Who knew that 2020 was gonna be such a challenging year. We all thought that it would be just like the past years but unexpectedly we had a  lot of challenges thrown at us such as, being in a pandemic, people losing their loved ones, people losing their home because of the wildfires, and people losing their jobs and not having enough food or money. Even though 2020 wasn’t the best year it still did some good such as bringing people closer and teaching us  valuable lessons. Many learned to never take things for granted and appreciate what you have. 

Celeste Pellicci- Celeste Pellicci is Sam Barlow’s assistant principal. Because of the pandemic , Pellicci was able to connect more with her introverted side and enjoy the more simple things in life. Some of those things were reading, doing puzzles, exercising, connecting with old friends, and trying new things such as playing video games and drawing. “Because of the pandemic, I have been able to spend a lot of time with my family, in particular with my son. Before he left for college we had a lot of milestones with him as a senior, but we made the best of it.” Pellicci then went on to say, “My spouse and I were fortunate to have stable jobs during this time, and I am grateful for that.” It was difficult for Pellicci to watch our country go through such a challenging and divided time, but she always believes in what Dr. Martin Luther King said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” “ The epidemic continues to remind me of what’s really important in life-our loved ones, our health, and taking care of those who are struggling. I hope to carry this with me.” Pellicci said. 

April Anderson- 2020 changed Anderson to become more grateful for the opportunities she has and for the people she has in her life. This past year has  also made her more resilient. If you can’t do the things the way we normally do then it doesn’t mean we still can’t do it, we just have to be creative and figure out how to do it in different ways. Anderson had a good change this year. It helped her reprioritize her life and how she balances everything. “I realized that you really should take advantage of opportunities that you have because you never know if you will get the opportunity again.” Anderson said. She then went on to say, “only worry about the things that you can control because those are the only things you can change.” 

Casey Peters- 2020 was a pretty good year for him. He got his master degree, started teaching and had his first kid. 2020 turned his life up and down and now he’s finally an adult. 2020 has made Peters realize that he needs people around him to keep him productive and sane. “I keep reminding myself of a sign that my mom put up in our bathroom growing up. It said ‘Problems are just opportunities in disguise.’ 2020 has been full of opportunities.” Peters said.

Reagan Erickson- Reagan Erickson is a junior at Sam Barlow, last year allowed her to realize how fortunate she was to be able to do the things she did with other people. 2020 made her change into something good. It made her realize how fortunate we are to be around the people we love and go to school in person even though we dread waking up. Erickson said, “Social distancing may suck, but it could save someone’s life.” 

Jenalyn Zollinger- 2020 really changed Zollinger. It made her more aware of her faults and strengths. She found new talents, improved on the ones she already had, and she also had time to figure herself out. She was sad that she couldn’t see her friends and family like normal times, but she took that time to reflect on herself which really helped her mentally. She also found out that she learns better when she teaches herself and gives herself time to think. With school and church and all these other activities going on in her life, it gets her busy and crazy to the point where she doesn’t have time to relax and take a break. She said, “I saw this in my family members as well, and I think we all needed it.” She then went on to say, “Everyone wants happiness, and no one wants pain. But you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.”