Our Graduating Seniors

Every year, high school graduation is a time of pride and accomplishment that is mixed with a healthy level of fear of the next step.  So often, the undertone of graduation discussions is, “are they ready?”  Despite the anxiety of sending the next class of young adults to college, most students find their footing and ultimately land in a place where they can begin their adult life with independence and confidence.  This year, as I have attended high school graduation celebrations, the mood is a little different.  These students seem a bit more self-aware, a bit more self-assured, a bit more ready for whatever it is that they have chosen for next year.  The competition for school name or perfection doesn’t seem to be as obvious and no one is apologizing for their choice.  Collectively, they seem more comfortable with and ready for the next step in school and life.

This comfort might be due to the fact that this class has lost a lot due to the pandemic.  They lost about 30% of their time in traditional classrooms.  They lost sports that could have them be seen by colleges, they lost proms, they basically lost all of their upper classmen years.  Yet, for all of the loss, there were also gains that they made which will offer them a level of resilience that none of us had as we entered college.

As I have watched these students complete high school classes, make their college, gap year, or work choices, and celebrate the end of high school, I have witnessed a group who is less demanding of perfection and more aware of their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of growth.  Their parents’ hopes and worries seem the same as usual, but the students have a much better understanding of themselves due to the last year and a half.

While attending a graduation celebration over Memorial Day Weekend, I noticed that the students were mindful and thankful.  They were seeking out their teachers and were grateful for the care and attention that they had been given during the many iterations of “classroom” over the last two schoolyears.  They were eager to hug their loved ones and were engaged and engaging.  I never saw a phone out during the party. 

History has shown that adversity develops strength.  The teens of the depression and the world wars demonstrated greater grit and determination than other generations of teens, and it appears that the teens of the pandemic may now be able to join that group of more resilient youth.  This graduating class lost a lot due to alternate school structures, but also gained time, an awareness of what is really important, self-motivation, and a greater respect for their education and goals.  Ultimately, their required self-awareness has made them stronger and will only advantage them as we move back to more traditional learning. 

While we, the adults in their lives, worry about what was lost in the pandemic, it appears that this graduating class is focusing on what they gained and that they had time to make deliberate choices about their interests and future.  

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! You succeeded in some of the most trying times in our history.