For seniors, the second semester is the time to finalize college decisions and cherish precious moments of high school before a new chapter unfolds. While the current situation has made numerous seniors feel disappointed about missing out on memorable experiences, students at Moravian Academy have still tried to discover ways to value their time.

Evan Edelman, a Moravian Academy senior who will attend Johns Hopkins University, reflected on his new norm of social distancing and a virtual second semester of school.

“I’ve taken more time out of my day to engage with my friends, whether it be for physics homework or to simply connect,” he said. “The entire senior class recently had a Netflix party and being with my friends and teachers really connected me. The crisis has opened my eyes to how much I enjoy the social interactions that we previously took for granted.”

Seniors also hope to still experience the memorable end-of-year events someday.

“The school is trying to postpone graduation instead of cancelling it altogether,” said Isha Kaza. “While the situation has been very difficult to adjust to. I am grateful to have had a place like Moravian that makes it so difficult to leave.”

But not being able to tour colleges has served as an impediment to the college decision making process. Lavinia Burchielli has been utilizing her time to figure out which university she would like to attend.

“The process has been more difficult and inconvenient as I’m unable to revisit the colleges I was admitted to,” she said. “As a result, I’ve attended virtual campus tours, live information sessions, and researched on the colleges’ websites, which have been helpful in making my decision.”

Similarly, Neil Deshmukh has felt the college process to be much more tentative.

“I, and many peers, have been in personal contact with current students at some of our college options in order to get a better sense of the culture and community at each,” he said. “This is especially important, considering that a deciding factor for many students is the general fit they have with the community, and this is harder to determine virtually.”

But these times have also demonstrated why we should be appreciative of what we have, which John van Gelder emphasized.

“Even though life has been disrupted for the foreseeable future, I can’t complain about it,” he said. “Instead, I’m grateful for what I have. My parents are able to work from home and Moravian Academy facilitates online learning. I have food, a home, and a healthy family. I know people who aren’t as fortunate as me and my best wishes go out to them.”

Ultimately, the situation boils down to working together to defeat this crisis.

“The work currently being done by our front-line health professionals is amazing, and they really are heroes, putting their lives into their work, treating and supporting those who have fallen ill,” Neil said. “I believe that it is important to make the best of the situation that we are in, and continue social distancing to flatten the curve and protect at-risk people from disease.”

“So, when I hear my friends talk about their stormy days during quarantine and how they can’t hang out with each other,” John added, “I smile and I think that should be the least of our worries.”