Memorable Year for 2020 Graduates
Photo by Jordan Blackwell
By Valerie Sliker, Courtesy Wagener Monthly
This photo of WSHS Senior Gaige Starnes taken by Jordan Blackwell with a subtitle by Jennifer Starnes “The Lost Season of 2020” is a compelling reminder that COVID-19 denied our graduates many rites of passage typical of one’s senior year.
The final season for a high school Senior athlete is usually exciting, challenging and quite memorable. Sadly, this year, only one of those three applies and it applies to the whole senior class, not just the athletes: it is a memorable year.
The COVID-19 quarantine shut the schools down suddenly in March. While students found it a difficult adjustment, so much more did their parents who suddenly took on the role of teacher or at least teacher’s assistant. The teachers had a difficult adjustment as they learned to teach via Zoom and other apps. They had to be creative and diligent with students who had no internet access or personal cell phone. Admirably, they remained in steady contact with their students, finding creative ways to reach them individually. Then the final link in the chain of difficulty in education during a pandemic lies with the administrators, the principals and the district offices.