Pali Spotlight: Seniors Enduring an Unprecedented Final Semester

By SOPHIA MASSERAT | Tideline Staff Writer

The Palisades Charter High School Tideline journalism class is coordinating the submission of a series of pieces the Palisadian-Post is publishing from the school’s periodical. A version of this piece originally appeared in Tideline on March 19. Students have since returned to in-person learning at the former Sears site in Santa Monica on April 22.

The culmination of high school marks the cusp of adulthood and the end of childhood; teenagers finally graduate, starting the next chapter of their lives.

Coming-of-age movies like “High School Musical 3” and “Grease” have idealized senior year to be the peak of their adolescence, creating high expectations for many seniors as they begin their last semester of high school.

However, for Palisades Charter High School’s Class of 2025, reality has been far from this cinematic dream.

Due to the temporary unavailability of the Pali campus following the Palisades fire, the Class of 2025 has faced the unexpected transition to online learning, hindering their opportunity to experience a “regular” spring semester. Students who have been eagerly anticipating senior milestone events that have traditionally been held on campus, such as the senior picnic and the graduation ceremony, faced a final semester full of unknowns.

As the senior class president and previous freshman class president, Taylor Beljon-Regen shared the sentiment many seniors are experiencing about missing this semester in person.

“I feel like such a key part of everyone’s high school experience that they dream about is prom and graduation and having that final semester where you’re done with college [applications],” she said. “There’s a lot less stress on you, and you’re having a lot of fun experiences in person with your friends.”

After experiencing nearly half of middle school online, the Class of 2025 entered their freshman year of high school in person after the height of the pandemic. Like Beljon-Regen, this has made seniors feel like these current unprecedented changes to the school year have been especially challenging.

“It’s just been really shocking, and I think obviously no one expected this, but it’s been really hard to adapt,” Beljon-Regen said.

In addition to the lack of a typical senior year, Beljon-Regen said she believes that online learning has intensified the symptoms of senioritis, a colloquial term to describe the decline in motivation toward academic performance, which has affected many senior students, including herself.

“Senioritis is a really real disease, and I have it very badly,” she said. “I think being online only exacerbates it.”

To counteract these challenges, Beljon-Regen and senior advisor Logan Milburn have been working closely with Pali administration to give the senior class a memorable end to their high school experience.

“Something that I don’t think has been spoken enough about is that we’re going to have all of our usual events,” Beljon-Regen said. “[Events] have been impacted by the fire, because of the lack of Pali space, but no events have been canceled.”

According to Beljon-Regen, events that have traditionally been held on campus, such as the senior picnic and the Senior Dating Game, have become more difficult to plan. However, she hopes to find alternative locations for these events to ensure the senior class remains satisfied. Furthermore, Milburn confirmed that all of the long-awaited events, including prom and Grad Nite, would occurring, despite the circumstances.

Additionally, other activities that are not affiliated with Pali, such as the Night in Las Vegas dance, also provide opportunities for students to connect during this fragmented semester.

A positive aspect of the situation has been the introduction of new senior events and the reenvisioning of others. Pali’s annual senior breakfast was held on Saturday, March 8, at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. Associated Student Body and administration also planned a Senior Movie Night at La Cienega Park.

Beljon-Regen explained that a major struggle in the process of planning her class’s senior year has been securing locations that can sufficiently accommodate Pali’s large senior class.

“It’s been impossible to get locations for 750 people,” she said. “I think people [believe] it’s a lot easier than it actually is, like we can just snap our fingers and a venue will appear. But that’s just not what happens.”

Beljon-Regen expressed that organizing events to everyone’s satisfaction has been challenging. While she has received support from Pali parents who have generously donated spaces and services, she has had trouble working with laws and regulations.

“People have definitely been very generous, but with that generosity comes permits and health codes and all these rules we have to follow naturally just by getting these services,” Beljon-Regen said.

One of the most significant concerns of students and parents was the plan for graduation, which has historically been held at Pali’s Stadium by the Sea. It has since been announced that it would take place at Hollywood Bowl on June 4.

“We are excited to share some amazing news with our school community,” Pali High wrote across social media. “After a thorough search and months of planning, we are proud to announce that the Class of 2025 Graduation will be held at the Hollywood Bowl.”

Details like time, tickets and logistics will be announced closer to the date, Pali High wrote.

Even before knowing the location, Beljon-Regen was certain that graduation would be a special and memorable day for everyone.

“We’ve gotten some really amazing Pali alumni who are very famous in the worlds of sports [and] the worlds of film, reaching out and offering to speak at graduation,” she said.

Additionally, Beljon-Regen is working to ensure that students have a voice in graduation plans. She sent out a form to the senior class for requests and said she received ideas to enhance the experience, including having more student speakers during the ceremony and smaller details like confetti or a larger screen.

Even among the uncertainty, Beljon-Regen maintained hope that the class of 2025 will be able to have an enjoyable end to their senior year.

“Even if we’re only back for six weeks in person, I think our class is really great at bonding and we’re all such a tight-knit group, so I’m confident that we will leave [our senior year] with a lot of memories, both good and bad,” she concluded.