To the Niwot High Class of 2020

Life is full of endings and beginnings. Every ending means a new beginning, and every beginning means the inevitable end. For us, our high school experience is coming to an end.

Although it isn't quite the ending we expected, we have adapted to the changes and tried to make the best of the current situation. Each of us has faced individual challenges and successes in high school and during this pandemic, but put together they tell a collective story. They tell the story of the Class of 2020.

Although we all have different memories from high school, there are some memories that will stand out for many. The shared, yet individual memory of our first day of school filled with nerves, old friends, new friends, and getting lost in the school is one we will likely never forget. The first time in over ten years that our football team won the homecoming game, and the feeling of pride and excitement as we rushed across the field is a shared memory I hope many will carry on into their future.

There are countless things about high school that I know I will never forget-high fives from Mr. Rauschkolb in the mornings with very loud music playing at 7:30 a.m .; endless construction on the school, and fire drills seemingly planned for the coldest days of the year. My individual experiences and actions in high school have shaped who I am, just as yours have shaped who you are. Together, we collectively have made the Class of 2020 unique and special. Our experiences through high school have left a lasting mark on the school, our teachers, and each other.

Now is our chance to move forward to a new chapter in our life. A chance to make new memories, friends, and gain experience. In the past, there was always a clear path for us and other graduates across the world, but the world has changed, and now is our opportunity. We have the opportunity of a lifetime to continue to find and even create our own new paths and I urge you all to do so. As the Class of 2020, we have already become trailblazers, finding a new path to finish high school and closure amidst these times.

The past two months of lockdown have complicated the ending of our high school careers. In the future when we look back at high school, we have a choice. We can view it solely through the lens of the last two months, or we can view it through the kaleidoscope of four years of experiences which happened to include two months of a pandemic lockdown. A four year experience filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, but a hugely impactful experience nonetheless.

And we can also remember how we came together with our friends to still stay connected, albeit from a distance. We can remember how certain teachers made that extra effort to reach out, how the administration still honored us, and how as the first graduating class to be apart for the last day of school, we still made a senior countdown happen.

As the Class of 2020, we finished a chapter in our lives facing a new challenge, and we took it in stride. If the way we adapted to this is any indication of our tenacity, I have no doubt that the Class of 2020 will go down as one of the most determined, strongest, and most successful classes that Niwot has seen.

Nick Valin,

Niwot High Student Council