The presence of COVID-19 in America has led to the cancellation of everything from sports events to conventions.

 With the closing of Illinois schools on March 17, school activities have not evaded the shutdown. For the safety of our community, activities will remain cancelled or postponed for as long as this shutdown persists. 

One of the first events to get shut down was the MCHS spring musical Newsies. The final live performances were canceled, although one was broadcast live on the internet.

“All of our time and effort felt like it was for nothing because we only performed two out of four shows,” Adeline Smerica, sophomore, said. “We were all sad, mainly for the seniors, because this was their last show, and they wouldn’t be able to experience the magic of performing it live four times.”

Many groups had to cancel trips and events that had been planned far in advance, causing some students to miss out on many opportunities. 

Minooka Indoor Percussion, who were experiencing a great season so far, had the indoor world competition cancelled only a couple of weeks before they were set to go. 

“It’s really disappointing that we did not get to go to Ohio and finish out the season, but I am extremely grateful for the time that we got and glad that we got to perform while we could,” Emily Reppy, junior, said. 

Although events are presently cancelled only through April 30, many seniors worry about missing out on milestones like prom and graduation. 

“I was really excited to go to prom and walk on my graduation day to receive my diploma I’ve worked so hard for. It’s honestly heartbreaking. Because, after all, high school is supposed to be something you remember,” Cheyenne Slavik, senior, said. 

On Thursday, April 9, MCHS posted that alternate dates were planned for prom and graduation if necessary.   Prom could be held June 5 and graduation June 7. Or prom could be held July 10 and graduation July 12. Another possible date for graduation is Aug. 2. 

Even though all of the negativity, many students are finding the good in the bad. They acknowledge what they have lost but look forward to the memories they will make after the shutdown ends. 

“Obviously it’s incredibly difficult to deal with this unprecedented end to high school and super disappointing that activities and events have been cancelled completely or postponed. On the flip side, this had taught me an incredibly important lesson in not taking anything for granted, because a lot of my ‘lasts’ were unexpected,” Makenzie Munson, senior, said. 

In the wake of cancellation, activities have found a way to continue. Much like school, they’ve been transferred online. Over the past two weeks, the MCHS student activities Google Classroom has been constantly posting fun facts, dress up days, and online activities like Madlibs. 

“We are going to take it week by week. We have some surprises planned along with some Family Challenges planned. We are hoping to get more students involved though as this is for them,” Ms. Michelle Mullen, assistant activities director, said. 

All in all, many students and staff are saddened by the current shutdowns, but understand the gravity of the situation. 

“I feel like it was the right thing to do. Obviously it isn’t pleasant that we don’t get to finish our school years activities… but it is the right thing to do,” Ian Talley, sophomore, said.