It's all about adapting!
Hannah…proud class of 2020
No need to state the obvious here, but for my own records of this blog, and looking back at it years later, I want to tell at least an outline of the story. The world, closed down literally, because of the pandemic of Covid 19. Covid affected people’s lives drastically. Many many people passed away from the virus, the experience of kid’s education became something we had never before experienced, the working force’s ability to go to their jobs was taken away, and definitely caused a lot of fear in our world. We were literally ALL touched in some way.
I think my biggest take away from this, as someone who was so very fortunate to not be touched by the death of a loved one, is, as humans we learn to adapt and MUST learn to adapt instead of dwelling on what “isn’t”. Change happens every day, whether we like it or not. Sometimes the changes are monumental, LIFE changing….like this pandemic is for us. But what do we do? Do we just sit and wait for things to get better? I don’t think so. I saw schools flip their ways in the matter of a few days notice. They figured out how to connect with their students and still do their job, even though it was in a different way. I saw people who became super innovative in creating a way to still make some income while helping the needs of others. I saw people helping people, and people reconnecting with their families. I saw a lot of very sad things too, but while I am soulfully touched by how different this could feel if I was one who lost someone I cared so deeply about, I would hope that I would know deep down, that I must keep moving, changing, keeping my head in the right place, and adapting.
Hannah and her small high school figured out a safer way to allow the graduates to have a day to celebrate the culmination of 12 years of formal education. It was probably one of the coolest and most fun graduation experiences I’ve ever been to. I understand that it was able to be done, because of the small size of the school, and not every 2020 graduate was afforded this in person opportunity. I am grateful, I understand that this gift was not something everyone got.
Here are a few images of the special day for this intelligent, kind and beautiful young lady that has become a huge part of my life, that I don’t take for granted for a single moment.
AND IT BEGINS
We started by meeting at the school. The kids and parents were to be in their individual family cars, to be a part of the parade from the school to the small town of Idaho Springs. Police shut down the freeway temporarily to allow for the 50+ cars to stay together during the commute.
(this first set was shot on expired film , on a brand new camera I was testing out. Hence the cool retro look!)
I couldn’t hide my emotions when we pull off the freeway and into the downtown area of Idaho Springs. The streets were lined with the residents, cheering, clapping, and yelling the names of all the kids they had grown up knowing and loving. It was spectacular, touching and so appreciated by everyone involved!
After we drove through to all the screams and cheers, (before I get any comments, each group was situated right by their own cars in their own family groups. This photo, because of my perspective, may make them look packed in on top of each other but they weren’t I assure you lol), we were directed onto the football field that is scheduled to be torn down after years, to line up car by car to go through the commencement ceremony.
The key speakers gave really thoughtful speeches about how special these kids are and how well they DID adapt to the current situation and make it into something so special! Each graduate was called from their car, they walked to the stadium, pulled their own diploma from a table as to not have any physical contact with anyone, and headed down the other side and back to their vehicle. It really worked so beautifully as well as kept everyone safely apart from the others.
We were a lucky group. A lucky group that due to circumstances and location, were able to find a way to celebrate this amazing group of kids in person. I feel so fortunate! We went to take a few photos of Hannah after the ceremony since the opportunity in a group was not available to us. We had to go by 3 different parks that already had reached capacity in numbers, so grabbed some celebratory cream puffs from Safeway and headed down an empty road, and got our shots!
