The Class of 2022 has had one of the most eventful high school years in recent history. 

Our  story encapsulates the pandemic in its entirety: the peace before, the confusion it brought, the devastation that followed and  the attempted return to normalcy. 

Not only that, but this class experienced high school while dealing with a myriad of issues including climate change, racial justice, gun violence, gender equity and mental health.

That’s why this year’s Senior Class’s legacy is one of strength, to stand up in the face of adversity and to help others rise as well.

Guidance Office Secretary Katie Cicero-Sega describes the class as ‘resilient’. 

“The Class of 2022 has spent the majority of their high school years in a world wide pandemic,” she wrote in an email. “Just when they were starting to get accustomed to high school, schools were shut down, then opened back up but remotely.” 

“The Class of 2022 became resilient,” she added. “They adapted and even thrived in unprecedented circumstances.” 

The strength of our  class has become clear in our ability to salvage something from the wreckage of  the pandemic. In fact, our  class was surprisingly one of the most school-spirited in recent memory.

“They really strived to [energize the school’s] spirit and to [make us] proud of being bison strong,” class adviser Kathryn Anne-Barney said. “And they had to navigate pretty much the middle part of their high school experience being altered by COVID.” 

“They seemed like they always had good spirits regardless, and once they had an opportunity, they would seize it, and were also very patient,” Principal Paul Chase said.

Barney pointed out that this was the class that started carnation sales, when students can pay for student council to deliver flowers to their peers on Sweetest Day and Valentine’s Day. 

Student Council Executive Board President Greg Perryman also commented that this class brought back the pin game, which also boosted unity and spirit in the school.

“I think that usually, underclassmen look up to the senior class,” Perryman said. “I think that’s even more true this year because we remember BHS before COVID.”

“[We carry] the last remaining knowledge, from a student perspective, of the traditions and inside jokes and overall ethos of the high school,  and so we kind of sought to pass  this on in fun ways this year, whether through the pin game or all the ways through our clubs and activities… all the things we did before the pandemic,” he added.

Chase acknowledged the many leaders in this class and how they’re passing down that mantle to the next class. The Student Council Executive Board was active and engaged and has passed that energy down to the Class of 2023.

This year’s senior class has also made efforts to address issues such as  social justice, climate change and mental health. 

Some efforts included the Jeans Drive, the Rally for Educational Equity and the Rally for Racial Justice. 

Members of our class also spearheaded  the 30 Days of Health and Wellness Campaign, the Climate Action Team and an overall movement within the school for a mental health focus.

This Class is:

“This class is special to me because my first year was their first year, we grew together. I’ll miss watching them achieve their goals, I’ll miss how they inspire me to be a good teacher, and I’ll just miss them smiling and sharing their lives with me,” Barney commented.

“This group of kids is amazing. There’s always going to be a place in my heart for them, they were one of my first middle school classes, and I think there’s a lot of good people in this group and I’m incredibly proud of them,” said Chase.

“The most wild and clashing group of characters you can ever imagine and yet we still manage to come together somehow and have a great time in the process,” affirmed Perryman.

This Class has led by example. Whether it was adapting to life in a pandemic, leading a campaign to stand up to racial justice or coming together to watch a sunrise together. This Class led with grace, compassion and a strength unknown even to them that they possessed. The Class of 2022 will move mountains…just make sure to get out of their way!” wrote Sega in an email.

Let us not forget the strength that carried us to where we are now nor the strength that we have carried ourselves as we go out into the world. We have been through a pandemic and have fought for the earth and its inhabitants, let us continue to brave the storm and stand by justice.