During these unusual times society is trying their best to accommodate, it's been especially difficult for high school seniors while transitioning into adulthood. It is a time where most of us are focused on the well-being of our families while also trying to adapt to a new form of learning. When any one is faced with a traumatic experience such as this pandemic their immediate reaction is to panic, currently everyone is in a state of shock. We have no idea what our future will look like or when we will even get there due to these unforeseen circumstances. With most of us blind as to how it will look there are many things among us that only add to the pressure and stress of actually graduating high school.

If we were to make the senior defense presentation optional, it can help students destress and remove an additional worry in a big project that is difficult to begin with. It can help those who need more time and energy to try and catch up on work in all classes. While we do recognize that it is beneficial to practice presenting or learning speaking skills we ask you to take into consideration what is going on in our surroundings behind closed doors as teachers and administration are not physically present with us. We speak for many when we say there is a great level of anxiety within us and around us. How are we expected to go through a presentation while we are not mentally stable? Many of us are struggling with our mental health and do not have the support we need at home as our families are too struggling. In addition to this, some lack the motivation or space for productivity and this project can push us over and cause us to give up on work. This pandemic has created a mental barrier for students however there are also physical barriers that come into play. Some students do not even have access to internet services to make working or learning at home easier or they have to look after their younger siblings and their elders. With mental and physical barriers also lay financial barriers, students and their families are dealing with extreme financial hardships relating to income loss or unemployment. All of these barriers add to the unfortunate amount of pressure seniors are facing, we are not in the right place emotionally or physically to go through something this daunting to our graduation status. 

     As a college preparatory school Unity High has instilled great skills and values in their students since the beginning of their high school journey. Unity has helped their students develop in all aspects. We have been pushed to strive to be successful and in that journey we have learned a great deal. We do not want teachers or administration to feel that in not making the presentation mandatory students will be completely deprived of practicing presenting or learning speaking skills because there are other ways in which we can do so outside of this presentation as some students have already developed these skills or work on them outside of school. We appreciate Unity’s effort to help us succeed in the real world but there is an instant in which we need to let go of the helping hand to practice these skills on our own during a time in which we are emotionally or physically able to do so. 

We wish for our voice to be heard. We ask for this incredibly pressuring project to be optional in order to help us destress and remove our additional worry about graduation. 

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Class of 2020