To the Class of 2020, congratulations!
Go here to see our special Class of 2020 section of photos, videos and names of graduates from local high schools.
Graduates from the Class of 2020 endured a senior year unlike anything we’ve ever seen, as the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools and forced thousands of San Luis Obispo County students to switch from learning on campus to learning at home.
When those seniors left campus in March, little did they know they would never return to their high school classrooms.
Over those months, treasured rituals and experiences were lost: No prom. No spring sports and activities. No gathering in the quad to exchange yearbooks.
And finally, no graduation on campus.
Instead, local schools flexed their creativity and came up with a variety of ways to celebrate the Class of 2020.
Some held drive-through events, such as the districtwide festivities Atascadero arranged in front of its picturesque City Administration Building.
Others, including Templeton High School and Mission Prep, held full drive-in ceremonies with hundreds of grads and their families listening from cars parked in fields. Still others, such as San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles high schools, held celebrations to mark the end of the year while rescheduling ceremonies for the summer.
Although this year did not end the way graduates imagined when they arrived in August, developments outside our control should in no way minimize their accomplishments.
From Paso Robles to Nipomo, these graduates have excelled in the face of adversity, with tenacity and grace. They may even be more prepared for what lies ahead than they would have otherwise, as many embark on a college experience that presents new challenges and altered expectations.
The Class of 2020 finds itself at a crossroads in history.
We are in a moment roiled by pandemic and civil unrest as we reflect on who we are as a nation — and who we want to be. This month, a week that normally would be filled with images of happy grads in their caps and gowns was instead filled with pictures of marchers packing local streets in a vivid — and sometimes painful — cry for justice.
These San Luis Obispo County graduates leave high school poised to have a real voice in that conversation and to help lead our world forward to a better place. For that, they have our enduring confidence, and we salute them.
To the Class of 2020, congratulations!
— Joe Tarica, Editor
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
