Amid the coronavirus pandemic is something that seniors have been looking forward to all year: spring break. 

A sad thing for many to accept as the virus puts an end to peoples’ exciting travel plans. Spring break is a milestone to signal the “home stretch” of the end of the school year, but that too, we’ve learned recently, has some uncertainties. 

In the weeks leading up to spring break, students saw as the virus escalated quickly in effect and danger. As stores closed and people were advised to ‘social distance,’ the question was asked by many: what does this mean for spring break? 

It was announced by President Trump on Wednesday, March 11th that there would be a travel ban on flights to Europe as the number of cases in Italy and other countries began to skyrocket. 

The LFHS choir trip to Germany, Austria, and Prague had been on the line for days prior to this, but with the announcement, it was time for students to face the upsetting fact that they wouldn’t be going on the trip they were working towards for two years of their high school careers. 

“Everyone went through a rollercoaster of emotions leading up to the trip because we had just started a countdown till the trip, yet when things got worse and worse we had to prepare ourselves that the trip may be canceled,” said senior Cara Page, a member of the choir who was going to be attending this trip.

Certainly, after all the hard work and anticipation for the trip, it would be hard to let it go. 

Page says she is “devastated” now that the trip is canceled, mainly it was the seniors last chance to do something big with everyone from choir. She says that she is especially sad for the seniors and Mr. Haskett, since he is retiring this year.

This turn of events has also most definitely devastated the class of 2020 seniors who don’t get to live out one of the favorite traditions that come with senior year. The senior spring break tradition is something that most look forward to, a big vacation with the majority of the grade attending one or few vacation hot spots.

As the school year comes to an end, this is usually one of the last hurrahs to make memories with your best friends. For most people, they didn’t care about the destination but just about the fact that they are taking in the last moments of being a second-semester senior. 

“Honestly I don’t even care about the Cabo part or the beach or weather, although that would’ve been nice, but I just wanted to be together as a grade but now we don’t even get that,” said senior Lexie Conley, who would be in Cabo right now but instead is vacationing in her own home. 

What makes it even harder is the fact that now all seniors are being forced to spend spring alone and can’t even make any memories. 

“I was so excited to bond with the entire senior class,” said senior Margo Thornberry. “I think everyone was looking forward to being on a beach with 100 of their best friends.” 

All of this is unfortunate timing for seniors as they miss out on one of the memorable milestones they should have gotten to experience. The coronavirus has given students nearly a 3.5 week ‘spring break’, which you think would sound luxurious, but it’s rather unenjoyable under the circumstances that could have been. 

“Never again will I wish for a day off of school because right now I would do anything to go back,” said Conley. 

The seniors can’t make similar memories on the week of spring break at home, although they can definitely try. The world has stopped but not the clock for senior year, and although they won’t be getting this time back, it will most likely make the rest of the year more memorable than ever imagined. 

All we can do is have hope amidst these hard times, no matter how hard this may be.