Brainstorming ideas with her parents at the dinner table, Oak Park High School senior Solei Burgess wanted to find a way to unite the seniors who were unable to experience their final semester of high school.

“When I first found out that the school year was over, I was heartbroken,” Burgess wrote to the Talon. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to most of my friends, and I was scared that I wouldn’t get to see them again.”

Burgess and her parents came to an agreement on an idea and put it into works.

“I shared a Google Form, where I am collecting the addresses and names of all the seniors who would like to participate,” Burgess wrote. “I will share the map [of addresses and names] with everyone, and people can use it to find where their peers, friends or other seniors live [and] they can leave little notes, congratulations or even little presents in their mailboxes.”

One of Burgess’s hopes is to involve the entire Oak Park community, outside of just students, to share treats with OPHS seniors.

“I really think it a great idea that she was able to create something to help unify the class of 2020 through this time,” senior Bryce Green wrote. “By doing that — it really helps the seniors [to] try to make the best of the time they have left in high school.”

If you are a senior who would like to participate in this project, you can fill out the Google Form here or visit the publicized map.

“Mostly, I just hope that it brings up the spirits of many seniors, gives them something to look forward to, gives them something to keep themselves entertained during quarantine, and shows them that they are loved and appreciated, as I know how much many of them are struggling right now,” Burgess wrote.