The class of 2021 has been deprived of their full senior year experience due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Seniors have missed out on their last homecoming game, homecoming dance, spring fling, and their last two spirit weeks and pep rallies. But now that more people are starting to be vaccinated they are going to have their opportunity for graduation and their senior beach week. Even though some people are vaccinated there are still guidelines and precautions set in place to help keep everyone safe such as mask mandates and social distancing.

Regardless of the pandemic still going on, some seniors are still choosing to go to the beach. Winston Churchill senior Jason Vance says “I’m staying in Rehoboth beach for the week with some of my friends”. If you plan on going to the beach still, you should be prepared and still take precautions even if you or some of your friends are vaccinated. Obviously start with the basics with always wearing a mask while out in public and making sure to stay socially distanced from people who you did not travel with. If you plan on going with friends make sure that you and your friends get tested before meeting up without masks. You can always pack extra masks in case one gets dirty while you are out or if you lose it. To make sure the place you are staying at is clean you can take wipes to help clean off surfaces and items that you may get while staying there. Vance advises that you can “carry smaller bottles of hand sanitizers around with you” while staying at the beach.

As much fun as the beach can be it may not be for everyone. Some students say that they are planning on doing something else with their friends instead of going to the beach. There are a multitude of other things you can do instead of going to the beach and still have fun and hang out with friends. Some alternative ideas to beach week could be going camping with a small group of friends, you can take a road trip with a few friends or just hang out with each other over the week. Vance says that if he was unable to go to the beach this year he and his friends would “do a virtual beach on zoom” saying that “It wouldn’t be as fun or as good but it would still represent the beach as a whole”. Although you may not be going to the beach it is still important to stay safe and take precautions when participating in one of these activities. The same rules apply for these activities, make sure to wear a mask in public, social distance and get tested if you are going as a group. Although the coronavirus has prevented seniors from getting the full senior experience they can still enjoy senior week with each other while still being safe.