Senior Night, held on May 27, wrapped up the Class of 2021’s high school experience with an opportunity for seniors to make memories in person with their classmates before graduation. Organized by the Class of 2021 officers, Senior Night sought to make up for the loss of iconic senior year events that were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Senior Night lasted from 7 to 9 p.m. and consisted of activities like pre-prom, in which attending students gathered in individual groups and dressed up formally as they would for prom, and Senior Sunset, in which students had one last opportunity to meet with classmates in a casual social setting. Class officers handed out boba, snacks and free custom blankets to attendees, which they used to sit on the football field as they watched the sunset together. Before handing out these free items, a drone photograph was taken of the participants to commemorate the event.

The evening also included a segment where seniors had a chance to compete with their friends in spikeball and other outdoor activities.

Originally, senior class officers planned only for Senior Sunset but decided to add other activities in order to recreate the senior experience more comprehensively. For instance, pre-prom changed from the casual Senior Sunset style into a more formal one reminiscent of Senior Prom, with attendees showing up in tuxedos and dresses.

“We’re just trying to make the best of what we can,” Class of 2021 Vice President Alex Cheng said. “I’d say it’s less trying to relive the past and more trying to [take advantage of] the present.”

The most important purpose of Senior Night was the chance for the Class of 2021 to interact together in person for the last time before they dispersed after graduation.

“If I’m going to be honest, I don’t mind that much that it’s not some super fancy location like the Glass House or a boat in San Francisco,” said senior Ethan Lin, who attended Senior Night.  “Prom has almost always been just about hanging out with friends and having a good time, and I feel like what’s being set up by the class officers will be just that.”

Like previously canceled senior year events, planning Senior Night also faced challenges brought by the pandemic. Whether or not the event would be possible depended entirely on the COVID-19 situation in the community. Throughout the planning process, class officers were afraid of a possible cancellation, but they continued to put their all into organizing the event.

As the night of May 27 came and around 250 seniors came out to watch the sunset in their prom-wear, the effort paid off.

“I do think [Senior Night] helped make up for some of the Class of 2021’s lost experiences,” Lin said. “Obviously, it was no replacement for what should have been our last, most triumphant homecoming, but it wasn’t trying to be. I feel like the class officers did a really good job of creating a nice activity to cap off our Lynbrook experience.”