Three years ago today, May 19, 2020, we were uncertain on what the future would hold. COVID-19 numbers were continuing to climb charts at an alarming rate, a federal election was only a few months upon us and we, naïve freshman, sat in our kitchens, bedrooms and basements finishing up the school year over Zoom. 

While that day may seem like an ordinary day from the pandemic now, our lives were rife with complexion and ambiguity at every turn. We threw our hands up in frustration, complaining that we missed the days when life was predictable when, in reality, predictability is never the case when it comes to anticipating the next chapter in our lives.

Even in the relative absence of COVID-19, no two years of high school, let alone no two years of our lives, have ever been the same nor they will ever be because we are meant to be unpredictable. This constant state of change is what keeps our lives going, what made these past four years fly by. If those last four years only taught us a single thing, it is that change is inevitable. 

Though we can all attest to having a high school experience like no other, our time at the Valley exposed us to many changes that have well prepared us to operate in an ever-changing world.

Being sent home for two extra weeks at the end of third quarter freshman year turned into staying home for six months. Wearing face masks for the first two weeks of school evolved into wearing face masks up until the end of our junior year. 

We have experienced classes online, in-person and everything in between. These changes were not met with welcome arms, but we learned to make do. High school is supposed to be a place where students learn to be more independent and to prepare for the real world. Arguably, COVID-19 forced us to learn that lesson, perhaps more strongly than any class preceding us.

Although it largely dominated our high school careers, COVID-19 is only the defining factor if we let it be. We also faced plenty more “standard” changes as a class. We experienced new principals, new technology and new additions to the school. We’ve also been lucky enough to experience constants like back-to-back state championships, traditions like Blue Bomb, and to be able to walk across the stage to receive our long-awaited diplomas. 

While we had to wait patiently for four years to get back to a sense of normalcy, we mustn’t forget that change is the only real constant on life’s path. The sooner we learn to be adaptable, the sooner we are able to be compliant with the unexpected.