Update: The “Swing into Senior Year” event has been postponed. The decision was made after Sacramento County, along with eleven other counties, reverted back to California’s most restrictive purple tier as case rates have recently seen an increase across the state. 

After three relatively normal years, seniors at Jesuit High School Sacramento are finishing their high school experience during a time that has been far from typical. 

Understanding that seniors haven’t experienced much normalcy in their final year of high school, Jesuit organized an event exclusively for members of the Class of 2021 to be together and safely socialize. 

From 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, seniors can use the driving range, 9-hole mini-golf course, and enjoy a meal at The Hangout food truck. Those who attend the event will leave with a T-shirt and a “swag bag” courtesy of the Loyola Guild.

“The purpose of the event is to provide seniors with time together that recognizes how special their senior year is even if the world around them lacks normalcy,” said Assistant Principal for Instruction and Student Life Dr. Fadia Desmond. “Some schools have events that mark the start of senior year – senior sunrise, senior breakfast, etc. Jesuit doesn’t have the tradition of an event that kicks off senior year. We wanted to have something in the midst of a year like none other that creates a time to be together, play together, and spend time together.”

This event seems much needed as Executive Council Vice President Jake Hall ’21 recognizes the disappointment experienced by the senior class this year.  

“It has been very hard as a senior to comprehend that we will never get the same experience that we have been hoping for the past 3 years,” Jake said. “Everything we look forward to has been taken away due to the pandemic and it’s been very difficult. It’s difficult to not see friends, not have school events, or even just go to normal school in general. At this point I’ve been missing the little things, just sitting at lunch and talking with friends or goofing off before class starts. There’s nothing we can do besides pray and hope for the future.”

With it being so complicated to set up in-person events during a pandemic, the school is thankful for this special opportunity, especially for the sake of its seniors. 

“We love planning special events for our seniors,” Dr. Desmond said. “We wish we could do so much more, but we are limited to what is allowed by the county. We already used the drive-in movie theater to kick off the school year; golf courses are the other venues open under county guidelines so we figured it’s the ideal place to consider.”

 Tickets are $20 and include a food and drink voucher. They are available on Jesuit’s website and must be purchased by Tuesday, Nov.10 at 12 p.m.