SWAMPSCOTT – Swampscott High School’s Class of 2020 will be remembered for its members’ drive and innate abilities to take on roles as community leaders.
This tenacity has become especially apparent this year, said Principal Dennis Kohut, when students consistently demonstrated their ability to not only comprehend complex world issues, but also take definitive action to generate real change.
“You think about all the problems that the world has, and I feel confident that this particular group of kids, this generation, is going to change things,” Kohut said. “If you just look at some of the things that have happened recently, like with the (Black Lives Matter) protests, we had Swampscott kids hold demonstrations. They were there to use their first amendment rights peacefully and voice their opinions.”
In addition to rallying behind calls for social change, Kohut also commended the Class of 2020 for being creative problem solvers who aren’t afraid to use their voices to call others to action.
“These are kids who are really interested in making the world a better place, and they’re not just talking about it, they’re doing it,” he said. “I think these kids are going to be fine.”
Guidance counselor Emily Zotto-Barnum added that she thinks the Class of 2020 feels a strong sense of service to others, which has manifested itself in the many extracurricular activities students took on throughout their high school years.
“Whether it be their participation as an intern at the State House, or earning the Gold award in Girl Scouts, I think they have always felt really connected to activism and service, and hopefully they’ll continue that into the future,” she said. “This particularly challenging time amplifies their abilities and strengths and commitment to the community here, and also the global community.
“I think both the protests, as well as the global pandemic, point to the connectivity of all of us, and I do think that they are self-aware. They manage themselves exceptionally well and develop relationships in the community that are important and will help move things forward.”
She said she was also equally impressed by the seniors’ ability to mobilize when confronted with especially challenging or heartbreaking issues.
“They organized a lot of the protests on their own, and the focus has been really peaceful and future-oriented,” she added.
In a heartfelt letter to the class, the school’s three guidance counselors — Zotto-Barnum and her colleagues Rachel Sturma and Julie Mazzola — praised the seniors for not only their diverse career aspirations, but also their perseverance through various hardships and their commitment to a wide range of interests and causes.
The letter didn’t go without noting the particularly difficult world this year’s class will be graduating into, however, and students were asked to take on challenges in stride.
“No one in our lifetime has experienced a situation like the one we are in right now; you will someday look back on these weeks and months with many charged memories,” it read. “We are certain that you will embrace this unusual time we all have to be present, proud of where you have already been, what you have already accomplished and with the confidence and the courage to embrace whatever comes next.”
Zotto-Barnum said she was exceptionally proud of the Class of 2020.
“In reflecting on a theme or overarching personality of the group, I do think that their dynamic ability to be self aware is a powerful one,” she said. “As you can see through the ‘We Love You’ letter, their commitment to the local Swampscott and larger national and global communities truly stands out.
“The SHS Mission includes the goal of building respectful and caring relationships for all in the community and the Class of 2020 embodies this sentiment beautifully.”
Kohut later added: “It’s such a cliché, but it’s so true: their futures are bright. They’re going to schools all over the country, to places as far away as California and to places as close as Salem, and I think they are overwhelmingly just a good group of human beings. They’re going to make the world a better place.”
