These are the happiest days of our lives
Previously published in “The Mount” a publication produced by the staff of Mount Michael’s Journalism team. Follow the journalism team via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube links on https://mountonline.org
STAFF EDITORIAL
Along with several other sophomores, Jack Roland ‘23, a transfer, prepares to take notes during Algebra II. One of the primary precautions against the spread of the COVID19 virus is wearing masks at all times during the school day. – photo: Henry Hohman ’21
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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
-Charles dickens, a Tale of Two Cities
Are we living in the “good ol’ days?” When asked, adults often answer that their late high school/college years were the best of their lives. With nostalgia in their eyes, many might say that they would gladly relive those years. Despite what they say, we wonder if current students will feel the same way ten to twenty years from now.
The conclusion of our spring semester was abrupt to say the least. We left the Mount on March 6, ready for a spring break filled with fun and relaxation. Many of us were already envisioning ourselves in the Pinnacle Bank Arena, cheering on the Knights in the state basketball tournament for the first time in our high school career.
Even as news of the pandemic spread across our community and country that week, the magnitude of what was to come hadn’t dawned on us. At the time, the idea of an extended spring break sounded pretty good, like Christmas in March, yet in the end, most of us didn’t set foot on campus for over a month and a half. We were met with an eerie quiet and more questions than answers, instead of the traditional chaos of happy voices filled with excitement for summer.
Was this supposed to be the best time of our lives?
The seven-day boarders who don’t call Omaha home were left unsure if they would even be able to see their families. Many were left stranded in the United States, unable to escape with no idea when school would resume. Uncertainty, anxiety, and stress became all too real for countless students.
And these are supposed to be the best times of their lives?
The Mount Michael class of 2020 had so much taken from them as a result of the pandemic. Spring sports. Senior prom. A graduation ceremony celebrated with the monastic community, classmates, families, and friends together on campus for a final recognition of their accomplishments. All gone. Their freshman year of college looks different too, with many locked into online classes and some even choosing to transfer because they could not be on campus.
Do you think this is how they imagined the “best of times” would look?
And yet, even though we have endured the “worst of times” for the past 6 months, is it crazy to think that we are the lucky ones? While numerous high schools in Omaha as well as colleges across the United States sit empty, devoid of in-person classes or peer interaction, school at the Mount is back in session. Dorms are occupied. Sports have started. Life has returned to normal, albeit a “new normal.”
Of course many things have changed; the toll that the pandemic has taken is inescapable. We have been asked to modify the way we attend our classes, eat our meals, participate in extracurricular sports and activities, and live together in a residential boarding community. Many of these changes have been difficult to embrace, but make no mistake, we have opportunities that no one thought seemed possible earlier this year.
For that, we should all be thankful to be part of the Mount Michael community. We owe so much to the administration and staff for their efforts to get us back on campus this fall.
Will this year be different than the past three years that the seniors have spent at Mount Michael? No question. However, as a community of brothers, we can overcome the challenges thrown at us. We can do it together. And with some perseverance and a little luck, maybe someday we too will be able to say that our years of high school.