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 Pali’s Class of 2025, reality has been far from this cinematic dream. 

Due to the temporary unavailability of the Pali campus following the Palisades fires, 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, are now facing 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 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 will be occurring in spite of the circumstances. 

Additionally, other activities that are not affiliated with Pali such as the upcoming Night in 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 (ASB) and administration are also planning a Senior Movie Night, which is planned to be on May 2 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. “My hope would be that everyone could be a little more understanding.” 

She also said that she and Milburn have “gotten very little admin support in planning a lot of these events.” 

Milburn shares the difficulties of planning activities for the senior class. 

“I think since the day of the fires, any kind of senior events, junior events and ASB-related events have been placed in a different category of importance for the school administrative team,” he said. “They seem primarily focused on school-related responsibilities, [such as] finding a new site.” 

One of the most significant concerns of students and parents has been the plan for graduation, which has historically been held at Pali’s Stadium by the Sea. According to Milburn, the location of the commencement ceremony remains unknown for now. One of the sites under consideration is the Hollywood Bowl, sources confided.

“I have not been told where graduation will be and that includes it [potentially] being at the Stadium by the Sea,” he said. 

Although she has not been informed either, Beljon-Regen personally has little hope that her class will be able to hold graduation ceremonies on Pali’s campus. Temescal Canyon Road is closed to traffic and is being used as a debris collection site by the Army Corps of Engineers. Neighborhoods surrounding the school remain under mandatory evacuation orders, and the Pali campus is closed under orders issued by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), which owns the facility.

“As we get more into March and closer to June, I feel like that idea fades a little bit more and more every day,” she said. “But I know for sure that even if we can’t have it on the football field, we’re going to be able to get a very beautiful, very iconic venue.” 

Wherever graduation ends up being held, Beljon-Regen is certain that it will 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 maintains 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.