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situation in any big way — hopefully I can go to college in person this fall the way I’d planned. Really, though, I’m completely unsure about the end of this or what the aftermath will be, just like the rest of the world. All I know right now is that I am truly grateful for the experi- ence I’ve had here — for my friends, my family, my teachers and my peers. It’s sad that everything ended this way, but I’m still so thankful for all of those people and I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my life. Jackson Bleything No response submitted. Davin Bush Parents/guardians: Susan Burgos, David Bush I moved to Yellow Springs in 2015, and since moving here I’ve learned some important life lessons — like that I have seasonal allergies, humidity makes it hard to breathe and that I don’t like living in a small town. However, the friendships I’ve made here have been amazing, and the bond I have with many of my peers in the Class of 2020 is something that I will cherish for a very long time. One issue I’ve had with my time in high school is the lack of academic liberty many students were afforded as a result of our size limitations. Many students are often forced into classes that they don’t want to take, just because it’s the only AP class available. However, that same aspect of the school has been helpful in allowing students to have small class sizes and to have a more personal- ized experience with their teachers, and I now find immense value in the personal connection I have made with some of my teachers because of this. After graduation, I will be attending the University of Arizona. I will be a part of the Honors College and majoring in mathematics. In 10 years, I hope to have my master’s degree and to be working for a company in the tech or sports field doing some sort of analytics. Sumayah Chappelle Parents/guardians: Bianca Stone , William Chappelle Yellow Springs is great. We are very blessed. We are very brilliant people on very powerful journeys. This is just the beginning. Zoe Clark Parents/guardians: Sharon Noeth Miller, Paul Cobb My final year of school at Yellow Springs High School has definitely been different. I know for sure this year will be a year to go down in the history books. There are things that we, as seniors, were looking forward to, such as our senior clap-out, prom and, for me, one last the- ater show with everyone. So here we are with the governor’s announcement today, April 20, 2020. That is all gone! It was definitely different to switch to online schooling and for some of us not to finish our senior projects. I also know it is hard especially not seeing our friends and teachers. But as the Class of 2020, we are strong and we have bright futures ahead of us, despite what has happened. I will always hold my time at YSHS close to my heart. I have so many won- derful memories there. YSHS has taught me a love of the arts, to be accepting and always to push forward. I worked hard and was able to be inducted into the National Honor Society in my junior year. I learned to bowl, bowled on the high school team, and had a lot of fun! My memories aren’t just of the high school, because I have gone to school in Yellow Springs from kindergarten on. I have such fond memories of my elemen- tary teachers who had such kindness in dealing with my learning disabilities and my strong-headed ways! I was lucky to serve on Mills Lawn’s morning news crew. I learned to operate the camera, write scripts and edit and produce the daily news show. I loved band class and learning to play the flute. A couple of my favorite projects we did in middle school were making computer carts for all the high school and middle school teach- ers. I really enjoyed making a putt-putt course as a PBL project also. After high school, I plan to pursue a career as a doctor of physical therapy. I will start my schooling at Sinclair for two years and get my associate’s degree to become a physical therapy assistant. I then plan to work part time in an office as a physical therapy assistant while I go to school at Wright State to get my bachelor’s and master’s degree. I will then finish up and get my doctorate at the University of Dayton. After working and gaining experience, I plan to open my own physical therapy business. So I want to say “goodbye” and “thank you” to all my friends and school staff who have always been there. Elijah Cordell Parents/guardians: Elijah Cordell Sr., Stephanie Mullen Growing up in YS has been a pretty amazing experience. I came to Mills Lawn in second grade and met some of the coolest people and made some of the best friends I’ve known in life. Ever since I moved to Ohio back in 2008, I’ve lived in Springfield and most of my friends lived in town, and because of that I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time with my friends in town. Well, I have, just not as much as I would have been able to given different circumstances. I gained a lot of really close and best friends and drifted apart from some, only to reconnect my senior year and become closer than ever. I spent a lot of time in town, either down at the Bryan Center or in the Glen. I never really started to appreciate the value of growing up here like it’s a small town. I grew up with some, I would say, “wacky” people, and all of them made growing up here a real experience. Seeing them do the odd and different things they did kept me level-minded in a sense. When I went to the Career Center my junior year, it was definitely a wild expe- rience for me. I ended two relationships there, made some pretty cool friends and made one of the coolest best friends of my life. It was a wild experience, but that doesn’t mean it was pleasant. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected my senior year immensely. I’ve never in my life experienced anything like this and it feels kind of unfair in a way. There were a few events that I wanted to attend, and because of this virus, I can’t. Things could be worse, though; many men my age in the past were drafted straight out of high school and had to serve in a war, so not many complaints. It hasn’t really affected my relation- ship with my family, but I haven’t been able to see my friends as much as I did before all this started happening, and I don’t think I’ve been to town once since we were put into quarantine. My plans after graduation are moving out to Colorado, waiting a year and then going back to school for possibly botany. I don’t really think my plans for after graduation are messed up or changed in any way. I think the most valuable thing I gained from my time growing up in Yellow Springs is the memories. I often find myself reminiscing about the past, and just thinking about all the moments I’ve had with my close friends. One of the good things about my experience in YS is that it wasn’t perfect, and sometimes it sucked, but it still felt much better than anywhere else in the world. There’s not much I would change other than my own actions in my per- sonal life. Ten years down the line, I hope to be owning some type of dispensary or doing whatever it is I’m hoping to achieve. Bek Davis No response submitted. Phillip Diamond Parents/guardians: Caryn and David Diamond I was sick for the entire last week of school before the shutdown, so by the time I recovered, I was in a different world. It was very strange to be recov- Yellow Springs High School  CLASS OF 2 0 2 0  A Special Section of the YEllow Springs News  |  May 28, 2020    3 Shelly Blackman, Keller Williams Realty Coldwell Banker Heritage Realtors, Sam Eckenrode, Minerva Bieri Community Children’s Center O u r S p o n s o r s  ered from a sickness, all ready to head back into school, only to have nowhere to go. I was shocked to realize that I may never see some people in my class ever again, and disappointed to have no formal closure with any of them (yet). The pandemic brought me closer to my family, which was nice. We’ve had some pleasant and goofy times together. I’m hoping my college life is impacted minimally by the pandemic, and I’m eager to go to college as soon as it’s safe. Speaking of which, I’m happy to say I will be attending Kenyon College as a STEM Scholar, optimistically next fall! I’ve had a mixed experience at YSHS. On one hand, the school’s small size has given me the opportunity to participate in far more extracurriculars than I would have had access to at a larger, more competitive school, experiences I’m thoroughly grateful for. Participating in the YS Theater program brought me a lot of joy, particularly during “Scrooge!” On the other hand, YSHS has room to grow in terms of education. PBL is a great theoretical curriculum, and is very effective when implemented correctly. However, from my perspective, YSHS has not implemented PBL effectively. Students are not expected to produce quality end-products as a result of their projects, and there is often little to no closure. When minimal and under- whelming end-products are required for projects which last for months on end, less learning takes place in compari- son to traditional curricula. I hope the school holds students more accountable in the future, because their passion is there; they just need more guidance. The town of Yellow Springs has been absolutely fantastic to me. The commu- nal support and overwhelming kindness that I’ve experienced in YS is astounding, and I am so thankful that kindness is valued by the town. Another thing is the green space; after being surrounded by concrete forests in cities and suburbs elsewhere, the abundant trees and other flora in Yellow Springs literally and figu- ratively provided a breath of fresh air for me. I was lucky enough to grow up in YS, and I am so thankful for the adventures I’ve had. If Yellow Springs has taught me anything, it’s the value of community. Community-supported concerts, base- ball games, soccer games, street fair, community parks, neighbors, the YS News, the local businesses — all of them thrive on YS’s vibrant and active com- munity. I will base my future experiences off what the town has taught me, and I know I’ve been prepared well for what will come next.