SAUGUS — A strong sense of community is what sets Saugus High School’s class of 2020 apart from the rest, at least according to SHS Principal Michael Hashem.
“They’re a really collaborative class,” he said of his students, who will now officially graduate on July 25.
Perhaps that bond can be attributed to the fact that Saugus’ seniors have been through more in their last two semesters than most classes have in four years together.
During the 2019-2020 school year alone, they have borne witness to not only mass civil rights protests and an unprecedented pandemic, but on a more local scale, they’ve also been at the center of an especially contentious School Committee election season, and prepared to upend their lives during the district’s move to a brand-new middle-high school building.
“We’ve had everything possible to disrupt what was going on,” Hashem said. “They were going to be the last class to graduate from the old school, and then the timeline was moved up so they were going to be the first class to graduate from the new school, now they’re going to have a July graduation and it’s an entirely different world.”
Hashem emphasized the important role the seniors have played in how the town will remember the coronavirus pandemic, and he commended them for showing resilience in the face of adversity.
“I advise them to keep persevering,” he said. “I think they’ve done a great job doing it and dealing with a lot of changes in transition and I hope they continue to do so.
“I know they were concerned as a class because their year ended abruptly on March 13. They were afraid they’d be the ‘forgotten class,’ but they couldn’t be further from that. They’re probably going to be the most remembered class that I can recall. Nobody’s going to forget the class of 2020 anytime soon.”
One bright spot for Saugus seniors, however, was celebrating Color Day — the last one scheduled to take place in the old Saugus High School — this past fall.
A particularly special rite of passage for the town’s high schoolers, the massive Thanksgiving week event never fails to bring out the best in each class, said student advisor Jacquie Alongi.
With floor to ceiling decorations, fun costumes, and countless posters bearing the school colors of red, white, and black, this year’s seniors stole the show with their Lion King-themed skit and decorations.
“They’ve been a great group of kids since they hit the ground running back in the fall of 2016,” Alongi said. “Whether it be organizing fundraisers or getting ready for color day, they’ve always come together as a class.”
On a more serious note, she added that this year has forced the class of 2020 to mature beyond their age.
“To put it bluntly, they had to grow up quick,” Alongi said. “We’ve never dealt with a pandemic before. I know some students had parents who were sick or they were stepping up and working, in addition to finishing their senior year of high school, and in addition to figuring out what they want to do for their future. Unfortunately, I think it just really made them grow up and not be kids anymore.
“In the long run, even though they’ve had to deal with a lot, I think this resiliency they’ve had for the last 10 months or so is setting them up for success.”
Hashem agreed.
“One of the things they accomplished the most was that they stuck together,” he said. “I don’t want to overplay these last three months, but it’s tough not to, because it’s had such an impact on their four years here. As a class, they really came together.”
