Coronavirus: HS Student Finds Ways To Celebrate Senior Year

DEER PARK, NY — Around this time of year, many high school seniors normally are preparing for the end of their high school careers and enjoying the final moments with friends and teachers. However, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted these plans — closing schools across Long Island for the past month and cancelling events and tests. Now, plans like prom and graduation set for May and June are even at risk for being cancelled.

Some, like Deer Park High School senior Morgan Feld, are trying to still make their final year of high school memorable. Over the past few weeks, Feld has been finding ways to help her classmates be able to show off their achievements and celebrate everything they've worked hard to accomplish.

"It's hard because we worked all these years to get to a point where we just want to walk across field, walk across the stage and it's just getting taken away from us because of something so devastating," Feld told Patch.

First, about three weeks ago, Feld got the idea to work with her aunt, who owns a local business, to make signs that seniors can post on their front lawns for neighbors to see what they have accomplished. Seniors can order signs from her aunt's Hauppauge-based business, Effects of Color, to both help a small local business and help them show off all their hard work.

Photos courtesy of Morgan Feld

Students from all over Long Island can request a sign, and so far Feld has received over 200 orders from her classmates as well as from students from other schools such as Half Hollow Hills and even college graduates. The signs can include a senior photo or just the words "Congratulations" with the name of the student and "Class of 2020" printed on it.

Another way the 17-year-old is celebrating her classmate's achievements is through an Instagram page she created. May 1 marks "commitment day" — a day where seniors show off where they have chosen to go to college in the fall by wearing a clothing item from their school of choice. This year since the seniors won't be in school that day, Feld recently made the page "deeparkseniors20" for Deer Park seniors to send their photo and where they are going to school.

"I wanted to show off the hard work that most of us have put towards our education," she said. "What inspired me was definitely was the essential workers that are working because most of my class is going into the medical field and I think that since we're working so hard to be that, that will be us one day, so I think it's good to show off what we're doing."

Feld's mom, Stacy Feld, also got involved in helping the seniors. The profession photographer created a senior video which includes a montage of the memories from their time in high school.

Click here to watch the video.

According to Feld, it's not just the students who want recognition, their parents want to show off their kids' hard work as well.

"It's affecting a lot of people not just the seniors, we're just a small portion of it," she said. "I'm just trying to bring hope and faith. I think it's just the little things that people are doing right now to make people's days brighter even though we are stuck inside."

Shannen Caldone, mother of Deer Park High School senior Makenzie Caldone and owner of another local business, Fallen Star Couture, is also doing her part to give the students a little joy during this time. The local resident created special shirts for the seniors which say "Seniors 2020, the one where they were quarantined on them."

Photo courtesy of Morgan Feld

Since doing all of this, Feld has received an outpouring of support from the local community.

"The reaction for what I've done has been amazing I've been getting messages everyday just saying 'thank you for what you're doing,'" she said.