ST. LOUIS — Students across Missouri won't return to the classroom this school year. But that doesn't just mean students won't see their friends in school over the next month. For graduating seniors, it means missing out on some pretty major milestones.
"I was really upset because I didn't get the ending that I've been waiting on for the last 12 years," said Samaya Trawick, a senior at Kirkwood High School.
No prom. And no walk across the graduation stage.
On Thursday, Governor Mike Parson announced for Missouri students, those rites of passage would be postponed.
"And for you seniors out there, I understand how disappointing this will be," Gov. Parson said in a news briefing.
For high school seniors that includes holding on to gowns that are just waiting to be worn.
"This was going to be my prom dress, Viz's prom was April 4, but clearly that didn't happen," said Holly Hunt a senior at Visitation Academy.
For college seniors, it's more about draping cords around your shoulders that symbolize all of your hard work.
"We've spent so many nights over the past four years pulling all-nighters to study and crying over exams and just putting so many blood, sweat and tears into a degree for our career that to have it just go away like it just didn't happen was really sad," said Baylie Clynes, a senior at Lindenwood University.
Hancock schools superintendent Kevin Carl coordinates with all of the school districts in St. Louis city and county.
"It doesn't look and feel like it would normally, it will be memorable but not in the way that we hoped," said Carl.
He said districts aren't giving up yet.
"Students deserve that and that means if it's in June or July, and who knows maybe even if we have to go to August, I can assure all of the students that their schools and superintendents are focused on making that happen," he explained.
Because while this isn't the ending seniors hoped for, the end of senior year still means the start of something new.
"Now, everything that comes after this situation I think is so much more fun and people aren't going to take things for granted," said Hunt.
Gov. Parson assured seniors they will be working to make sure they get to walk across the stage and receive their diploma at some point. For college seniors, many of them are given the option to walk in December.