During the COVID-19 pandemic that we are all experiencing, it’s just not high school athletes that are being affected.
Lucas Grindley, a senior at St. Joseph-Ogden High School, is just one of many non-athletes in the Class of 2020 that has had their final year of high school taken away from them.
Grindley, who is active in drama, as well as band, is going through many of the trials that his peers are during these uncertain times.
The senior play, which was scheduled to be performed in early April, was canceled, along with many other activities, including the spring concert, prom and a traditional graduation.
“It’s been a time for me, but luckily, I’ve been at work most days, so I’ve kept busy during all of this,” Grindley said of how he has been handling things during the pandemic at his job at the St. Joseph IGA, where he is a cashier.
Grindley, who was also a member of the marching band during the fall, was able to complete that portion of his senior year and get recognized on Senior Night, but the second semester for seniors is where memories are made before everyone ventures off to their next stage of their lives.
“I’m very fortunate to have been able to compete in marching band during the fall, because we had our most successful season in the school’s history by placing in every single competition,” Grindley added regarding the marching band season and all of the accolades that they received, which made the season that much more memorable.
Grindley caught the drama bug his freshman year, and although he didn’t participate in anything that year, went to the spring musical that year, which was “Little Shop of Horrors”, and was mesmerized.
“I went to the musical and was blown away by what I saw and I told myself that I needed to be a part of this the next year, and I stayed with it the final three years,” Grindley remarked about what led him into the performing arts at SJO.
Unlike collegiate athletes that are getting a second chance to relive their senior years by getting another year of eligibility, high school seniors are not afforded that luxury, and their senior years are basically being wiped away to no fault of their own.
“It’s super disappointing that we don’t get to experience all that we’ve worked hard for, because the culture at SJO is that the senior class is respected, and we are not getting the chance to do some of the things as a class that we have waited four years to do,” Grindley said about missing out on some key moments with his class.
During this culture shift that the pandemic has caused, classes moved to an e-learning regimen, which, according to Grindley, was hard to get used to.
“I’m not a big fan of that approach (e-learning), because you lose a lot of the face-to-face connection that you had in school. When I was a freshman, I thought about what graduating would be like, and even though there were times that I may not have liked school, I miss it now more than ever and wish I was back there.”
Grindley, who will be attending Eastern Illinois in the fall, knows that the next phase of his life is somewhat on hold, but like many others in the same situation, he holds out hope that this will come to an end and life will resume to some degree of what it was before.
“I’ve been on visits to Eastern many times, and really like the campus, so to maybe not be able to start in the fall like we should is a bit scary. Your freshman year of college is supposed to be a big milestone in your life, so I’m hoping that I still get to experience it,” Grindley said about the possibility of seeing the start of his collegiate phase delayed.
These are uncertain times that we are living in, but through work and time with his family, Grindley is making the best of the situation.
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