Dear Seniors,

Mr. Whit sent this in an email to the 2020 Seniors this week as they make their way into the great big world.

Graduation Day for the Class of 2020.

As we start making preparations for going back to school at SIS, my thoughts have turned to you. 

It's hard to believe that we stopped going to school on March 13th. A Friday the 13th no less. It must feel like your senior year was cursed. 

But I think the way the year ended embodies who you are at the core. Not typical, unorthodox, and (wonderfully) different from the rest of us.

I sat at graduation this year listening to your speeches and watching you walk up to get your diplomas in face masks. I became emotional thinking about all that you didn't get to experience and the strangeness of your graduation. It hit me later, though, that these upheavals of tradition often make for the most beautiful moments. Normalcy, while comfortable, is rarely interesting. I believe 2020 has been a year of incredible growth for all of us. 

2020 Graduation took place at 8am on campus. Usually it is nighttime in a ballroom.

This year, your graduation, and the grace you maneuvered through all of it has been truly inspiring. I hope that after you fully reflect on and mourn this year, you shift your focus to the positives that came out of this year: the lessons that can be drawn from it, the unique memories you will have, and the friendships bolstered through distance and a common struggle.

Semi Ji receiving her diploma.

I gave the class of 2019 pieces of advice for how to approach college, but you are headed into a world unlike the one they were headed into. Also, because of the circumstances and because of who all of you are, I feel like you have passed on important wisdom to me. 

So here is a list of what I learned from the Class of 2020. 

10. Ask questions: Is there a more inquisitive class than you? All of you wanted to know and learn every angle of a problem and if you weren't asking your teachers for help you were asking yourselves the right questions. Asking hard questions leads to a deeper understanding, and even if you think you know everything...you are smart enough to know...you don't. 

9. Don't settle for average: Your class did every job for yourselves and unless it was perfect it wasn't good enough. I will always admire your quest for perfection even in tasks where average was good enough. 

8. Resilience: Your class lost all of the fun things that come in the spring semester. Prance, class trip, graduation, and just the final lap of being seniors. Did you complain? Maybe a little bit. Did you let it wreck you? Not at all. In both Yutu and the pandemic I feel like I've looked to your class to understand how to gracefully maneuver through hardship with my head held high while keeping focused on what was within my control. 

7. Don't take yourself too seriously: In a class that strove for perfection, I was always a little surprised when you could laugh at yourselves. You shared stories about stupid things you have done and you'd even laugh at yourself when you made a silly mistake in real time. You showed me you can be perfect AND have a sense of humor. 

6. If you don't have it, make it: I don't think SIS has ever seen or ever will see fundraisers or go-getters like your class. It seemed like every weekend, one of you was volunteering, participating in a club you helped create, or turning my classroom into a haunted house/ daycare/movie theater/MUN conference. I will never doubt your ability to be resourceful. 

5. Be early: With some famous exceptions ;), you all always showed up on time. On the MUN trip specifically, our seniors had me on site before any other delegation. Like, hours before other delegations. You’d be waiting on me at the office before class even started. Being early is step one in making a good impression. You will be taken seriously and perform better if you show up early to things. 

4. Be assertive: I would not describe your class as passive. If something didn't seem right, you'd say it. If you didn't like something, you'd express it. If you felt wronged by someone, you would let them know. This is not an easy quality to possess.  

3. Be yourself: I've never seen a group of 17, 18 year olds that seemed so comfortable in their own skin. I'll never doubt that you will stay true to who you are and what you think is right. 

2. Give thanks: I've gotten notes and emails (and a birthday video <3!)thanking me for the small hand I had in your SIS journey. In those small gestures you have gained a cheerleader for life. It's amazing how those tokens of gratitude have filled me with joy and have increased my already high opinion of you. Thank YOU!. 

1. Value your family and friends: You always seemed to have each other's backs and put the needs of your family first too. You talked to me privately about your friends and family with love and compassion. When COVID hit, you asked me about going home to be with family and being heartbroken about being away from friends. I always sensed that you cared deeply for the people in your lives and you let them know through words and actions. Those human connections are maybe the most important thing we've got. 

Thanks Class of 2020 for being who you are and teaching me some valuable lessons. I am grateful that I got to be in the trenches with you, and I am very proud to know you. 

Be safe and do well!

Sincerely, 

Mr. Whit