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Bethany Huot

In this article I am going to be writing about my graduation. I am a senior in highschool. Being a senior during this crazy time in our world with the corona virus is very hard. I was not able to go to school for over half of my 2nd semester. I am not able to see my friends, or the people that I probably will never get to see for the rest of my life. I practically grew up with all of my classmates, I spent my first 18 years of my life with them in school and now I can’t say goodbye. It is really hard to swallow that we can not celebrate together with this big accomplishment we all went through together. There are so many things we are missing out on in our last highschool year. Even on our graduation day, we can not do many things that are always planned for the seniors every year, there is always a banquet and a day filled with things that the seniors do together. And the fact that we can’t do any of those things brings tears to my eyes. Our graduation is virtual, we are supposed to go with a small group of our class and take a video of us getting our diploma. We get to bring 4 special people with us to watch, which is nice. The day that our graduation was supposed to be, the video we took is going to be posted all over the world on tv, so all of my siblings and family that live far away can watch as well, which is also nice. I understand and feel for the teachers and school district as well, because a lot of people are being hard on them for only giving us this for our graduation. I really do think that they are trying their best and want the best for us. I understand that this is all they can do, I think if they could do more they definitely would. I feel bad because people don’t understand that and are making them feel bad. All of this is a terrible and sad way to end our biggest accomplishment in life, and something we have been looking forward to our whole life, but we will get through it and these times are like no other and a time we will never ever forget.

Haley Burger

With everything going on in the world right now, a normal graduation is not going to happen. It’s sad but I am also grateful that we can still have some kind of graduation even if it is not going to be how it has been in the past. We have been in school for around thirteen years and a graduation is supposed to celebrate all that you have accomplished in those thirteen years and celebrate finishing school. It is something we all look forward to. You are supposed to have all your family and friends there to cheer you on and celebrate with you. This year, we don’t get that. It is hard to think that we won’t be getting to walk across the stage and hear our family and friends cheer for us. It is sad that we won’t be able to experience a graduation. We will still have some kind of graduation but it will still not be the same. Most everybody in the world who have graduated have that memory of graduation, walking across the stage and getting their diploma. We are going to be the people that won’t be able to say that. We missed out on a lot of things our senior year because of what is going on in the world right now. It is really sad to think about but there is nothing we can do about it. We have to keep a positive attitude and hope for the best because that is all we really can do.

Kenady Burris

I really like to watch movies, especially if they are inspiring. My personal favorite would have to be the movie Cinderella Man. I love this movie because it shows, if you put your mind to something you can achieve it. This movie is really inspiring to me because when I watch it I feel like I can accomplish what I really want.

This movie takes place in the late 1920s during the Great Depression when James J. Braddock was at his peak of boxing. The thing is, he put almost all of his money into the stock market so when it crashed, his family had next to nothing. After the movie started with happiness and celebration, the second scene showed Jim and his family living in a little apartment wearing ragged clothes. The entire movie shows how this family got through this tough time. There were different parts of the movies that showed how desperate Jim was. One scene was showing Jim going to get work at a loading dock along with many other men. Another scene was showing him begging for money from the wealthy people of boxing. This scene really makes me happy because you think none of them are going to give him money, but then one man steps up and gives him some starting a chain of people giving Jim money. I have watched this movie many times, but the best part had to be when Jim was in his final fight of the movie, and he was fighting the number one in the world. It was one of the most intense fights of the movie because everyone expected him to lose within a few minutes, but he proved them wrong. Jim didn’t knock out his opponent and his opponent didn’t knock him out. The judges ended up deciding who won, and unexpectedly, they chose Jimmy. This scene gives me joy because it shows that if you believe in something, you can do it. You have to believe in yourself if you want to accomplish something. That is why this is my favorite movie, there are so many things you learn while watching it.

What’s summer going to look like? Is the pandemic going to clear up and we can go out and have fun, or is it going to stay the same? Is it going to get worse? I've asked myself all of these questions because I am really curious to see what’s going to happen. I have always told myself that I am going to have the craziest summer, but what if I can’t this year. There’s all these ‘What If’ questions I ask myself and I don’t know the answers to them.

I want my summer to be filled with fun with my friends or make some new ones, I don’t know. I love listening to summer songs with my friends not worrying about the days to come. I want this summer to be the one before I have to start working. Let’s be honest, not a lot of people like their jobs in high school because they're just temporary. I don’t want my summer to be filled up with me working a job I don't like, if anything I’ll work a job I actually like. If I have to work, I might as well like it and have fun doing it. What if I don’t have a job because of the pandemic, like a lot of people. If that’s the case, then great! I can have the summer I want, but eventually I need to pay for gas and things I want eventually like everyone else. Right?

What if I don’t have my job? Then I won’t be able to drive my car or buy things I need or want. What if I do get my job? Then I won’t have the summer I really wanted for the last time. The real question isn’t ‘What If’, if anything it’s ‘What do I do?’

Kylie Ludwig

This past month has honestly been a roller coaster of emotions from not being able to spend your last months of highschool with all of the classmates you have grown up with to not being able to have a normal graduation ceremony. I think we all deserved better than this and it’s honestly disappointing that it has to happen to anyone. Everyone says how they feel so bad for all of the seniors not being able to graduate this year but I don’t think anyone knows how we are actually feeling during this time. Most of our parents' older siblings and older friends got to be able to experience walking across a stage and getting handed a diploma in front of all of their families and close friends. And younger siblings and family are more than likely going to be able to get to have that experience too. None of us thought that the graduation ceremony we are going to be having next week would have to be planned out like this. We should be spending all of the time that we can with our class because we are all going to go our separate ways after highschool and who knows when we will see some people again. All that I can say is that we have to keep our heads up high and find the joy in things. As a class I think that we can make next week's ceremony better than it sounds!

Makenna Onyambu

As a senior, I wish the school year would have ended differently. The last twelve years we’ve been led on this journey to the end of high school, to graduation. It’s been the ultimate goal for so long. I have been looking forward to the very last day of high school ever since I could remember. Graduation was exciting for my friends and I and COVID-19 has taken a lot from us. Not only us but everyone. COVID-19 has taken our friends, family members, and special moments like graduations. We have also had prom and sports taken from us. What I was looking forward to most was having both my mom and my dad with me seeing this big accomplishment together. I was also looking forward to receiving my diploma and knowing that it would be one of the many things I can and will accomplish in my life. It’s hard to not be able to have a graduation ceremony with my friends and family, but I believe this setback will bring me and so many others bigger and better things in life. I’ve been keeping a positive mindset through this pandemic because I know that this too shall pass. I believe us seniors should be thinking about how we can move forward from this and what possibilities will we have in our future.

Nick Mitzel

The Truman Show is my favorite movie of all-time. I love everything it stands for and the message it portrays. To put the story into basic terms, the film is about a man on a reality TV show but he doesn’t know it. The man's name is Truman Burbank played by Jim Carrey. Everyday of his life as an episode of “The Truman Show,” being broadcasted to everyone on Earth. It’s the most popular show and he is the most well known celebrity and he doesn’t even know it. Every episode of his life people tune in to see him go through his everyday life just like them. Truman’s life takes place in a huge dome that houses him and hundreds of paid actors around him. A fake neighborhood with fake families. Truman’s own mother is a paid actor, his friendships and relationships are all just made up. Truman’s path is created by a man named Christof (Ed Harris). Christof is the director and writer of this entire operation, making all of the decisions and the environment around Truman. He acts as a god, apparently the writer Andrew Niccol gave him the name on purpose as the name Christofer has the word Christ in it.

Slowly throughout the movie Truman begins to appear crazy to his fellow co-stars as he develops the idea that his life is a lie. He begins paying attention to very minor details and occurrences around him, analyzing his neighbors tendencies. As he’s attempting to understand his reality he fights with himself on whether he’s wrong or not. Will he unravel his true reality or will he simply accept the reality he’s been given? I strongly recommend this film to anyone and everyone. Hopefully it has the same impact on you as it had on me.

Emily Stroot

Gossip Girl has to be one of the best shows made. I would say that it is one of my top three favorites. It is a show that is surrounding the lives of rich teenagers living in New York city. Their lives are full of drama, scandals, backstabbing, thrills, and even a little danger. There are many characters that make the show what it is. The main characters are Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf, Chuck Bass, Dan Humphrey, Jenny Humphrey, Nate Archibald, Lily van der Woodsen, Rufus Humphrey, Bart Bass, and Eric van der Woodsen.

The whole show is based not only around the teenagers and parents of the youths, but a widely known website. It is called, you guessed it, Gossip Girl. It is a website where people send in tips or scandals about other people for Gossip Girl to expose on her site. Once she gets a tip, she sends it out at what always seems to be the worst times for the spoiled teens. It is sent to everyone at once. So if it is a big scandal, everyone freaks out and all heck breaks loose.

My favorite character in the show would either have to be Blair or Serena. They are the two “besties” in the show. Blair is a beautiful brunette who is very judgemental and practically queen B at school. Serena on the other hand is the other queen at school. She was quite a wild child in her earlier years during high school and went away for a while. When she came back all eyes were on her.

One of the things I love most about this show is that it always ends with her catchy phrase. “You know you love me. Xoxo, Gossip Girl.