Three graduates share thoughts on end of the school year

May signals the end of the school year for the Wrangell School District. For 25 students, this May signals the end of their high school careers. The COVID-19 pandemic has created several challenges and changes this year.

Three students of the class of 2020 shared their opinions on this closing chapter of their lives. In general, all three students agree that the pandemic is a disappointing way to end high school, but they are understanding of the situation and grateful to the community for supporting them regardless.

Jing O'Brien

Jing O'Brien serves as the student representative on the school board. Currently, she said she has not committed to any schools after graduation yet. She intends to go to college this fall, but she is still weighing her options. She plans to study political science at whatever university she decides to attend.

O'Brien said that she misses the in-person classroom setting, compared to the online classes she and other Wrangell students are currently taking. She has always enjoyed school, she said, especially the social aspects of it. Learning via online classroom has some advantages, but she also misses seeing her friends in person. On top of that, O'Brien said that she is sad her class is not getting to experience a typical graduation ceremony, or other senior traditions, but understands that everybody in the district and the wider community is making the best of a bad situation. She wanted to thank all of Wrangell for their support over the years, and especially during this pandemic.

"I would say that it is disappointing," she said. "I also recognize that the school did a really good job with the transition ... I think it's great that the community's coming together to make something happen."

Laura Helgeson

Senior Laura Helgeson said she is planning to attend Portland State University this fall. She plans to study either graphic design or communications. She has a lot of family in the area, she said, so she is excited for college.

Helgeson shared O'Brien's sentiment that she misses being in school and interacting with her friends. She is not struggling with the sudden transition from in-person classes to online classes, she said, but has heard it has been more of a challenge for underclassmen. Helgeson said she is sad about senior activities getting cancelled, but is not too upset about there not being a big graduation ceremony. What bothers her, she said, is that some of her family will not be able to travel to Wrangell for her graduation. Despite that, she said she has handled the end of the school year well.

"I'm actually not having too hard of a time," she said.

Hank Voltz

Hank Voltz plans to go fishing this summer, and head off to college in the fall. He is going to Boise State University, he said, to pursue a nursing degree.

Looking on the bright side of things, Voltz said that the current situation is actually helping students prepare for college better. Students have to be more responsible for their own studying and time management, he said, now that they are doing classes at home and not in school. Voltz said it is like getting a taste of college, since students no longer have teachers looking over their shoulders.

He also wanted to say thank you to the community and the school district for all of their support, especially during the current pandemic. In particular, Voltz wanted to say thank you to Jack Carney. Carney is currently serving as interim principal of Wrangell's secondary schools. Voltz said that he is always checking in on the senior classes to make sure they are ready to graduate, and that they have the support they need.

"It is a bum deal that there is no graduation and all the senior stuff got cancelled, but it is what it is," Voltz said.