Dear Class of 2020,

On March 13, our school life completely changed. We were told that school would be switching to distance learning for two weeks. In the end, school was completely switched over for the rest of the school year.

Due to the abrupt decision to cancel school and the news that it’d only be for two weeks, we weren’t given the opportunity to say our goodbyes, not to the teachers, our friends or the other staff members. And now that we have to practice social distancing, saying goodbye face-to-face will have to be done from six feet away.

Saying goodbye wasn’t the only thing we lost. We also lost our senior prom. I didn’t go to prom last year, so I lost any chance of going to prom while in high school. I’m sure I’m not the only one lamenting over this loss.

Moreover, we lost our Senior Activities. I was looking forward to spending time having fun with the rest of the Class of 2020 and all of my senior friends.

We also lost the opportunity to get our yearbooks signed. Years from now we’re going to be going through our yearbooks just for the heck of it, and then we’ll see that the pages and the inside of the covers of our 2020 yearbooks are empty. Our last year of high school will be over and we’ll have no notes from our teachers from this year or our friends.

Additionally, a lot of us lost our sports season. Some of us weren’t able to play during our last year of high school, and others weren’t able to see many of our teams play. All that practice and anticipation for the season were forcibly turned to disappointment because of COVID-19.

I know that I’ve talked about many of the things we’ve lost because of the school closing, but that’s because I want us to face reality and grieve for what was supposed to be a great year.

The ending of this school year might’ve been a bust, but the school staff is doing all they can to try to get our spirits up. We may be disappointed and sad, but remember that we have people who care for us all around.

I’m not saying to hide or suppress your feelings, but be sure to properly grieve for all we’ve been looking forward to. We’ve lost a lot this year, and it’s okay to show your feelings about it. Just be sure to remember the school staff, your family, your friends and everyone else who’s there for you during this time.