By Cole Miska

Contributing

Writer he MSR has had a long tradition of featuring local high school graduates in the newspaper, and this year is no exception. However, this year’s graduating seniors have had a four-year high school experience perhaps like none other.

Most have endured an entire year of distance learning during the pandemic, felt the impact of social movements and racial uprisings in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and Amir Locke’s shooting, while trying to adapt to a new reality of disruption and displacement from COVID and the loss of classmates to gun violence.

What is remarkable about this snapshot of the Class of 2023 is their perseverance and resilience in the face of tremendous challenges. Their stories should give us optimism and hope for the future, and a reason to applaud their efforts.

Name: Tate Mack

Age: 18

South High School (Online), Minneapolis

GPA: 3.80

Tate Mack did all four years of high school online, but he does not feel that he missed out on anything.

“From my perspective, I just felt like the in-person environment never really worked for me very well to begin with,” Mack said. “I don’t feel like I missed out on anything so much as I gained an opportunity.”

Tate Mack Photo by Chris Juhn

Mack originally started online, as he said the chaotic environment of in-person classes made it difficult for him to do academic work. He said online courses allowed him to work at whatever pace he was comfortable with and was a welcome change.

He was part of his school’s e-sports club and entered a Super Smash Bros. league (gamers sports competition). He won the tournament for South High School two years in a row.

Tate Mack plans to attend Macalester in the fall, where he has already received the Posse scholarship, a full-ride, four-year scholarship. He has not decided on a major but is considering psychology and is looking forward to his future.

“I feel like it’s difficult not to be [optimistic] with the position I’m in at the moment,” Mack said.

Name: Nalah Fearce

Age: 17 Hopkins High School, Minnetonka

GPA: 3.39

Nalah Fearce attended high school in Hopkins, where a hybrid in-person/ online curriculum was used during the pandemic. Fearce says that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, she considers her high school experience to be “kind of normal,” because of the school’s efforts to bring the community together despite distance-learning.

Fearce says the most memorable experience from high school was when she organized a week of protests after the shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis police in early 2022. A majority of the student body joined either the sit-in, walk-out, or march she helped organize.

“We heard the news that weekend and then we came to school. It was not being talked about at all,” Fearce said. “Everybody was going about their day like it was a regular day. This isn’t right. We’re not going to let injustice go unspoken in our building. We’re going to talk about it, we’re going to have everyone here.” other, grandmother, sister, friend, and former Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder co-publisher, Norma Jean Williams, passed away Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

Fearce and other organizers convinced the school to make the curriculum more inclusive. The school will be adding an AP African American history class next year.

Fearce has not chosen a college yet, but has been accepted to 14 different schools, with some offering full scholarships.

Norma was born in Des Moines, Iowa on December 28, 1941, to parents Wallace O’Neal and Launa (Quincy) Jackman, the first of two children. She passed away peacefully at the age of 81, at home where she resided with her daughter, Tracey. She was preceded in death by her parents, her father Wallace Jackman, and her mother Launa Newman.

Norma moved to Minneapolis in 1965 with her then husband James Williams, Sr., and two young daughters, to join her mother and brother Wallace “Jack” Jackman Jr., and began her association with the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (then the Minneapolis Spokesman and the St. Paul Recorder). She often joined the newspaper’s backroom performing many duties. Her involvement increased in 1976, when she became the paper’s vice president, during which time she interviewed local and national notables. Her writing skills were also put to use when she interviewed visiting celebrities like Eartha Kitt, Rosa Parks, James Brown, and B.B. King for the newspaper.

Norma’s “Bachelors and Bachelorettes” weekly column that culminated in an annual gala event was very successful at providing opportunities for singles— young and old—to meet, so much so that many long- married couples can now trace their relationships back to Norma’s matchmaking skills. Her sense of humor was quick and razor sharp, leading to a popular run as a stand-up comedian performing at various locations around the Twin Cities, as well as becoming a radio personality on local radio stations KMOJ and KFAI. Later in life, Norma went back to school and earned a CNA certificate and a desire to serve and care for the elderly.

Norma is mostly admired and appreciated greatly for her heart and opening her doors to many. She invited those who didn’t have anywhere else to go into her home, and they immediately became extended family. Her smile was infectious and her company was enjoyed by most who came in contact with her. Norma is survived by her children Vicky, Tracey, James Jr, Greg and Tina, and her brother Wallace Jackman Jr. She leaves behind a host of friends and family, including 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, to cherish her memory and continue her legacy.

The memorial service will take place on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 2 p.m., at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses, 701 Humboldt Ave. North, Minneapolis, MN. The service will be streamed virtually and can be joined via Zoom ID: 237 723 0277 Password: 120190. Services will be followed by a celebration of life at 6 p.m., at the Chambers Hotel, 901 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55403.