SANDPOINT — Right now Sandpoint High seniors should be looking for a date to one of the most memorable nights of their lives — prom. Instead, they are confined to their homes and away from their lifelong friends due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Life as they know it has been flipped upside down. They had no say and no control but each and every day seniors are missing out on memories they could be making in their final few months of high school.

With all the uncertainty and sadness surrounding the seniors, something needed to be done to help get them through these tough times. That’s where Melissa Irish stepped in.

Irish, the mother of senior Jaycie Irish, saw a Facebook group dedicated to giving back to high school seniors around the country. It was a forum where people could post blurbs about seniors who are being stripped of their final moments at school and individuals could comment and “adopt” a senior by sending them a gift, note or anything to encourage them.

Irish shared the idea with her daughter and Jaycie loved it so Irish started a Facebook group locally to give back to the SHS 2020 senior class.

Last Thursday, Irish created the “Adopt a Sandpoint High School Class of 2020 Senior” page. Quickly, parents and students joined and it wasn’t long before it spread like wildfire. As of Friday morning, the group had reached 1,000 members.

“Creating the Adopt a Senior page is something I did to not only help my daughter and her classmates, but help lift the spirits of our community,” Irish wrote in an email.

The adoption process is pretty simple. All people have to do is comment on posts made by parents and loved ones of seniors on the page and say they are willing to adopt them and send something, whether it is a letter or a care package full of the senior’s favorite snacks. Then the parent or loved one who put that senior up for adoption, messages that individual and gives them a mailing address and a list stocked full of the senior’s likes and interests.

Once a senior has been adopted, posts are updated from #notadopted to #adopted. And the best part is seniors can be adopted multiple times so some are receiving five gifts all from different people.

So far, 111 seniors from SHS, Forrest Bird Charter School and Lake Pend Oreille Alternative High School have been adopted. Most of the adopters in the group are parents and friends of seniors, but alumni have also joined in.

Irish said the response has been amazing and she’s glad this effort has been able to bring joy to the seniors and their families.

“It’s awe-inspiring to see how much these seniors are loved and cared for by their friends, families and our community,” she wrote. “Parents are posting wonderful pictures on the page of their children with the gifts they are already receiving. This group has truly brightened the dark days these kids are going through.”

The gifts seniors have gotten have varied from simple cards with encouraging words to cases of pop to gallons of Tillamook ice cream.

Ashley Authier, who is missing out on her final season of softball, is one of the SHS seniors that has benefited from the movement. The first gift she received was delivered to her front door by her sister’s friend. Ashley said the gift basket lifted her spirits.

“It’s just nice to know people are thinking of me and all the other seniors,” she said.

Ashley’s mom, Vicki, is one of the parents who has been scrolling through the Facebook group and adopting one senior after another. Vicki has sent out five gifts and hopes the gesture lifts kids’ morale and gives them a memory to look back on 20 years from now.

“I just feel like they’ve been cheated out of their senior year,” she said.

Katie Korn’s care package was crammed full of some of her favorite things: bath salts, lotion, a candle, Goldfish crackers and all sorts of candy. The senior said it’s been difficult doing school online because it’s hard to stay focused and motivated with all the distractions of being home.

Korn wishes the senior class could finish out the year together, but the gift she received helped her realize that this isn’t permanent and there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s helps me just know that I’m not alone,” she said, “and that everyone is in the same boat and it will eventually end, and people are out there who want to support you and be there for you.”

Senior Madalyn Mattila has gotten four gifts so far and one of the care packages included popcorn, ice cream, root beer and Junior Mints.

She said it put a smile on her face.

“It really meant a lot because it showed that people kind of noticed what was going on,” Mattila said, “and were caring about the seniors, helping brighten their day and giving them something to look forward to.”

Mattila said the gifts have helped her get through life without school and seeing her friends on a daily basis.

“I miss it a lot,” she said. “It’s definitely weird to think that there’s probably a lot of memories I’m missing out on.”

Irish has spent several hours over the past week responding to people on the Facebook page, answering questions and making sure things are running smoothly. Irish and her husband, Rusty, were both born and raised in Sandpoint, and graduated from SHS.

Irish recalled all the memories she had during her senior of high school and has seen firsthand from her daughter how missing out on those moments is impacting kids around the country.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like to have that ripped away,” she said.

Irish plans on leaving the Facebook page up until the SHS graduation ceremony in early June to ensure they reach as many seniors as possible. Irish’s ultimate goal is to get every senior adopted, but she respects anyone who chooses not to participate.

Several parents from other high schools, including Wallace and Clark Fork, have reached out to Irish and asked her for guidance to start this effort in their communities.

“I think it’s easy for us as adults to forget that these are just 17 and barely 18-year-old kids,” Irish wrote. “All they’ve ever known is school, their friends, activities and sports. That’s all suddenly been taken from them ... This project is important because it’s bringing some light and happiness to help balance that loss. Plus, it’s just plain fun.”

Dylan Greene can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @DylanDailyBee.