High school students anticipate their senior year. They look forward to their last homecoming, prom, “grad night”, and graduation. Sadly the class of 2020 faces the loss of these events due to the current pandemic. When it was announced that schools in California would be closed for the rest of the year to help keep students safe from COVID-19, many seniors were devastated since they couldn’t make their last memories in high school. 

          Graduation is the day all seniors wait for but the class of 2020 had to say goodbye to your typical graduation. In the early months of social distancing, LAUSD announced that the class of 2020 is going to have a virtual graduation, as this is the best way to keep all students safe. Many seniors were devastated because they couldn’t experience walking across the stage and saying their final goodbyes. Instead, they had a slide in a PowerPoint to stimulate walking across the stage. This was nowhere near the graduation the seniors had hoped for. 

          It wasn’t until the spread of COVID-19 had decreased enough for LAUSD to approve of a drive-in graduation for the Class of 2020. Even though it is not the same as a normal graduation, it is better than a PowerPoint. Senior, Sabrina Ruvalcaba finds that the drive-in Graduation “gives us (the Class of 2020) an opportunity to come back to campus for at least a little longer to say our final goodbyes properly.”The Class of 2020 lost a lot of their senior memories like prom and grad night, but they still remain positive. 

          Although this wasn’t the graduation anyone had imagined, it is the best thing the staff and ASB can do for our seniors. After their several years here at NHHS, we are thankful enough to recognize their hard work and dedication. Their passion to make our school a better place will never be forgotten. We thank them for the many friendships and memories they gave us. We wish them nothing but the best in their future, and hope they enjoyed their time here. Here’s to our class of 2020, until next time.