STAFF EDITORIAL
Amidst all of the devastation that the COVID-19 crisis is bringing across the world, there are many who are using this time to step up as leaders and show compassion to others. In our own Class of 2020, students, teachers, and parents have taken initiative to make the conclusion of our senior year just a bit more special. We want to highlight and thank these leaders that are helping to give the Class of 2020 a senior spring full of warmth and camaraderie.
In place of the traditional Sweater Day, in which seniors wear clothing from the college they will be attending next fall, Asha Murray ‘20 has created an EA Class of 2020 College Instagram called @ea2020.college. On the account, Murray creates beautifully designed graphics containing photos of seniors with the school they plan to attend, their intended major or majors, and any sports they will be playing, if applicable. The caption of each post contains a message from that senior to their fellow EA seniors and larger community, detailing things like what they will miss from EA and their favorite EA memories. “Since we don’t have an official t-shirt day…I thought that it would still be nice to be able to celebrate our grade and their accomplishments,” says Murray. “I saw a bunch of schools around our area doing Instagram posts, and I thought [Instagram] would be a nice way to do that.” We appreciate Asha’s efforts to use technology to reclaim a tradition that allows us to celebrate with our peers. As Murray says, “If we are able to make the most out of the situation and grow stronger as a group [that] could be a silver lining in it all.”
Additionally, senior form dean Kris Aldridge and other Class of 2020 parents gave students a surprise by driving to each student’s homes and placing a class of 2020 sign at the front of their lawn. Like many other seniors, this came as a complete surprise to us—we can truly say that seeing the #allinthistogether signs made our day. The gesture touched our hearts and made us feel close to the community in a truly meaningful way. Class president Reagan Snyder ‘20 gathered photos of seniors with their signs and created a slideshow, which was posted on the EA Class of 2020 Instagram.
Furthermore, seniors have also used technology to recreate the senior lounge and student interaction. Using Zoom, a class of 2020 virtual lounge has been set up for students to pop in, say hi to some friends, and catch up. It allows for a sense of normalcy acting as a place for students to chat between classes and after school. Moreover, to keep up with friends, the Class of 2020 Instagram page is now taken over each day by a different student to show everyone how classmates are spending their time in quarantine. We appreciate how all seniors are taking time out of their day to make their classmates’ days a little brighter.
In another way to maintain a sense of normalcy, Student Council is also putting on a virtual talent show together. Students can make recordings showcasing their talents and submit them to EAusStudentCouncil@episcopalacademy.org, after which they will be posted to the @ea-studentcouncil Instagram for the school to watch. These types of community-wide events are exactly what we need during this crisis, and we are excited for any future events Student Council might have planned.
We appreciate what community members are doing to bring back a sense of normalcy to EA and the senior class. Our senior spring is not turning out how we imagined it would, but we have found meaning in our special community and our unbreakable sense of connection. Thank you for your work—your kindness and compassion is anything but unnoticed.