Mason's Monolog

I believe most of us can agree on one thing...when it comes to school...this year has been a very disruptive one when it comes to the school system. Students that have been attending public schools their entire lives have had to take on a completely new way of learning. Also, seniors won’t get a traditional graduation. Area schools have been making an effort to do something special for their seniors. Ceremonies were pending, but as of presstime several were cancelled and things are up in the air as districts are waiting on official notification. I have an ideal vision (which would hold up to what the CDC recommends to mitigate the spread of COVID) of a graduation ceremony for our graduating seniors. In the case of a small school like the one I attend, the mitigation stipulation is a pretty easy one to abide by given the fact that our entire student body consists of less than 30 kids. Assuming we have 10 graduates, each only allowed to invite immediate family members, a place like Long Prairie’s football field would be the perfect place. There are speakers that can be used and microphones, plenty of seating space for family members to not only enjoy the ceremony, but be able to practice social distancing, as well, and there’s plenty of space to arrange a ceremony on the field itself. On top of this, there’s also plenty of space to hold a reception after the fact for families and the graduating class to make for an enjoyable experience. The way this year turned out for the class of 2020 is not, to say the least, an ideal situation. We have to work with what we have and work around the restrictions that are in place to mitigate the spreading of COVID, but I think it is doable, fortunately. It’s not at all ideal, but workable. I commend all the schools that have gone out of their way to set up a ceremony for their graduating class, and my gratitude goes out to all the teachers and school officials who have tried to make these ceremonies possible. I’d like to personally thank all of our teachers for working endless hours to get us the education we need in these trying times and unfamiliar conditions.