By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
OCEAN CITY – For Casey McLees, it was the canceling of her last varsity season that got to her the most. Mary Grace Jamison was sad to miss prom, while Meredith Moon still holds out hope that there will be some kind of graduation this year.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody for the last time,” Moon said. There are a little more than 300 students in the Ocean City High School graduating class of 2020. Moon said she knows most of her class. “But still, there are some of them I will never see again if we don’t have graduation.”
Throughout the area and throughout the world, people have had to adjust to a new reality as the novel coronavirus swept across the globe. The virus that causes the severe disease COVID-19 has wreaked economic devastation and brought illness and death.
For students in their senior year of high school, it has also taken many of the rites of passage associated with the end of school. Classes have gone virtual since March, and student sports and activities have been canceled.
What’s more, that quintessential end-of-high-school experience, just hanging out with friends as the weather gets nice, is also out of reach.
In a recent interview, Jamison said the school has tried to make things seem as normal as possible, sending letters to each graduating senior and setting up a virtual trivia night and other ways to interact.
“It’s not the same, but it’s the best we can do right now,” she said.
The senior prom would have taken place on Saturday, May 16, held each year at the historic Flanders Hotel, with students parading up the red carpet like they’re at a Hollywood premier. Over the years, the all-night after-prom party has grown into an even more elaborate celebration.
Jamison planned to be there with her boyfriend. But for her, of more importance was a pre-prom parlor, in which she planned to do hair and makeup for her classmates. Called PROMise Parlor, it’s a project she organized. Last year, she raised thousands of dollars in donations for the Ronald McDonald House and had every reason to expect this year to do just as well. She’s this year’s Miss Ocean City.
“It’s very tough for me to comprehend that it’s not going to happen,” she said.
Also a member of the class council, a dancer and an AP honors student, Jamison works to keep a positive outlook. She described herself as lucky and blessed to have been able to organize the event and to have someone to pass it on to, who will likely keep it going after Jamison graduates, sophomore Natalie Argento, who is the current Junior Miss Ocean City.
Prom or no prom, Jamison planned to put on her finery on Saturday. Her mom and dad were set to take her around to some Ocean City landmarks for photos.
“My parents planned a little prom for me,” she said.
McLees, a Palermo resident, was in line to received 12 varsity letters over her four years in high school. It was a goal she set for herself as a freshman. Instead, she’s seen her final season of competition canceled by events far outside of her control.
“I would have gone to prom, but it wasn’t a big priority. The spring season was one of the most important things for me,” she said.
It’s galling that she will not get the senior year she expected. A cross country runner in the fall and a track and field competitor in the winter and spring, McLees keeps running in her neighborhood to keep busy and upbeat. She’s also taken up yoga, participating in virtual classes.
“I’ve never liked slowing down,” she said. Yoga has helped with that and includes good stretches for a runner. “Through this whole process I’ve tried to be as positive as possible.”
McLees’ family has a congratulatory sign on the front lawn, provided by the school. The district has tried to make the time special for the season even as normal life remains unsettled. Sometimes, McLees feels frustrated or sad.
“I try to ignore those thoughts. What powers me the most going from day to day is having a positive outlook and hope for the best, even if that isn’t the most reasonable expectation,” she said. Her friends seem to be hanging in there as well, she said, turning to interactive video platforms and on social media. She’s on every social media platform possible, she said.
There’s a certain kind of camaraderie, she said, reminding the students that they are not in this alone even if they are separated.
“My parents keep reminding me that this is going to be in the history books,” she said.
An Ocean City resident, Jamison said she’ll one day tell the story of COVID-19, much the way those who were high school students in 1942 spoke of World War II and their classmates who served.
Jamison’s uncle is the principal of Ocean City High School, Matt Jamison. She said if she were not involved in a wide variety of activities, she could expect to be called to the principal’s office. She’s the treasurer of the National Honor Society and is on the dance team.
“I have a lot of pride in being a Red Raider,” she said.
Grace Burke, another senior who lives in Ocean City, said the school’s Key Club is working on outreach, and making masks. The members of the student service organization, an offshoot of the Kiwanis Club, is also making cards for older residents in residential facilities.
She’s also involved in the Best Buddies Club, which pairs people with special needs with peers, offering them a wider school experience. She’s paired with an older buddy, who has autism. They’ve been together for years and she’s known him far longer.
“We go to basketball games. We get coffee. We just hang out,” she said. “He’s 21 and graduating this year. We were both going to graduate together.”
The group still meets, remotely.
“We’re still trying to make the best of the situation,” Burke said.
She, too, is looking forward to the possibility of a senior barbecue over the summer. She would like to have had other senior activities, though.
“I think we all understand what’s going on and that it’s just not possible at this time. It’s still sad to miss out on that,” she said.
This story was made possible by a grant from the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University.