It’s no secret that 2020 has been different from every other year we’ve lived through. At first the WWIII memes rolled in, then the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant silenced the world. The Australian fires didn’t help either. Once coronavirus began to spread, everyone’s thought was “Oh that’s horrible but it’s not like I will get it.” Before we knew it, Spring Break became a six-month break and everyone sat at home wondering who started playing Jumanji. Even though this year has been full of horrible news; there is always good news to follow it up. 

Good News:

With all of the bad news overcrowding news outlets and the internet, it’s easy to forget the good. Here’s a summary of all the good news that came from 2020 (so far);

• Drive in movie theaters made a comeback
• Tik Tok cured boredom for millions of teenagers 
• Disney+ released
• Teachers became more appreciated for their homeschooling skills
• Health care workers and first responders became recognized for the heroes that they are
• Spending time at parks, trails, and walking on sidewalks became more popular
• For the first time in decades, the water in the Venice Canals ran clear
• According to NASA, air pollution dropped 30% in the Northeast United States
• Amazing music is still being released (Stream Walls by Louis Tomlinson)

Along with the bad and good news 2020 has taught everyone to really reevaluate their life. Maybe go outside more, wash your hands, spend more time with your older family, etc. Whatever the lesson is, I think we learned it. Parkway Central High students have  some lessons of their own that they learned over the past year.

Here are a few: 

“One important lesson I learned is to cherish the time you have with your family. Through 2020, I have gotten to spend more time than ever with my family and have enjoyed that time more than I ever imagined I would,” junior David Smith said. “I know that at some point all of this quality time will be taken away once our lives go back to normal, so I want to make sure I don’t take advantage of this time I have and spend it with my family so we can still make memories during this crazy time.” 

“One thing I learned in 2020 is the importance of family and how much time you need to spend with them,” sophomore Daniel Schiller said. “I learned this because it was my brother’s birthday about two weeks ago and I didn’t even know it was his birthday not just because he is one of the four brothers I have but because I am always out with friends and going places.” 

“I learned to embrace change and always look at the positive aspects of it because opportunities can always come out of it and we don’t know if things that seem bad can actually turn out good in the future,” freshman Ellie Sioumcas said.

“I’ve learned about how to appreciate the things that I took for granted in my life,” freshman Benjamin Kruger said. “Before the pandemic, I took for granted spending time with my friends and playing sports. When these things were taken away during quarantine, I learned to be more appreciative of them in the future.”

“One thing I learned during 2020 was self-reliance, especially in quarantine and online learning as we have to be on top of our work on our own without anyone giving constant reminders on assignments,” senior Drew Goldman said.

Hopefully the good news will begin to brighten the bad and remind everyone that the world isn’t ending, it’s just going through a rough patch right now. Even though it’s super cheesy, something good can always come out of something bad. What lesson did 2020 teach you? Let us know by reaching out to us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or leaving a comment below.