To the Class of 2021, I applaud you! Last year, as the school year came to an abrupt end, there was profound sadness followed by an abundance of community support for the seniors of 2020. As a mother of a 2020 senior and a 2021 senior, I knew the Class of 2021 would be the class to have an entire senior year full of changes. 
This year’s seniors were the student leaders who had to figure out how to manage an entire year during a global pandemic. Sure, last year’s seniors faced a few months of uncertainty, but you were the ones who faced an entire academic year wondering what might happen next. You did so with extraordinary resilience. 
Whether the choice was made to attend class in-person, virtually or in a hybrid format, nothing about your senior year has been normal. This makes you trailblazers in my eyes. Learning to navigate your way through an unknown way of doing things was likely confusing, frustrating and, at times, disappointing. With graduation just a few weeks away, you have shown that you are capable of handling some of the craziest curveballs life has to offer.
If figuring out how to get through the academic year wasn’t challenging enough, next you had to juggle the never-ending changes to your extracurricular life. Would there be sports? Would there be marching band? Who would get to go? Would there be performances or plays? These were some of the many questions you faced each and every day. Despite the disappointments, I saw firsthand the determination each of you had to make your senior year the absolute best it could be. 
You did this with the added pressure of remaining socially distanced and wearing masks. Some of you, despite your best efforts, would test positive for COVID-19 and others would be placed in quarantine. Essentially, you adapted to all the changes while trying to avoid the corona boogeyman. 
There is so much criticism, especially on social media, of Generation Z from older generations. Perhaps the critics fail to recognize the extreme perseverance the Class of 2021 has demonstrated over the last year. They certainly did not have it easy and they never quit. They rolled with the punches and rose to the challenges like champs. 
When this year’s senior class is finally able to walk across the stage to receive their diploma, know that they did more than just pass all the required classes. They endured and survived a tumultuous and sometimes frightening year. They are proven leaders and without a doubt, they deserve our respect. Congratulations Class of 2021!!!
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