The 2019-2020 school year was memorable for a multitude of reasons. Wayne Valley has created many fantastic moments that will never be forgotten by students in all grades as well as by the staff. In September, seniors walked into their “first last day” of public school, while freshmen struggled to find their way to their first classes. Now, in June, school is completely different than anyone could have imagined.

The fall brought many timeless moments. Sports teams had seasons that told stories of their own, and the Wayne Valley community could not be more proud of our teams whether or not they brought home a championship title. Spirit Week and Homecoming provided fun ways to get involved and the Pep Rally showed the competitive side of all four grades. Once the winter months came around, barely any snow fell on the ground, and Valley spirits remained high. Sports still achieved impressive accomplishments and defeated formidable opponents. At this point, the anticipation of seniors was quickly building—halfway through the year meant halfway towards graduation. 

But with the beginning of March came the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Spring sports were just underway, even though most had only a week or two of practice. On March 16th, students and staff went home to begin a new phase of “distance learning”, a phase that was expected to be necessary for a month but in fact lasted much longer.  While it was not something we could have foreseen, Valley stayed strong during these unprecedented times. We may not see each other every day, yet we still are connected. We are still Wayne Valley…just from a distance. 

Unfortunately, spring sports seasons and events were ultimately canceled. However, there are other ways to show that Valley truly is one. The @valleyisone instagram sends us messages from our teachers every day and provides some fun ways of staying active and busy during our time apart. A virtual spirit week was held, and students still got to show their Valley pride by sending pictures in. 

To the freshmen, while you did not get to complete your first year of high school within the walls of the school, you have already made so many memories that you will carry with you throughout your remaining three years of high school.

To the sophomores, although the year did not go as planned, there is still so much time to create timeless moments that you will carry forever.

To the juniors, it is almost time for your senior year, and you now know how important it is to make every day inside and outside of school count.

And to the seniors, while this is not how you pictured your senior year to end, you still have so many good memories to look back on. Do not let this define your high school experience, and we wish you the best of luck wherever you find yourself next.

There is still time to make memories from a distance. School will end in June like usual, but there is nothing usual about these circumstances. We cannot forget about this school year, or the changes that it brought. But Wayne Valley is and will forever be a community that is not afraid of a little change.