Gallery • 4 Photos

Photo submitted by Maxanne Millerhaller

Seniors Saffy Rindelaub (left), Isle Graupman (middle), and Maxanne Millerhaller (right) came ready for homecoming this fall.

April of senior year. It seems as if the seniors are counting down the days until they leave the classrooms of SPA and embark on their senior projects for the month of May. Quite frankly, this is not the school year that seniors expected. The dreams of attending the homecoming and winter dances, packing into the bleachers on cold, autumn nights to watch the Wolfpack take on a rival, or sitting in the gym to watch the Spartans play ball. Nearly everything the Class of 2021 imagined would happen in their final year at SPA when they entered the Huss doors for the very first time in high school did not happen. However, the seniors managed to create their own memories regardless of the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maxanne Millerhaller said, “High School Musical was always my favorite movie growing up so that’s how I used to imagine my senior year. It was nothing like I pictured it, but I’ve learned more than I could have thought.”

Isaac Carlson said, “I knew senior year was going to be rough when I found out that school was going to start virtually in the fall, but I never expected the experience to be as exhausting as it was. Balancing the college applications process on top of my family, social, and academic life was extremely taxing, and I wish that SPA had lowered its expectations for students and teachers during the pandemic. I feel like I’ve seen everyone come with an inch of their breaking point at least once over the course of the year. In all, it wasn’t much of a senior slide.”

Ivan Starchook said, “While senior year honestly felt like it breezed by, I feel like I learned the most throughout these past few months. While these times have been challenging, I’ve still been able to make a lot of memories through times with my friends and being able to play out our basketball season.”

Michael Bagnoli said, “Senior year was great despite all the ups and downs. Being able to do hybrid learning was awesome because I still got to see my peers almost every day and my teachers in person. I wouldn’t have wanted to end without really having those last few experiences with these people I’ve been with the last four years.”

It is safe to say that the seniors did not expect their senior year to pan out in such a manner, but they made sure to make the most out of their high school finale.