March 15, 2020—that’s the day the world shut down from the Covid-19 pandemic….Two weeks turned into a few months…turned into a couple years. Despite the obstacles that Covid brought to everyone, we overcame it. There’s a specific class I’d like to thank for that—the Class of 2024, who graduated this month. 

I interviewed a few seniors (Sara Johnston, Mary Olsen, and Flynn Bowler), who were freshmen in 2020, about their experiences here at CCHS during Covid-19 and what the restrictions were like. They informed me that they ate lunch at desks six feet apart, had to fill out attestation forms (forms you had to fill out saying where they had been recently and who they had been in contact with), and had no school functions, homecoming, or prom. 

I found this astonishing! I’ve only gone to Central for a year, but I can’t imagine it without liturgies, the Alma mater, dances, and lunch tables. 

I asked them if they felt this impacted their ability to make friends during their freshman year. Their response was that they ‘’didn’t feel like [they] had real friends until [their] Sophomore year,’’and that it felt ‘’hard’’ and ‘’impossible’’ to make friends. 

The Class of 2024 is full of many incredible people that Central is going to miss, but I think the most amazing thing about them is that they overcame the pandemic, and brought the school and its traditions back together. 

Now we have homecoming, and we just had senior prom, which I’m sure the Class of 2024 was ecstatic about since the start of their high school experience wasn’t exactly promising.  

Earlier in the year we even had an event called “Scoops and Hoops”. One of the seniors I interviewed told me that they ‘’never would’ve been able to do something like Scoops and Hoops’’ their Freshman year with the restrictions. This made me realize just how much Central has bounced back from Covid and how many obstacles both the school and its students have overcome. 

While interviewing these seniors, I asked them what advice they’d give to the other classes, and they gave me some incredible answers that remind me just how hard it’s going to be when they leave. They said to ‘’get involved in as many things as possible,” do everything I can to enjoy my high school experience, and to get involved with my CCHS community. 

Another important piece of advice I received from a senior when interviewing was to not stress about every little thing- trying your best is important, but you can’t do any more than that. This is definitely something I feel I forget a lot. And last but not least, to ‘’keep meaningful relationships’’.  

This class truly brought back the Central spirit and maintained it even when it felt impossible. It will truly be a sad goodbye to see them leave. All of the seniors I interviewed expressed how much they’re going to miss the CCHS community. 

The class of 2024 has given back so much to our school, and will be missed; they blazed a trail for many future classes to come, and will never be forgotten as an important part of Central Legacy. 

Good luck to the class of 2024, you will be missed greatly!