10. Greeting people normally

The act of greeting my friends and family was something that never crossed my mind before. It was always instinctive for me to reach out my hand for a handshake or my arms for a hug. I am constantly stopping myself now to instead give a slight wave or just a “hello!”.

9. Not having to be 6-feet away from everyone

I always have to be thinking about how close or far away I am from everyone. And constantly remind my mom to back up from strangers because she is too friendly to stay 6-feet away from anyone.

8. Eating at restaurants – for as long as you want

Although restaurants are open for carry out and dining-in now, it is still very different from before. Before the pandemic going out for food was a social event, but now it is merely to eat your food. You are asked to leave after you finish instead of spending time there because they need to clean everything and they only have half capacity.

7. In person school

School used to be a mix of schoolwork, social interactions and activities–such as clubs and sports–but now it is six hours of sitting in my room. Remote learning managed to take everything good out of school and just leave the crust. What a perfect senior year.

6. School dances

I have been to every homecoming and turnabout since I started highschool, and while I may have complained about the music choice, I have always loved school dances. Homecoming is the first thing to look forward to at the start of the school year: the spirit week before, the homecoming football game Friday night, and the dance on Saturday. Although DGS is trying their best to give us virtual or social distanced options it is not the same as real homecoming.

5. Large group events

Large group events such as holiday parades in the city, spirit assemblies or other school events with hundreds of people all packed into one place will not happen again for a long time.

4. Traveling

I was supposed to go on the school Spain trip this year but was unable to because of COVID, this was something I had been looking forward to since freshman year. Everyone cancelled their trips this summer as travel bans were put in place and even though they have been lifted it is still unsafe.

3. Friday night lights

I miss football games. As a cheerleader Friday night lights have always had a special place in my heart, but all of my friends in the stands can agree that this is one of the best parts of the school year. I will not get to see my friends leading the student section as seniors this year or hear the football team say that this is their year for the millionth year in a row.

2. Concerts

Concerts and music festivals are my favorite way to spend all my money. The cancellation of Lollapalooza and many other music events have been very

1. School sports

Although some school sports are able to follow COVID guidelines and still compete, most have been pushed to the spring in hopes they will be able to compete by then. Even if they are allowed, they will have shorter seasons and not compare to traditional years. After dedicating seven years into a sport, I may have to graduate without saying a proper goodbye to both my sport and the best of high school.