An open letter to my peers

Dear Calvert High Class of 2020,

Four years ago, we walked through the doors of Calvert High for our first day of freshman year, entering a new journey in our lives. We were told that these four years would fly by, and if you were like me, you were thinking they would be the longest four years of your life. Many of us yearned for friendships, relationships, and everything in-between, yet here we stand trying to savor our last moments together before our next journey begins. For many of us, commencement may seem like the end, but it is rather just the beginning.

We made it through four years of daunting schoolwork and tests, friendships, relationships, spirit week, homecoming, sports seasons, and our one and only junior prom, not to mention the biggest obstacle of all- sacrificing the most exciting time of our high school career to stay safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I cannot get too far into this speech without addressing the elephant in the room, which is, none of us expected to graduate this way. None of us were prepared for what was to come when we walked out the doors of Calvert High School on March 13^th. Over the last 3 months, we’ve experienced a whirlwind of emotions: anxiousness of learning in an online environment; fear of the pandemic and the health of our friends and loved ones; frustration in coping with technology and not being able to have face-to-face interaction; and maybe for those of us who aren’t as social, relief to be able continue learning from that safe space at home. No matter what emotions you have felt, we all went through it together, and it has led up to the greatest feeling of all; a sense of fulfillment that we finally made it to this day.

We have experienced something that no other graduating class before us has had to endure. We survived the emotions that came with it, passed our classes in an online environment, and most of us stayed healthy through it all. That, in itself, is something we should all be proud of.

The best advice I have received and have taken through my grade school career is to always work hard and put forth your best in everything you do, but that’s not the advice I want to pass on with you today. There is a much greater meaning behind hard work and success, and that is your happiness. You can go into the workforce, go to college, earn a degree, travel the world, become rich and live in Hollywood, but it won’t mean anything if you’re not happy doing it. So, my friends, do something with your life that makes you happy. Don’t do it for someone else, do it for yourself. I hope all your hopes and dreams take you wherever you want them to. I will miss you all, thank you for the best four years of my life.

All the best,

Angel Gingras

Editor-in-Chief 2019-2020