In Focus
Class of Resilience Pandemic leads to many teaching moments for 2020 graduates BY EMMALEE ITALIA Contributing Editor
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hen students of the Class of 2020 pictured their graduation year, it included class trips, traditional senior proms, and final sports seasons. Eighth-graders looked forward to school dances, play performances and saying goodbye to teachers they’ve known for nine “If any group of years or more – anything but people could tackle what has transpired since March. a chaotic future Though none would have elected for
with optimism … it’s the Class of 2020.” Notre Dame High School senior Quentin Autry found graduating during COVID-19 to be “a period of self-reflection.” Mike Ehrmann photo
social isolation during this milestone year, many have grown and met challenges of school during COVID-19 in unexpected ways.
LESSONS FROM HOME Forced to adjust to a new way of learning and interacting in a virtual environment, high school seniors and eighth-graders faced an additional challenge: to make the best of a year that should have been filled with memory-making outings and traditions. Senior Quentin Autry, student government president of Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, found that the past few Continued on 22
June 2020 THE MONITOR MAGAZINE 7