2020 Grads

Page 2 CLASS OF 2020 LINCOLN DAILY NEWS JUNE 2020 It was the graduation that almost wasn’t T he complications of a global pandemic turned all our lives upside down. But for students, who may be the most socially engaged in our society, closing out this school year not only alienated all from their regular routines, friends and teachers, it also played havoc with some major events. Schools were suddenly closed and students told to study online - there was no in person socialization, no direct learning, no mentoring, no prom, no activities, no sports, no end of year trips, and just no anything, but stay at home. This seemed to be the NO year! Tough on students. One of the last concerns in this NO year was for graduates. For a little while they seemed left out as the pandemic took center stage across the nation - social distancing, wearing masks, closed businesses, stimulus checks; all those things took precedence. But for those students achieving a major benchmark entering into a new phase of life, graduation was EVERYTHING! The world stopped turning with changes for a brief moment late April, and all of a sudden the set-aside graduates-to-be were thought of. We couldn’t make things normal. This is not a normal year. Like many other pandemic isolation solutions, as a community we got creative and went one better over past traditions. We did social distancing responsible commencement videos that took weeks to conduct and edit. We did graduation vehicle parades. We did name placards on the courthouse lawn. And among other things, we did this graduation magazine dedicated to the eighth grade and senior high students commencing forward. Dear graduates, your achievement is indeed important to us, your community. We pause now to recognize your successes, your fortitude, and that of your teachers and administrators in completing this unprecedented school year. Good job. Well done. Congratulations! As you look to your next steps in life, tested like no class before you, you are going forth in strength. You have the insight and resilience to do good things! God bless you all! LDN will update this magazine with additional school honors and awards that are not yet available at this posting on June 4, 2020.