An open letter to the class of 2020,
Last week an announcement was made that students will not be returning to school for the remainder of the school year. And with this announcement came the reality that the class of 2020 has already had their last day of high school. I won’t be one of those adults that list all the wonderful things you will miss and relive the “magic” of my own senior year. Instead, I will skip that and tell you a little about the class of 2020.
The class of 2020….grew on me. Hear me out. When I started at Grace this class was in 8th grade, a particularly “charming” year in Catechism. Students are the top dog and often hold an air of “too cool for school” particularly with new youth director when they liked the old one just fine. Trust needed to be built, for all of us. But you matured. Oh, did you mature. And you have grown into wonderful leaders. I grew to know this group of young people through Own Your Faith, Summer Stretch, Mission Trips, VBS and youth outings. And you know what, you did more than grow on me. You wiggled your way into my heart.
This class is fun and has more than a few class clowns (you know who you are). You are dance parties on the last night of the mission trip and rolled ice cream in the pouring rain in Chinatown. You are dancing to ‘Days of Elijah’ in your Confirmation gowns and eating cupcakes after a long day Summer Stretch.
You know that sour patch kids commercial? Where the little candies are sour, and then sweet? That’s the class of 2020. At times you make me want to rip my hair out with your antics….and then overwhelm me with your creativity, kindness and loyalty. You drove your small group leaders nuts, and then show Tom Baker love and respect with yet another endearing nickname.
And now, we have reached the end of your senior year and it isn’t ending the way we had hoped. There is an unprecedented spotlight on this group of graduating seniors. Last week Governor Walz addressed your senior class by saying, “The class of 2020, you will not be defined by staying home and missing proms and missing graduations, you will be defined by understanding how interconnected our world is and what it means to come together and solve hard problems.” I would add that your high school career is defined by the wonderful friendships and memories you made over that last 4 years, not what you will miss over the last 4 months.
Now is the time to break out that leadership, kindness and creativity and show the world how to act and care for one another. You will teach us how to grieve lost expectations. You will tell future generations how this virus impacted your senior year. But do us a favor and brag a little about how much we were rooting for you and how much we loved you. As I told you in your Confirmation sermon 3 years ago. “I love you, God loves you, we are all so proud of you, and we can’t wait to see how God is going to use you next.” Thank you for the last 5 years of memories, friends.
Your Youth Director that misses you terribly,
Kristi Larson
P.S. Please join us as we celebrate the class of 2020 together this summer. Until then, please hold them and their classmates in prayer.
