Congratulations to the Canyon Lake graduates

BY Aprile McKinnon

Happy Friday Canyon Lakers.

Many of you have been attending  graduations, preparing for graduation parties and even sending your kids off to college.

As I am writing this, my son is set to graduate tomorrow. It has been a challenging season for us, and my favorite graduation picture of my son is one where he is holding a sign that says, “I did it,” with a very confused look on his face.

For those of you who are graduating or have graduated from high school this year, I want to say that you are a unique and strong group of individuals. You have faced challenges that were unique to your class alone.

Many students who dealt with the impact of COVID-19 had to find a way to adapt and continue to thrive in abnormal circumstances. This year‘s graduating class has been dubbed, “The Class of Covid.”

Teenagers who started their freshman year with excitement, enthusiasm and a little anxiety, soon went from the classroom to no sports, no arts, no social activities and to online classes.

Parents were not prepared for this shift, as they had to continue working and now had a child at home distance learning. This in itself presented its own challenges.

I felt so horrible for the teachers who had no clue how to navigate Zoom with 30 plus students, who are already at an awkward age and certainly didn’t want to have their peers all staring at them through computer cameras.

Many students faced the illness of family members, some experienced loss, and all had to face the  uncertainty in their own lives. Honestly, I prefer not to look back because it was a very dark time for our family. I am incredibly happy that we are here today, and that “he did it.”

As you attend  graduation parties, I encourage you to write a note in the cards of those you honor of how unique and amazing they are, acknowledging how their determination brought them to where they are today.

It might not have been easy, but while some students excelled, others may have felt defeated. Lift them up, and let them know that you recognize them as incredible survivors.