With school cancellations brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, high school seniors have been faced with disappointing changes and lost opportunities during their final year.

Members of the Parkland community, however, are coming together to give these graduates some of the proper send off they deserve.

Alicia Kumernitsky of North Whitehall Township, creator and administrator of the “Parkland ADOPT a Senior 2020” Facebook group, spoke with The Press April 26 about efforts to uplift members of the graduating class.

“Our seniors are losing out on a big chunk of memorable things this year, and even though we aren’t able to give them back their sport seasons, and their goodbyes to their friends and teachers, and their graduations and proms, we want to be able to give them some cheer and just brighten their days,” she said.

Kumernitsky, whose sons attend Ironton Elementary and Orefield Middle School, said she was originally reaching out to local people and businesses to provide support during this time of crisis.

She said this push to help the community led her to start the adopt-a-senior program.

“I actually saw a couple things starting on Facebook, other schools and things like that,” she said. “I was actually invited to participate in one and was looking at it …

“I adopted a senior from a different school and thought this was a neat program, so I was looking around to see if anybody at Parkland had started it.”

After enlisting the help of her friend, Amy Spang, to help with administration and organization, Kumernitsky said the group’s Facebook page was created around April 14 and she began contacting parents to get the effort rolling.

“I created the group with an explanation of what it was going to be, and I just reached out to some parents of seniors I knew on Facebook and asked them to reach out to other parents of seniors,” she said. “I started it with just parents of seniors, so obviously I can have them create bios or nominate other seniors to be adopted.

“I wanted to be able to have seniors to be adopted before I invited people from the community to participate.”

By adopting a senior, community members connect with the senior’s family, learn what the graduate likes, and send along notes of encouragement, letters, gifts, college memorabilia, care packages or other items which will be delivered to the graduate to lift their spirits.

“Find out what their favorite snacks are, what their favorite restaurants are, where they’re going to school … if it’s somebody who you know or don’t know, find out more about them and what you can do to brighten their day,” she said.

She explained that while she and the administrators will help facilitate connections outside Facebook or assist with messaging issues, the conversation details and personal information is kept private between the senior’s family and the adoptive family.

All deliveries of notes, gifts or care packages are also handled by the families or sponsoring individuals themselves.

As of April 26, the group has adopted 258 seniors - approximately a quarter of the 2020 graduating class - and Kumernitsky hopes more people reach out with nominations.

“We want the most seniors we can get,” she said.

The adoption program is mainly conducted through Facebook, but group members are encouraged to reach out to friends or contacts outside of the platform - whether by email, text or word-of-mouth - and encourage them to nominate a Parkland senior.

Although the school district is not involved in the adopt-a-senior effort, Kumernitsky said numerous school staff are involved in celebrating the graduates.

“I have a lot of teachers actually part of the group,” she said. “I have some former principals. I know I have a former elementary school principal who is following up with some of her past students, which has been a really cool thing for her to see some of these students, see what they’re up to and where they’re going.”

She added parents have been asked to tag or “check-in” at their senior’s elementary school “so the teachers can follow the students as well.”

She noted some teachers and classes have been following the journey of former students through their Parkland career and beyond.

Kumernitsky was asked about the feedback from adoptees and their families.

She said that for a recent effort the response has been very positive.

“It’s really taken off even better than what we’ve expected,” she said.

“People have been so awesome about dropping off great care packages and notes of encouragement, and memorabilia for where the seniors are going to be attending college, just really neat things …

“It’s been really cool, and the parents of the seniors have been able to get a lot of smiles as well.”

Kumernitsky said she and the group have received many happy messages and posts from parents whose seniors have been adopted by the community.

As of April 26 on Facebook, “There’s 185 different posts of things that people have done, and of kids smiling and being so excited for the things done for them,” Kumernitsky explained.

In addition to bringing cheer, Kumernitsky said the senior adoptions have also formed new connections within the community as families find mutual interests and activities with one another.

“I’ve noticed some people have adopted people their families know, but I’ve noted that some people have adopted people who they didn’t know at all at the beginning, and then have grown in just this week or so. I’ve gotten so many amazing messages about different, very cool connections and unique stories in just 10 days.”

Kumernitsky also said the adoption efforts and community spirit can help boost morale for families facing ongoing social and economic struggles brought on by the pandemic who may not be in a position to celebrate.

“It’s not about you having to adopt a senior. There are plenty of people looking to adopt your senior,” she said. “It ends up making their senior happy, which in turn turns their entire family morale around.”

Kumernitsky is happy to see the Parkland community coming together to spread happiness, and that the group hopes to see as many senior nominations and adoptions as possible.

“We really feel our hearts are with the graduating class,” she said. “We wish we could do more for them, but we really, really hope that what is being done right now … it can do something for them and at least make this time that they’re going through a little bit easier.

“We just really want to do as much as we can for these kids.”

Families or individuals looking to nominate a senior for adoption are encouraged to join the “Parkland ADOPT a Senior 2020” Facebook group, inform a group member, or email Kumernitsky at aliciaheckman@msn.com with “Parkland Adopt a Senior” in the subject line.