Coronavirus and the Changing Face of Senior Portraits

On a sunny afternoon in late March, in compliance with the social distancing protocols, Mount Madonna School twelfth graders Fiona Burgess, Rachel Burgess, and Tabitha Hardin-Zollo posed in masks and mortarboards on the day they’d been scheduled to have their senior portraits taken.

“This is a big time in our lives as we are trying to decide where we are going to spend the next few years,” said Hardin-Zollo. “I want to think out loud and talk this out with my friends because I care about their thoughts and input, and it isn’t the same over Facetime or Zoom, as much as we would like to think it is. I miss them, but at the same time it is all about perspective. By staying home and not being with each other, we are doing something for the greater good. And, this isn’t the end. We may have lost a few traditions and experiences we were all looking forward to, but we are still a close senior class and I can’t imagine my life without them.”

“The masks worn by the girls in the photo were unusable by healthcare workers and other first responders because of their age and irregular fit,” said Hardin-Zollo’s mother Nanette Hardin of the portraits.

Hardin, who took the photo, said these masks had also been used to filter smoke during recent wildfires.

“As seniors, we want to celebrate the end of high school and hug our friends just out of reach,” said Rachel Burgess. “Six feet out of reach to be precise. We mourn the loss of all the end-of-school rituals and we yearn to be going out into the world. And yet we choose to isolate because we want to help keep people safe. I think maybe our isolation is a way of coming together.”