ALBANY, Ore. — Bailey Filley is wrapping up her senior year at West Albany High School in a way she never could have imagined. She is at home with her younger sister and parents.
"It's overwhelming," said Bailey. "I miss my friends a lot."
Bailey said it is next to impossible to motivate herself. Unfortunately, it will not be getting any easier any time soon. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday announced that all in-person classes are canceled for the remainder of the school year.
"I'm pretty disappointed," said Bailey. "I really wanted the closure of the last day of school and being able to say goodbye to everyone and move forward."
Moving forward will be easier for someone like Bailey, who has good grades. Gov. Brown said students with passing grades when the schools were initially shut down will graduate. It is a different story for students who were struggling.
"I'm asking our school districts to focus their efforts finding creative ways to get these seniors the extra attention they need to get across the finish line," said Gov. Brown.
Crossing the finish line typically involves some sort of commencement, but there is a chance those will be canceled, especially if the current social distancing orders are still in place. None of this is lost on the director of the Oregon Department of Education. Colt Gill is giving guidance to the school districts.
"It asks them to work with the students, the families, and communities at large and think of creative ways to celebrate this class," said Gill. "This is a class we know is developing a lot of resilience right now."
Nobody knows that better than the parents. Yet, they are still hurting for their seniors and what could have been.
"I remember my senior prom, senior skip day, awards ceremony. She had several band events we were looking forward to being her last events," said Becca Filley, Bailey's mom. "She's been robbed of those memories we carry from our senior years."
There is no arguing that Bailey's senior year will end unlike most. All she can do now is look ahead.
"I have to find little things to look forward to so I don't get so down in the dumps," said Bailey.
Bailey has already been accepted to the University of Oregon. Oregon's seven public universities, along with OHSU, released a statement saying that any student that has been admitted will not have their admission rescinded due to the altered school year, assuming the student completes the required work. The universities pledge to work with students and high schools during these challenging times.