The class of 2020 at Rich East High School in Park Forest has been through a lot.
Like 2 million other public school students throughout Illinois, the 900 pupils at Rich East have not set foot inside their school since the middle of March. The deadly coronavirus pandemic has forced students, teachers and others to stay home as much as possible.
The isolation during the final months of the school year adds a cruel twist to what was already an extraordinary year at Rich East. The Rich Township High School District 227 Board voted 4-3 in October to close the school at the end of the school year.
Rich East opened in 1952 and was the first of the district’s three high schools. Student Council President Dwayne Wardell, 18, of Chicago Heights, said students had heard talk for years that their school might close.
“The student body, we already knew that the school was going to close,” Wardell said. “It was devastating. I remember the night they voted. The community fought really hard over the summer. They got together and made signs and protested.”
Wardell and two other members of the Rich East class of 2020 recently participated in a conference call to share perspectives about their school. They discussed coping with a school year that dramatically changed when students were sent home on Friday, March 13.
“The last day of school, a lot of people didn’t think that school would close for as long as it has,” said Kaelin Dean, 18, of Park Forest. “They said they would just clean up over the weekend and everything would be fine and go back to normal, but that didn’t happen.”
Rich East senior Lluvia Hernandez Aguirre, 18, of Park Forest, said she spends her mornings doing online coursework offered by a local college through a duel-enrollment program. The college studies are rigorous, she said, but the high school assignments lack challenges.
“It’s busy work, nothing constructive,” she said. “We’re not really learning anything new.” Aguirre plans to attend Governors State University in the fall, she said.
There is little to no opportunity for collaboration among students, the Rich East seniors said.
“We’re kind of isolated,” said Dean, who said she plans to attend the University of Illinois in the fall.
“I’m someone who likes to be in class in person to learn,” Aguirre said. “It’s kind of difficult.”
Teachers provide daily opportunities for students to use technology to interact with one another, District 227 said in a statement in response to an inquiry.
“We are proud to have distributed over 500 of Chromebooks and over 1,000 cell phone hot spots to students to ensure there is access to technology and virtual interactions,” the district reported.
Across the nation, high school seniors are missing out on proms, graduations and other milestones. Friendships during senior year often lead to bonds that last a lifetime.
One could understand if the community succumbed to a gloomy pall, but the Rich East seniors seem resilient despite the stressful uncertainty. The stay-at-home order was initially for two weeks, then extended through April. Then officials announced that in-person classes would not resume this year and that spring high school sports were canceled.
“This year felt like a slap in the face,” Dean said. “We all felt like we were going to finish strong, graduate and finally wear our robes but we can’t.”
School officials were unable to plan events because of uncertainty over how long stay-at-home orders would remain in place.
“We were being made false promises, like maybe we could still have graduation,” Dean said. “Just tell us how it is and let us deal with it in our own way.”
District officials are planning a “virtual” graduation ceremony for May 31, the district said.
On top of the decision to close the school and the isolation of the stay-at-home order, Albert Brass stopped serving as Rich East principal.
“As of today, Dr. Brass has tendered his resignation to the district effective June 30, 2020, for personal reasons,” the district said. “Until that time, however, Dr. Brass remains an employee of the district on special assignment. For privacy reasons, the district does not provide personnel information on faculty. Rich East is in the capable hands of Linnea Garrett as interim principal.”
Brass stopped serving as principal shortly before the stay-at-home order took effect, furthering dampening morale at the school, students said.
“I never expected something like that to happen,” Wardell said. “A lot of kids loved Dr. Brass. He was that principal that everybody could go to. His office was always open. A lot of people wanted him to come back, just for these last months before Rich East closes.”
If adversity builds character, the Rich East class of 2020 might have as much character as any high school class ever.
“We never knew the school year would turn out the way it did,” Wardell said. “I still feel we finished strong together.”
The mood is not all glum, however. Rich East High School and Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 are planning a Community Motor Parade Through Park Forest from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Monday, April 27.
Organizers are directing people to watch the parade from inside their homes or from porches. Participants will ride in vehicles, wearing personal protection equipment, or remain at least 6 feet apart.
“We’re doing a parade to boost everyone’s spirit, especially now that they’ve decided to close the schools for the rest of the school year,” Wardell said. “It will get the community together but at the same time practice social distancing.”
The district said it was proud that 100% of Rich East students had been accepted to colleges and that a farewell celebration of the school’s 68-year history would be held at some point.
“This is not how we envisioned the school year concluding, but we are grateful for the students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni who have worked to ensure the last graduating class of Rich East feels it’s supported in these difficult times,” the district said.
Beginning in the fall, athletic programs at Rich South in Richton Park and Rich Central in Olympia Fields will be merged into a single Rich Township High School program. The mascot will be the Raiders. Construction work at the two schools is set to begin this summer, the district said.
Plans for the future of the Rich East building will be communicated at a later date, the district said.
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