As of Tuesday, May 12, Missouri has seen 9,918 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 488 total deaths. The stay-at-home order issued by St. Louis County has been extended throughout the month of May until further notice which  leaves the district with no way to hold a graduation ceremony in May due to the virus.

However, Kelsey Wood, senior, runs an Instagram account, @marquetteseniors2020, to recognize the seniors with a picture of the student, which college they are going to and what the student is going to be majoring in.

As a senior, Wood said she was upset because the school year ended so abruptly.

“I’m definitely really upset about 12 years of schooling ending like this and all the things that seniors are going to miss out on,” Wood said. “All the things that we’ve all been looking forward to and working so hard to enjoy we won’t get to experience, which is obviously just really sad to sit back and watch happen.”

Wood said she was inspired to make the account because she liked seeing the college banners that would hang in the Commons.

Wood said everyone deserves recognition for their work in high school and all of their accomplishments during their high school years.

“I love to see what everyone plans on doing and think it’s interesting to see how we all are coming from the same high school background, but are all verging on so many different paths” Wood said.

Rindha Kola, senior, was also added to the Instagram page. Along with the other seniors, she was also upset when she found out about graduation being postponed.

“I was very devastated when I found out,” Kola said. “Being a senior, it’s sad that I couldn’t finish my last days of high school, and I miss seeing all of my friends and classmates.” 

Kola said she was very happy when she was added to the Instagram page.

“I’m very happy that I got added to the senior wall because I worked hard to get into the program I will be studying in, and I want to show everyone how my hard work paid off,” Kola said.

Megan Cline, senior, is one of the many students who has been added to the Instagram page. She was also upset when she found out graduation was canceled.

 “It was definitely a bummer,” Cline said. “I’ve been to graduations for the past three years to support my friends and family, so it’s weird a weird feeling that the one I’m not going to is mine.”

Cline said she felt a sense of camaraderie when she saw the page because it featured a bunch of her friends who she can’t graduate with and see where they’re going to for college.

“I was pretty happy about this Instagram page because I could have more pride in my future school and join the group of other seniors,” Cline said.

Cline likes how this Instagram page is created to compensate for graduation and celebrates all of the years seniors have had to go through to reach this moment in their life.

“It’s nice to cheer my friends and peers on from a distance and see where the Class of 2020 is going to end up,” Cline said.