A letter to the Class of 2020

Dear Class of 2020,

We walked into Blair as freshmen in Sept. 2016, completely unprepared for what the next four years would bring us. I remember being nervous about entering high school, adjusting to Blair’s block schedule and finding my place in such a large school.

Yet here we are! Four years have flown by, and it’s definitely ending on a different note than we could have ever imagined. High school was a roller coaster of a ride—we made new friends, studied late into the night, learned to drive and became role models for the underclassmen. We toiled and we thrived, and we grew up. At the back of our minds, we constantly looked forward to the bliss of second semester senior year.

I don’t know what you all expected for our last month of high school, but I had in mind something straight out of the movies: dancing the night away at prom, thanking my teachers for everything they’ve taught me, rediscovering the meaning of friendship at beach week, and finally, turning the tassel on my cap at our graduation ceremony. The COVID-19 pandemic has stripped all of these experiences from us.

It’s okay to be upset, angry or frustrated. We have worked incredibly hard in high school to reach this point, and it is devastating to lose the opportunity to celebrate with our friends and family. However, it’s important to recognize that the pandemic cannot take from us the memories we’ve made in Blair’s halls. Despite not receiving the closure you imagined to your high school career, I hope you will remember the good times you had at Blair and feel proud of all of your successes.

Pandemic aside, I’ve had the best four years of high school. When I come back and visit Blair, I will be even more thankful for what it has given me. I’ve experienced a firehose of joy, tears, memories and nostalgia, and wish I could do it all over again. But at the same time, I’m so glad that my freshman year self is behind me, and I’m looking forward with excitement to the future. There are so many amazing experiences lying ahead of all of us, just waiting to be discovered.

To everyone I’ve met at Blair, thank you for being a part of my life and shaping my high school experience. To the Silver Chips Online family, it’s been an honor to serve as one of your Editors-in-Chief alongside Sam for the past year. To the Class of 2020, whether you are heading off to college, entering the workforce or still figuring out the next chapter, I wish you the best of luck in the future as we all move on together to grander things.

Sincerely,

Emmy

Class of 2020 letter

Photo: Blair's class of 2020 graduates during the COVID-19 pandemic (courtesy of Audrey Haverland)

Blair's class of 2020 graduates during the COVID-19 pandemic (courtesy of Audrey Haverland)