Two weeks ago I was preparing myself for the eventful next few months of my senior year. I was preparing for my BPA state competition, planning for my spring break trip to Jamaica, in the middle of designing the next school paper, signing up for the National Journalism Convention in Nashville, and starting to go prom dress shopping. But now, all these plans have drastically changed. School has now been canceled until at least mid-April because of the pandemic occurring. Of course I appreciate all the precautions being taken and understand that they are necessary , but I cannot help but worry that all of the events and experiences I have been waiting on are no longer going to happen.

Since I was a little kid, I was always so excited to graduate in 2020, the start of a new decade to end my senior year. Senior year is very bittersweet. There are days where I absolutely dread waking up and going to school (thanks senioritis!), but there are also days where I don’t want the memories to end. Thinking that I could miss out on so many of the events that you only experience once is heartbreaking. I might not get to have a decision day or a prom. I might not get to participate in a senior prank or senior skip day. And I might not get to walk the stage at graduation. The idea of this is devastating; I’ve worked hard to finally reach these days and now my family and friends might not get to see me cross the stage to obtain my diploma. 

For the past 12 years, we have worked so hard to get to where we are. We have learned how to spell, write in cursive, all about cells, and we can’t forget the quadratic formula. We have worked to succeed in all we do, whether it was getting that A on the history test, beating our rival team, getting that lead role you always wanted, or making it to a state competition. Class of 2020, our dedication and hard work has been seen, but it now seems, was it all worth it? 

To the class of 2020, you’re not alone. We are all in this together. This is not the way we’ve envisioned our last few months of high school to be spent, but remember we are strong. Be there for one another during this time, and let’s make sure we still make 2020 “our year.”