Now Graduating the Class of Covid-19

In times of high stress, quarantine weight and zoom calls,

the glory of closing one chapter and starting a new shines through.

A graduate triumphantly poses with his cap, celebrating four years of hard work. (Jay Bendlin)

I would be lying to you if I said I remembered everything from highschool

I began freshman year like most freshman do, scared and alone. With no one but your classmates by your side, the big scary seniors can be quite intimidating. It took almost half a week into the cross country preseason to experience the “Valhalla magic.”

With an average of a little over a hundred students a class, the halls of VMHS feel like home and those who fill it resemble family. You talk to your locker buddy every day, run into the same friends on your way to lunch, and most likely know the full name of every single student in your class, something most large schools know nothing about.

I may not remember Mrs. Danko’s or Mr. Duay’s formulas but the things I certainly remember are the priceless experiences of spending every day with the Valhalla community. In the classroom, on the track, at the spring concert, or years later through taking pictures of the recent graduates, I felt, and continue to feel the “Valhalla magic.”

The Photo booth

The senior picnic at Bradhurst Park, prom at Glen Island, the graduation rehearsal breakfast, walking across the stage to all the cheering family and friends and everything in between are what made up my senior week.

I cannot begin to imagine the sorrow of lost opportunities by this senior class. COVID struck a blow to the world that we are still experiencing six months later. Sports seasons were cancelled, plays and concerts were cancelled and learning was forced online. These are the highlights of MY senior year that this class unfortunately will have no memory of.

My hope, supported by many devoted faculty and staff members at VHS, was to create a few memories through photography and other experiences that will make up for some of the lost time.

A Drive Through Time

Similar to most schools in the lower New York Area, school administrations grieve for their students and wish to give them the best sendoff possible under the conditions. Through tireless work coordinating with teachers, police, fire and EMT departments. The class of 2020 got to reminisce on their times at Virginia Road, Kensico, and Valhalla Middle High School.