Remember last spring’s trending Tik Toks about how class of 2020 had it the worst? Not to be dramatic, but I think we won. Nice try, guys. I am only kidding. While it is easy to look at the bad, we persevere.

Just old enough to remember the Recession of 2008 and the stress it gave our parents, we entered elementary school. After a rough start, our fifth grade class then became part of elementary school instead of middle school for the first time in E.T. Booth’s history.

We experienced three major elections. The first African-American president, Barack Obama, was elected when we were in kindergarten. We watched him through two terms. We then saw the third presidential impeachment in American history with President Donald Trump. We are in the middle of determining the results for the election between Obama’s former Vice President Joe Biden and Trump.

In eighth grade, we watched a SWAT team circle around E.T. Booth in case any clowns showed up, and the next year, two students were arrested for threats on Etowah students. Suddenly, junior year came, and school shut down for two weeks due to COVID-19, which turned into three, which ruined our Spring Break. Then, the rest of the year was cancelled along with our junior prom.

Our senior year is stressful as many colleges will not allow us to do in person tours. Also, most colleges will be test optional this year, meaning that colleges will not be able to tell which students made a huge commitment to study for SATs and ACTs and which students slacked off. During the first few months of school, we scrambled to get our transcripts and teacher letters of recommendations, but it was difficult as school flipped back and forth between in person, virtual, and hybrid. 

Some of us were falsely optimistic for senior year, but a hurricane wiped out our first attempt at seniors’ traditional toga day. We missed our last homecoming dance, pep rallies, Senior Breakfast, and the Woodstock football game. Now, as political tensions increase, many of us are not even old enough to vote. 

While the class of 2021 has gone through many struggles, we experienced many powerful historical events. We have been through a lot, and we will make it through the struggles of our senior year. As 2020 is coming to an end, we can only hope for a better 2021.