Senior Nicole Kozbiel said that the sudden stay-at-home order from the Covid-19 pandemic made the time she spent at high school feel like she and other seniors have been watching a movie for 12 years.

But then the movie ends 20 minutes early. 

“We never really thought it would end like this but we will make the best of it 100 percent,” Kozbiel said on Snapchat.

As the school year starts to draw to a close at Elk Grove High School, senior Nicole Kozbiel and her water polo teammate Evita Ferrari have been looking back at their time as Grenadiers and their senior experiences. 

“Elk Grove has changed my life in ways that are kinda indescribable,” Kozbiel said via Snapchat.

Kozbiel said she has enjoyed the experiences she’s had at Elk Grove for the past four years. One of those — receiving classroom teaching experience — has helped paved the way for what she wanted to do in the future after high school. Kozbiel plans to attend Western Illinois University next year to major in mathematics and education.

“I hope I become as great of a teacher as the ones that taught me,” Kozbiel said via Snapchat.

Ferrari moved to the United States during her freshman year. To her, Elk Grove was her first true “American” experience, she said via Snapchat

“Elk Grove will always resonate with me because it has given me many tools and opportunities to succeed both in high school and in my life after,” Ferrari said.

Ferrari plans to attend Grand Valley State University in Michigan to major in political science and global studies.

Both seniors have had lots of experiences with extracurricular activities. Both Kozbiel and Ferrari have been in the girls’ water polo team for the past four years. Kozbiel also was involved in the tech crew at Elk Grove high for the past two years, and did dance team one year as well. 

Ferrari also did four years of swimming. She spent three of her last school years in the National Honors Society, and she participated in one year of speech team She was a part of this year’s senior leader program at Elk Grove. 

Kozbiel enjoyed much of her experiences with the activities she was involved in. 

“My dance team was a group of girls that had so much fun with each other,” Kozbiel said. “My water polo team was a group of friends that could be ourselves with each other, and finally, the tech crew I was in was where I really found who I was and I always think of that.”

Ferrari said she would cherish the moments she’s had throughout the past four years, mainly from her extracurriculars. 

“I’ve gotten to know some of my closest friends through swimming, water polo, and tutoring,” Kozbiel said. “Especially for water polo. Even though our season has been cut short this year, the memories from it will always matter to me.”

While seniors at Elk Grove high still managed to graduate, the original events of a traditional graduation, along with other plans for the seniors, was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“I’m really sad that senior year ended so abruptly, especially right when all the fun senior activities were supposed to start,” Ferrari said. “I’m sure a lot of my peers are having trouble coping with such abrupt changes like this.”

Ferrari said she hopes that the seniors of Elk Grove stayed positive during the pandemic, and to see the light at the end of the tunnel.