On Monday, September 21st 2020. The Rocky community celebrated the progression and advancement of the senior class. It is a tradition for Rocky Mountain High School to celebrate with the seniors for the long journey they’ve been through during their high school careers. And for that special celebration the school hosts a senior parade. For the parade, the senior class often dress in school spirited colors and run through the halls yelling and screaming with joy and excitement. But this year was quite a bit different. 

With COVID-19, a dreadful pandemic that initially halted work and education, the Rocky community and staff developed an idea that would be safe and still enjoyable for the students to celebrate their arrival as seniors. Instead of the usual inside parade, the idea was to have an outdoor parade. Although going outside was a step in the right direction there were still many obstacles the Rocky community and staff had to tackle to ensure a safe environment. As a solution, the Rocky community came together and decided to have the parade in a specific location inside the parking lot. Additional safety precautions included Fort Collins police officers presence. As well as Rocky Mountain High School staff directing the parade.

Based on my experience at the Rocky parade, I truly thought the Rocky community did a great job putting together this project during such a difficult time. Some of my favorite things from the parade were quite simple but made me smile. One of those was being able to recognize some of my peers and teachers again!

I enjoyed seeing these people once more because I’ve been around them for four years of my life. It may not seem like a lot to some people but that is nearly a quarter of my life. Overall, it was quite a relief to see some familiar faces after quarantining for so long. It was also very nostalgic being at Rocky again after meeting so many new unique people there and creating some memories I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. It really just sunk in at the parade that after this year I’ll be on a new chapter of my life. I believe the parade was awesome and I hope to be at Rocky again soon!