LYNN — The 2020 senior class at Fecteau-Leary Junior/Senior High School will be one to remember, and it’s not just because of the circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down schools in mid-March.
The Class of 2020 includes 50 students, the highest number of graduates in the school’s history.
“We’re incredibly proud of this senior class, and I told them in my statement to them that they will be a historic class for us here,” said Fecteau-Leary principal Maura Durgin-Scully. “Obviously one of the defining things about this class will be the pandemic, but they have so much more to be remembered by and to be proud of. To have 50 kids graduate, which is about double our usual graduating class, it’s really special.”
The Class of 2020 has grown and accomplished a number of things over the course of the past four years, including volunteering over 2,000 hours per year at My Brother’s Table.
“This senior class was the first class that we had volunteering, and it’s been amazing to watch the impact they’ve made in the community,” said Durgin-Scully.
Students from all backgrounds and with all sorts of learning plans came together at Fecteau-Leary, with all of them working toward the same goal of graduating.
“We have a lot of different types of students with all kinds of stories here,” Durgin-Scully said. “Some kids have been with us since seventh grade, some kids go to both day and night school, some kids have to leave for a year to work and support their family before returning. We’re lucky that we are a much smaller school, so we’re able to really intimately get to know all of our students and their families and that helps us work out the best learning path for each student.”
For the first time ever, two students from the same class will be attending four-year colleges.
“It’s a great accomplishment that we are very proud of, and I know they’re proud as well,” said Durgin-Scully. “We have 50 percent of this graduating class that is moving on to higher education at North Shore Community College, and we’ve only had one other student ever go on to a four-year college, so we’re truly proud.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting all school activities down in March, seniors missed out on major school events such as prom and graduation. The school is still planning to conduct a virtual graduation Friday, which will consist of statements from Durgin-Scully, Lynn Mayor Thomas McGee, Lynn Superintendent Patrick Tutwiler and a host of celebrities like DJ Khaled and Selena Gomez. The virtual graduation will be held Friday at 4 p.m. and it will be broadcast on Lynn Public Access, YouTube and on the Lynn Public Schools Facebook page.
As for an in-person outdoor graduation, there are tentative plans for an event at Manning Field Aug. 1. However, it’s still too early for all the details.
“We’re hoping that we can do something in person for the students, but it’s too early to tell at this point,” said Durgin-Scully. “We really would like to get it done, so barring any issues with coronavirus I think we’ll be able to do something.”
But while the school year didn’t end like any other, the Class of 2020 at Fecteau-Leary will be remembered just as any other class — a class that came into school with eyes wide open and left with the skills to continue on in life.
“Students from the Class of 2020 came here for all different reasons, and they found a home here,” said Durgin-Scully.
