Editor’s note: To the Class of 2020, I can’t imagine what you are going through – the loss of things hoped for, things dreamed of, things thousands of young people who have come before you took for granted. But, please know you WILL get through this. This end to your school years is just a part of your story, a story that will be forever a part of our collective history.
The following is written by Columbia River High School Senior Jaxon Pace, a member of CRTV, who is creating a video of the Class of 2020, by the Class of 2020:
On the morning of March 13, the class of 2020 woke up, thinking that it would be just a normal school day.
We knew that there was a virus going around, but we never thought that they would cancel school over it. On Monday, April 6th, 2020, at 2:30 PM, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, did just that, announcing that school would not take place in person, until the fall of the 2020-2021 school year.
Over the past 13 years, we have been working towards the moment that we walk across the stage at graduation, the athletes were looking forward to their last season of high school sports, clubs were looking forward to and preparing for state and national competitions, guys and girls alike were preparing for prom. That’s not happening. Instead, we are going online, taking digital classes, staying home, and not going outside.
The class of 2020 will, in all likelihood, not get to experience some of the things that we were told we would get to do as seniors. Senior prom, Senior Skip Day, Commencement and the Grad Party after.
In an effort to have my classmates, my fellow seniors, express their feelings about this whole situation, I created a project, using my set of skills. For the past four years, I have been involved in the video production program at Columbia River High School, so I figured, I would create a video for the class of 2020, by the class of 2020.
I wanted to know how people felt, how they were reacting. So I sent out a request to my fellow seniors to record a video of themselves answering some questions. I wanted to know what makes them the saddest about school being canceled? What is their favorite memory of the last four years? What do they feel like they’re missing out on? What do they think that this will mean historically? And then I asked if there was anything else that they wanted to add about their senior year. I’m going to take all these videos, and edit them together.
I do want to encourage my fellow seniors at other schools, other districts, and even other states, to do the same. We can send a unifying message out.
If you would like to see the video, when it is finished, follow @CRTV19 on Instagram, and @CRTVInfo on Twitter. Please also share this information around to Seniors, both at Columbia River High School and other high schools. Contact information for sending in videos is listed on our Instagram post.
Stay Home, Stay Healthy.
Please note, if you are a High School Senior, or have one in your family, and would like to share your perspective on how the existing environment has impacted you, please reach out to us at [email protected]
