On the first day of school, students of the Lehigh Valley Charter HS for the Arts (Charter Arts) Class of 2020 were handed a rose, an honored annual tradition at the school. This gesture marks the start of a new journey for the seniors. As with any journey, there will be ups and downs, but, if there is anything that our seniors have learned these last four months, it’s that they can overcome the prickly thorns.

The unprecedented arrival of the novel coronavirus in early March transformed all of our lives overnight. A couple of days before schools began to shut down, Charter Arts was bustling with energy. Students were anxiously preparing for their spring performances, as well as getting ready for the school’s end-of-the-year festivities. All of those plans changed on March 13, however, when Governor Wolf announced that all K-12 Pennsylvania schools would close for 10 business days, and then that was followed by the extended school closure.

As the days went on, Charter Arts seniors began to realize that their high school journey would not have the happy ending for which they had hoped.

Despite that new reality, the seniors did not allow the interruption caused by the pandemic to get them down. Instead, they began to think of ways in which they could show others what they had been working on pre-pandemic virtually.

Senior visual artists put together a slideshow presentation to showcase their senior projects, while senior literary artists hosted a virtual Senior Showcase where the seniors discussed their growth as artists and as people over their years in the Literary Arts Department.

Production Arts seniors displayed their portfolios and Theatre Department seniors virtually recited plays they had written for the New Play Festival. Dancers took online dance classes and some vocalists teamed up with other Charter Arts seniors to put on a Vocalist Cafe event and Songwriters Cafe event.

Instrumental music seniors who major in piano celebrated the end of their high school journey by hosting a virtual piano concert. The music department is also practicing for their performance at graduation.

The strict guidelines set in place by Governor Wolf also forced schools to either cancel or push back the date of their graduation ceremony. Fortunately for Charter Arts, graduation has been rescheduled to July 30 and 31.

The school’s faculty and administrators also celebrated the seniors’ accomplishments by hosting a Park n’ Circumstance, the graduation bus tour. During the bus tour, students dressed up in their caps and gowns and were able to take pictures with the bus and their families. Although social distancing took place during this bus tour, that did not take away from the sweet interactions between the students and their school administrators and teachers.

Sirina Tiwari, a senior literary artist, shared her feelings about graduating.

“Being a senior right now feels scary - it’s 2020 and black lives are still being taken and as seniors, we are inheriting a country to mold and make our own. The youth need to speak to their parents and advocate for the change they want to see. That starts with voting for a candidate who will support their citizens, not tear gas them.”

The class of 2020 has had to endure obstacles these last four months that no one could have predicted. Proms have been canceled, and the future of graduations is uncertain, but that has not ruined the spirit of seniors at Charter Arts. They have found ways to give back to the community, whether that be through art or through utilizing their constitutional rights. This year’s graduating class will use their artistic talents to change the world for the better. They will be the revolution.