'NOTHING CAN BREAK OUR BOND'

'Nothing can break our bond'

By Connor Barber 

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons

Valedictorian

I think I can safely say that nobody in my senior class was planning on ending our school year through Zoom calls and constant notifications on Remind. When I first heard of the news that were officially not returning to ND-BG to end our senior year my heart dropped. I immediately texted fellow classmates to share in the news. While we all had a feeling that this might end up happening, each and every senior was holding on to that last bit of hope. The hope that we could all participate in our senior athletic seasons and have a senior night. The hope to go into prom one last time with all of our best friends. The hope to stay late at our school at night and pull off the greatest senior prank of all time. Sadly, we quickly saw those hopes and wishes disappear.

Finishing high school from home is weird to say the least. There is almost a lack of motivation solely due to the fact that we can't be with the friends and people we were with every day. The small memories and constant laughter made going to school so enjoyable. I think many of this year's seniors would agree with me when I say we took that for granted. The price any of us would pay to go back for just one more week is unimaginable. To be able to say goodbye to all of those who helped us on our journey’s and to share in the bitter sweetness of leaving some of our closest friends.

Despite all of the hardships the Class of 2020 has faced, this pandemic has taught us a lot about ourselves. This year’s senior class is strong. We did not fold after hearing we had to finish our journey’s at home. Instead, we are all pushing through and finishing this year stronger than ever. The Class of 2020 is resilient. We bounced back from this extremely unfortunate event and found ways to support one another through these tough and trying times.

Finally, we have learned that this is not where our true journey ends, instead this is where it all begins. Despite not being able to go back to high school, this is not the last time you will hear from the Class of 2020. We are going off to bigger things in life and we will take all of our memories and hardships with us. We will learn from the pandemic that nothing can break our bond with each other. More importantly, a virus will not be allowed to take away all of our successes and accomplishments.

I am proud to be in the Class of 2020. We are one of a kind and we promise to make everyone proud!

‘We show our love by being apart’

By Noah Decker

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons

Salutatorian

“It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

When I started senior year, I felt a mix of emotions. I was sad that I would be doing some activities, such as playing baseball, for the last time. However, I was also excited to do all of the “senior things” — prom, senior nights, field trips, etc. So naturally, when I heard the news that we would not be returning to school for the remainder of the year, it was heartbreaking.

During the stay-at-home school lessons, I was working on an assignment my theology teacher had assigned; part of the assignment involved recognizing relationships in the creation story. Our teacher pointed out that before Eve was created, God wanted Adam to recognize the emotion of loneliness. This idea never stood out to me until he brought it to my attention.

Many of us are probably feeling like Adam now; we are social beings, designed to interact with each other. It is very difficult to not be able to visit loved ones and friends in person during this time. Luckily, the technology we have is incredible, which allows us to still keep in touch. Personally, I have been able to contact my extended family through text messages and FaceTime. I have also talked to my friends and classmates through messages, video games and Zoom meetings.

It is important to stay in touch with those that have helped us grow through our high school journey. These virtual interactions helped me to realize that although things will not go as expected, it can open up a new window of opportunity. For example, our cast for the spring play was able to perform the show through a Zoom call. Our teachers are still able to give lessons through various uses of the internet. These teachers came to our houses to give each senior a sign, showing that they care about each of us. Our school even put together a reverse parade so teachers and students could see each other once again. These events are exclusive to our senior year, which makes us special. There are clearly lots of negatives during this time, but there are also positives. As St. Francis said, “Where there is despair, let me bring hope.” Through social distancing, our class has grown to be more empathetic for essential workers and those that feel lonely or isolated.

Finishing high school at home is definitely unexpected, but it is good that the learning can still continue. Being away from our friends can make us feel lonely at times, but the important part is that everyone stays safe. This situation has helped me to be grateful for the wonderful experiences I had in high school. I miss my friends and extended family, but interacting virtually with them helps me feel better. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, I will be able to see them again. For now, we show our love by being apart so we can be together later. This pandemic has shown the strength of our community - we can still find ways to be together even when we are apart.