Graduating from high school in the age of COVID
From staff reports
Glen Lake Community Schools held a belated high school graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 27, for 56 graduates. We spoke with graduate Margot Hazael-Massieux, whose parents Guillaume and Brooke own La Bêcasse restaurant, about what it was like to lose the last three months of her high school experience, how she dealt with social distancing, and what’s next for the fall.
Glen Arbor Sun: At what point did you learn that the Coronavirus was going to dramatically impact your last semester of high school and upend your graduation experience? How did you initially react?
Margot Hazael-Massieux: The moment that I realized the Coronavirus was going to impact my senior year was probably March 13. This was my last official day of school. Once I heard the news that we would not be returning for a few weeks I knew it was over. I honestly didn’t think that quarantine would last this long. I thought that we would be home for two weeks and then come back to school like normal. At first it was kind of nice to sleep in and do my work whenever I felt like it, but soon it started to feel like I was repeating the same thing every day. I didn’t completely understand how bad the virus was spreading and how many lives were affected.
Sun: What have you missed most about high school—in school at Glen Lake, that is?
Margot: What I have missed the most about high school would likely be Students for World Awareness (SWA) club. Every Tuesday we in the club would meet at lunch to discuss what is going on in the world. Two amazing teachers at Glen Lake run the club and anyone is welcome to join and share their opinions and thoughts. It is what I will miss the most about high school. I’ll also miss being able to see my friends and classmates every weekday.
Sun: This must have been difficult. How have you coped, personally?
Margot: Personally, I took a lot of time for myself. I let myself sleep in, I watched a lot of Netflix, and learned to meditate. I used this time to better myself and look into the Coronavirus to learn more about what was going on. It was really helpful for me to look into the pandemic to understand it, and understand why my senior year got cut short and why it was important to social distance. By learning how important it was to wear a mask and social distance, I was less upset about my school year being canceled. I realized it was more important to keep our community members safe and continue my education online.
Sun: On top of that, you also work at your parents’ restaurant La Becasse, which shut down, then reopened for takeout, and only recently opened the dining room. It must have been hard on your whole family. How has everyone fared? What has helped them pull through?
Margot: The shutdown turned out to be good for the restaurant and my family. We got a nice break from the restaurant industry and we had a lot of time to redo the kitchen and prepare for all the changes that COVID-19 brought on.
Sun: What’s next for you, in the fall and beyond?
Margot: This fall I will be attending Michigan State University (MSU). I will be in the James Madison College for Political Science. As of right now, I plan on majoring in International Relations with a minor in French. I’m extremely excited to move in this fall and get accustomed to life on campus and to see how the pandemic will affect college life. I plan on traveling as much as I can with the study abroad programs at MSU and hopefully a vaccine will come out for the virus, allowing world travel.
