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The CHALKBOARD
McLaurin Destined for Greatness / Susan Bryant
The senior class of 2020 at McLaurin High School is special. In this class, there are athletes, scholars, wallflowers, and an array of other personalities that paint a perfect
picture of grace, diversity, and strength. This class WILL persevere. This class WILL overcome. This class WILL take the hand they have been dealt and they WILL go on to
do great things. In this class, there are future lawyers, doctors, teachers, welders, and a wide variety of other jobs that will be filled by this amazing class. The 2020 class
of McLaurin High School can handle anything that is thrown at them. They have faced an unprecedented ending to their high school days. We are certain that they will
be able to handle whatever life brings and they will do so with amazing grace and strength. We are proud of them, but most of all, we believe in them! This McLaurin
High School Class of 2020 WILL do great things.
Marice Graham
If nothing else, this year has shown
me the principle behind certain things.
For instance, to have a normal
graduation ceremony is fine. That is
what everyone is used to and what
everyone expects. However, not being
able to have one has shown me to
appreciate the principle behind
graduation. It’s not so much about
walking across the stage, all the cords
and medals, it’s about what you’re
graduating to. Whether that is a new
place to live, a new work place, a new
state, or even a new country, you’re
graduating to better and bigger things.
And frankly whether a ceremony occurs
or not, the new stages in our life will
take place regardless.
Lily Kaczkowski
Covid-19 has had a big impact on my
senior year. From graduation to end
of year hangouts with friends, it all
looks completely different that what
I had expected. But I’m so thankful
for the internet and improvisation.
I’m still finding a way to make the
end of my senior year a great one!
Kenning Bridges
As a senior, I assumed there’d be
certain things about high school I’d miss
most: pep rallies, football games, club
trips, and annual traditions. However,
because of this unexpected situation,
I now know that, while I will certainly
miss the bigger events of high school,
what I’ll miss most are the small things,
everyday things: hallway hugs,
lunchroom conversations, seeming cool
to underclassmen, a routine, laughing
with friends, club meetings, and even
just the familiar faces of the people I’ve
spent the last 12 years with! My high
school story has been a wonderful one,
from it’s beginning to it’s quite unique
ending! This wasn’t an ending anyone
expected, but it’s surely an ending
no one will ever forget!
Jakub McLean
As a senior in high school I was really
looking forward to this year. Until the
coronavirus completely shut down
anything school related. I have had to
change the way I learn, and be okay
with losing some major parts in my
final year of high school. I have lost the
chance to finish my varsity baseball
season, go to senior prom, and have a
traditional graduation with all of my
classmates. This year was so critical for
me due to this being my last year to
play baseball at McLaurin. I played one
game with my team, and then Covid-19
completely ruined the rest of my senior
year along with every other senior in
this class. Even after everything has
been cancelled, I would not change
one thing. These hard times have
shown me more about the people in my
community and how much they truly
care for everyone around them.
Brooke Musgrove
I started off the school year with many
expectations. I knew that I was going to
have all of these things that cemented a
person’s senior year. I looked forward to
pep rallies, a senior walk, prom, awards
day, graduation, and plenty of time to
hang out with friends before we all go
our separate ways after graduation.
However, after spring break things took
a turn for the worst. All of these things
that would close my senior year started
getting cancelled or changed. I will not
be having a senior awards night or
prom. My graduation will be vastly
different than the years before me.
A piece of my senior year feels like
an unfinished book. However, all of us
will be part of history books because
of the bizarre way that we are ending
our senior year.
Sam Atarji
This dramatic turn in the school year
has really been a shock for me. The
highly anticipated senior events
towards the final stretch of high school
seemed to vanish into thin air. If
anything, this experience has made me
realize how much I really do love school
and question if I took high school for
granted. It’s upsetting to not have prom,
a traditional graduation ceremony or
senior signing day, but some people
lost more than a dance, they lost their
own life or a loved one and I’m thankful
to still be here.
114 • JUNE 2020