2020. We know this moment hasn’t been an easy one, but we are learning, growing, and surviving together.