Without a doubt, this year has been extremely frustrating for BHS seniors. The year began in uncertain times accompanied by the absence of a principal who was accustomed to the typical senior year events and surprises. Fortunately, in their final week, things are looking up for the class of 2021.

Class President Abby Olsen and Vice President Gracie Davis have worked tirelessly with the administration to put together as many events as they can before the year comes to a close. Olsen also said she wants to give credit where it is due to the Business Management and Leadership class taught by Monice Maurice.

“BML classes spent the majority of the year trying to come up with ways we could hold events while abiding by covid restrictions. They came up with multiple plans and a way for Gracie and me to present the plans to the administration,” Olsen said.

Both Olsen and Davis are students in the BML class themselves and were able to dedicate much of their time in school, as well as out of school, to the senior class.

Last week, seniors were met with a great surprise. They were given “tickets” to a senior luncheon in their first block class. The ticket was very cryptic, telling them only the time and location of an undisclosed senior event. When they arrived at the basketball court, they were met with an ice cream truck, pizza, a DJ, and free merch from TD bank. The event was held for seniors to enjoy some mask-free time with their friends. Pictures and videos were posted on the barnstable2021 Instagram account which features students dancing, eating, and chatting. The DJ was none other than Jonathon Thompson (JT), AKA; JT’s Chronicles, a BHS alumni himself. TD Bank was generous enough to donate goodie bags and JT donated t-shirts to all the students with the words “I stayed safe, worked hard, made it through, now watch what I do” written across the front.

If you haven’t already done so, take a walk down to the main office and check out the enticing array of “senior stars”. It is a long-standing tradition at BHS for parents of seniors to decorate a star with photos, stickers, and whatever else they think will accurately celebrate and represent their child. The big red stars are purchased by the Celebration committee and donated to the senior class so that this tradition can continue. In a typical year, they would be integrated into the post-prom Celebration decor, but this year they are hanging for all to see in the main office.

Seniors can look forward to the Seniors at Sunset event which will be held on June 11 from 6-9 pm. Olsen and Davis were in numerous meetings with the Administrator in charge Kristen Harmon before announcing this event. “Because we are such a big school, it just wasn’t possible for us to have prom with all of the covid restrictions that we had to follow,” said Davis. This event is the happy medium. There is no pressure on students to go out and purchase a brand new dress and/or tux, but they are welcome to dress to the nines if they so please.

“There will be multiple food trucks, Mr. Taylor as the DJ, and no masks required,” Olsen said.

This event is comparable to the light at the end of the tunnel for this year’s graduates. A final hurrah, which will be held the night before their graduation ceremony, with no covid restrictions in place. The event is completely free and sign-ups are available via a google form link that was emailed to all seniors at their mybps.me email account.

There should be no more senior skip days next week because the administration and class officers have organized for Grit n Wit- a teamwork obstacle course for students, to come to BHS on Wednesday, June 2. Seniors will participate in the Grit n Wit activities working in teams or individually. The events are a mixture of physical challenges and intellectual puzzles. The winner has the opportunity to continue on to the national competition which is broadcasted on ESPN.

Olsen tells her classmates, “for years people have been asking for a field day, and now we have the opportunity to do that in a way that everyone can thrive because it is a combination of brawn and brains.”

Before the class of 2021 departs for good, they have quite a few gifts coming their way. First and foremost, every single student is going to receive a sweatshirt free of charge, designed by the class officers. The sweatshirts will be exclusive to the class of 2021. In years past, students had to find the money to pay for these themselves, and more often than not, they were quite expensive. Because of the incredible fundraising that the class of 2021 has done for the past five years, and with a little help from the school’s own money, these are available to every single student for free. On top of that, many seniors will be receiving gifts from the Adopt-a-senior program. This was also facilitated by the class officers in an effort to bring some more joy to their peers. Members of the community were invited to “adopt” a senior or seniors. They were paired up with a student who filled out a quick survey and was given a budget of $50 to shower the particular student with gifts. The drop-off for these gifts was May 26, 27, 28 and the participating students will receive their gifts the following week.

It is no question that this year has been challenging for all, but the seniors have definitely persevered and showed their strength throughout. The events and gifts that were made possible by hard-working class officers and cooperative administrators will be cherished and appreciated by the class for many years to come. Although this year might have been difficult, the send-off is making it all worth it.

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