With school coming to a close, you are finishing your last months of senior year, ready to embrace summer vacation. Graduation is around the corner, and you make plans with your friends for your senior trip and spend as much time together before you part ways for college. All of a sudden, a pandemic outbreak cancels all your plans and with the law keeping you inside, you feel all of your senior excitement is lost.

Although many seniors are disappointed with the outcome of their final months of high school, senior Cole McCarter has promoted his family’s positive outlook on the pandemic through quarantine themed senior portraits.

“My mom had wanted to do some senior photos all year,” McCarter said. “I love funny senior photos, so we decided to do Coronavirus themed photos.”

The idea for the unique photo was originally found from another pandemic post becoming popular in another state according to McCarters’ Mom, Karen. 

“Our neighbor is actually the one who took the picture of Cole,” Karen said. “She is a photographer and has seen a post in another state of “quarantine porch” family photos. I quickly sent her a message that I didn’t want family photos and sent in my idea. She responded loving the idea and was happy to do it. It was something silly to do to embrace the time.”  

Cole believed that his ability to make light of the situation allowed him to bring humor and happiness to the other seniors.    

“It was a comical post to make people smile,” Cole said. “With everything the way it is right now, it’s nice to find joy and to make others laugh.”

The quarantine pictures with Cole immediately got views and became quite popular, according to Karen. 

“I posted the pictures to my Facebook, our neighborhood Facebook, and the Bowie parent page,” Karen said. “I have gotten a lot of feedback from all the posts and the Bowie page has over 150 likes.”

Karen believes that while the global pandemic can cause stress and boredom, it has allowed for the McCarter family to spend more time together and connect as a family.

“Before COVID-19, Cole was rarely home,” Karen said. “He was with his friends or working, and was preparing to leave for the Navy in August. This has given us quality family time and will create pictures and memories that we will cherish forever.”

Cole believes that his senior pictures being shared with the public will create a strong message for all high school seniors and their parents.  

“I think we all need to find a silver lining,” Cole said. “It would be cool if other seniors made their own take on what I did to try and stay positive.”

According to Karen, having an upbeat outlook toward the pandemic will be the most valued memory for her family.  

 “Cole is my only child and senior events are something that I have looked forward to for 18 years,” Karen said. “However, I don’t want him to remember this time as sad, I want him to remember it as a time our family came together and made the best of a crazy time. I have a picture frame that has a picture of Cole from Kindergarten to eleventh grade, with the middle senior spot waiting to be filled. You better believe this picture will be in the center of that frame.”