Thursday, March 13, 2020––A day that the class of 2020 wishes didn’t have any significance. That day was the last day BSM seniors would walk the halls together ever again. The last time they would eat lunch together. The last time they would interact in class with each other. The last time for many things that shouldn’t have been at that time. 

COVID-19 struck Minnesota and the rest of the nation in March which halted large group settings and forced BSM into an extended online school. On April 23rd, Governor Tim Walz finally announced students would not physically be going back to school for the rest of the year which was no surprise to many, but still heartbreaking for the class of 2020. “Although I recognize that canceling school through the rest of the year was the appropriate decision to make, it hurts nonetheless. I, like many others, had a gut feeling that the rest of our senior year would be cut short, but hearing the news officially was definitely a tough pill to swallow,” senior Ronan Brew said.  

Many BSM seniors were looking forward to their spring semester because of things such as prom, graduation, yearbook signing, spring sports, and a proper goodbye to classmates, but most were either postponed indefinitely or canceled. The school also recently announced a later graduation date of July 25th. “I think I was most excited to make lasting memories with my friends and everyone in the BSM community during this time of year. I think many of us seniors view our second semester as a time to say goodbye to many of our beloved teachers, coaches, and peers, so that was what I was most looking forward to,” Brew said. 

No seniors really expected that Thursday to be their last day at BSM. It just seemed like another day and when hearing about the possibility of school getting shut down for two weeks, no one thought it would escalate to where it is. “I never thought it would come to this. I remember joking around that day saying, ‘Hey guys, this could be our last day of high school’ never thinking it actually would be,” senior Liv Schmitz said. 

One way to get a proper goodbye is grad parties. Many seniors have a grad party as one last celebration together with friends and family, but due to COVID-19 that might now be in jeopardy. Some students who had everything planned out have had to postpone their grad party. “I am currently planning my grad party with someone else and we’ve had to postpone it until later in the summer. We may even have to cancel if things don’t clear up in the next few months,” Brew said.

It is very hard to stay sane during this quarantine, but Schmitz has found ways to stay active outside and connect with her friends on a daily basis. “My friends and I facetime a lot and use Netflix party,” Schmitz said.

For Brew, he has been a part of the BSM community for a long time as his mom, English teacher, Ms. Maura Brew, has been a long-time member of the BSM faculty. He can remember back to first grade where he has been spending countless hours in BSM and has felt part of the community ever since. “The thing I will miss most about the school would be seeing all of the wonderful and unique people on a daily basis that makes BSM the place it is… It’s the little things that I experienced each and every day that I will miss the most,” Brew said. 

As the BSM class of 2020 ends their high school journey online, it has given them time to reflect on what BSM has meant to them and what they will remember. “I will miss the sense of community and knowing everyone has your back,” Schmitz said.