East Cobb senior Iris Giulianelli Archives

Iris Giulianelli, Kell High School senior

Iris Ann Giulanielli was on her way to pick up her prom dress when she heard that the Cobb County School District was cancelling in-person classes for the rest of the school year.

While she already had one foot in the college door after two years of dual enrollment classes at Kennesaw State University, that’s when it dawned on the Kell senior that her her high school days would end in a very unusual way.

“I was looking forward to the next step [college] more than I was walking across that stage,” Giulianelli said. “I saw this coming, and based on the events that led up to this, I tried to be aware.”

When the closures were announced, one of the casualties was a chorus class that she dearly loved. Not only was it a way to stay connected with schoolmates she hadn’t seen all that often, but it was a balance to the math- and science-heavy curriculum she’s been undertaking as an upperclassman.

Students were given the option of keeping the grade they had earned as of March 13, when schools closed. After a week, Giulianelli put the brakes on that class.

Online learning, she said, “isn’t ideal” for that and other classes.

She also said was challenging to finish the coursework for calculus and physics courses without labs, and she missed having one-on-one in-person consultations with teachers.

“They aren’t classes to be taken online,” Giulianelli said, saying she’s tried to approach the situation as a different kind of learning experience as best she can.

“It’s a new skill I’m learning,” she said. “I’m okay. I’m surviving.”

Kell senior Iris Giulianelli — *Iris Giulianelli (right) and her twin sister Opal enjoyed their time in New York City last summer during Kell’s performing arts trip.*

As she finished up her final classes, Giulianelli was able to return to her job at the Hallmark store near Town Center Mall. It recently reopened after being closed following COVID-19 shutdowns, so she’ll be able to earn some extra money over the summer.

During her Kell years, she played junior varsity and varsity volleyball and was a leader the school’s Sources of Strength organization, a student group offering support to their peers about suicide prevention.

“The opportunities at Kell for work and internship were just what I wanted,” she said. “It’s comforting to know that I was being prepared.”

At the same time, she began preparations for a student private pilot’s license. She’s been accepted to the University of Alabama at Huntsville to study aerospace engineering, and is taking in stride how, and when, her college career might begin, given the circumstances.

“I know I’ve done a good job and I’m proud of myself,” Giiulianelli said.

“Yes, things are different. You can only be so cautious, but I think I’m doing my part.”

There are a lot of unknowns for this Class of 2020 to navigate that don’t have a point of reference, but Giulianelli said she’s reassured by what she learned and how she grew during her days at Kell.

“I had a lot of opportunities, but that cannot be said for everyone else,” she said.

“For me, it’s been great. Not every student gets that kind of support at home. I’ve been very lucky.”