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demic, the support that I felt was tremen- dous, but now it’s even more prominent. My teachers are going out of their way to show that they care, and want to be here for us in any way that they can. Not only has YSHS provided me with comfort and sanctuary, but so have my friends and family, specifically my mom. She’s taught me and will continue to teach me the hard lessons to learn. She’s taught me how to stand up for myself, while remaining kind and empathetic at the same time. She’s supported me through every obstacle, and celebrated for and with me at every success that I have had. She has taught me how to love myself, and that I can only love and respect others if I show that to myself first. She has taught me how to make other people feel loved, safe and com- fortable being themselves because that is what she has given me. I know that I can always come home to love, generosity and warmth. After graduation, I will be attending Wright State University to get a BFA in acting. I will be moving forward with excitement, strength and the lessons that I have learned thus far. It’s hard for me to fathom leaving the comfort and warmth of my home, but I will constantly be attempting to use what I’ve learned in my life. I will face adversity with radical empathy, genuine kindness and unwavering strength and determination, and know that I can be kind and not let people take advantage of me at the same time. Sayre Hudson Parents/guardians: Chris and Jennie Hudson Growing up in Yellow Springs has definitely been a large part in shaping who I am. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given throughout my life here and for the relationships I’ve formed within the community. I honestly don’t think I would want to change any- thing about my experience in YS — it was perfect for me. Being in a small school and commu- nity I felt made it easier for me to make friends and stay close to people I care about. The thing I value most about my experience in YS is the trust and friend- ship I’ve formed with my many teachers over the years. I know most people my age don’t have trust or fondness for their teachers, and I’m always relieved and happy to say that I do. I won’t lie, there are little to no posi- tive things I have taken so far from the pandemic. It has taken a very negative toll on me and I’ve found myself sad and unsatisfied nearly every day the past few weeks. I feel it has taken what I have been looking forward to for the last 12 years. I still find it a little unbelievable that I won’t have my last theater produc- tion, French Café, prom, senior trip, senior skip day, a graduation party and I won’t be able to walk down the halls in my cap and gown. I also find it almost funny that the same graduating class that I’m in is also the same age group who will be completely skipped on receiving their stimulus check. It’s been extremely hard to be opti- mistic about everything going on when it feels like the universe just kicked me and the rest of the 2020 class in the knee- caps. I miss my friends dearly, I miss my acquaintances nearly as much, and I miss feeling like I had a purpose that wasn’t just staying inside. I’m currently waiting to hear back from the military so that after I graduate I can be sent to basic training and begin what I hope to be a life-changing career. I don’t think these plans will be affected too terribly by the pandemic since my job will be an essential one, although it is possible that the dates I leave and come back could be changed. I believe when I come back from basic I’ll go to Wright State and study social justice and philosophy and won’t move too far away from my little town. On a final note, I would like to thank my teachers and all of the YSHS staff for their understanding towards us students during this difficult time. I’ve been met with nothing but patience, kindness and hope-filled attitudes which all drown away my own negativity. I’ll be forever grateful for the Yellow Springs commu- nity and the love it has given me and to my high school, who even in the darkest times managed to shed a ray of light on my face and help me. What will I be doing in 10 years, you ask? You will probably find me with my little tent next to a river, talking to a snake and fishing for Bigfoot. Destiny Jent No response submitted. Sam Keller Parents/guardians: Brian and Kat Keller My experience at YSHS was lukewarm, but it did lead me to some great people. It led me to my friends and to meeting teachers like Mr. Comstock, who always said “hi” to me in the halls; Ms. Holly, who made me laugh with witty come- backs; Mrs. Sears, who shared her kind- ness with others; Mrs. Materne and her awesome big personality; and Mr. Hatert, who I think is a cool guy with cool vibes. In 10 years, I hope to have found a steady job and to be living my life the best I can. Cassie Kludt Parents/guardians: Cindy Stevens I moved to Yellow Springs my fresh- man year of high school. Being from a big district and moving to a small district was a big change for sure. Spending my last few important years of high school in Yellow Springs has shaped me into the person I am today. If I could go back in time and change the events of me moving to YS, I wouldn’t. The thing I valued the most here at Yellow Springs High School is the teachers. My senior year was spent by being around the most supportive teach- ers ever. I wouldn’t be graduating if it weren’t for them. But because of COVID-19, this pan- demic has set me back and stripped our class of our final moments together. I was supposed to play my final season of tennis all the month of April, and yet we never got to even start the tennis season. My orchestra always has a junior/senior concert where the upperclassmen plan a story/theme through music to tell the audience; I will never get to play my violin for that concert again. Finally, I started a nurse aide class back in Febru- ary. I was very excited to complete the class to get my license to be a STNA, but since that class had to be face-to-face, my professor had to cancel the class for the rest of this semester, and as a result, I won’t be getting my license in May. My plan after graduation is to attend Sinclair Community College to major in nursing. Because my nurse aide class has been put on hold, hopefully I’ll earn my license in the fall and get to work ASAP. If colleges still can’t have face-to-face classes by then, I will have a slow start to college due to internet connections I have out where I live. It is still in the plan that I register for my prerequisites in the fall. What made my experience at YSHS good was sports. Since there’s no cut system here at YSHS, anybody has a chance to play any sport they want. I’ve been a part of the cheer squad and tennis team since freshman year, and I don’t want to change anything I did through those years. But tennis has been a huge part of high school for me, and it really made me love the sport all around. My tennis coach, Coach Stacey, has been a huge influence and inspiration to play tennis and literally is the best coach ever. Going forth in adulthood, I will remember these years forever, especially 2020. Hopefully in the next 10 years, I will finish my master’s degree in nurs- ing. I haven’t figured out just yet what I want to do, but hopefully I will become a nurse practitioner. Where I see myself in 10 years is working a job I love and being surrounded by the people I love the most. Hoping to own a corgi. 6 Yellow Springs High School  CLASS OF 2020 A Special Section of the Yellow Springs News | May 28, 2020 Kettering Health Network Jerome Borchers, Lamm’s Insurance Todd McManus, O.D O u r S p o n s o r s  Oakley Kraus Parents/guardians: Alisa Meier I moved to Yellow Springs in Septem- ber of 2011 and have happily called this my home ever since. When I first started school in YS, I was a little scared. My favorite memory of my first day is when I was being shown around the classroom. The teacher locked me in the coat hanger room and wouldn’t let me back in for a second. After he let me in, the class was laughing and I realized that this was gonna be great. Looking at what I can now think of as my last day in the building, I still wouldn’t trade it. Over the years, I’ve made bonds with people that I wouldn’t trade for the world. The older I got, the more I bonded with the teachers at the school. It became normal for me and my friends to sit with a teacher for lunch. Some of my favorite memories of high school come from this. One good memory is when a group of my friends and I decided to eat lunch in Mr. Lowry’s room. At some point in time that became the usual. We were playing cards and I had made a little bit of a cruel joke towards my friend. A few seconds after I had cracked the joke, Mr. Lowry lifted his head up, yelling my name in a very shocked manner. My teachers played a very large role in my high school life. As someone who aspires to be a teacher, I’ve got some really good references to go on. One teacher who has always been there for me is Mr. Mayer. Not only is he the best orchestra teacher I could’ve ever asked for, but he was a friend. I was Mr. Mayer’s student for a whole six years, and high school would have never been the same if I wasn’t. From the dreaded 8 a.m. alarms to the rush of adrenaline I get after performing a show, I am grateful for every experi- ence I got at YSHS and am proud to say I’m a Bulldog. As I look forward towards college and prep for the rest of my life, I know that I’m all set on skills and friends for the future. After graduating from college, I hope to be able to come back to YSHS and teach, and I hope that one day I will be able to inspire kids just like the teachers of YSHS inspired me. Thank you.