Dearest Members of the Class of 2021:
I’d like to talk to you about energy.
No, not nuclear energy – what is this, the ’80s? – and not solar, or wind, or the battle over how we will power our civilizations in the decades to come without absolutely wrecking the planet for your children and grandchildren.
I mean – we definitely SHOULD talk about those things. And I know you already ARE talking about those things. I’ve seen you starting environmental clubs at your schools and marching at all the massive climate change rallies. Keep fighting against those who are actively engaged in burning the world, and never let anyone convince you our current collective comfort is more important than a future free of climate disaster.
But I’m now talking about a different type of energy. Personal energy. Human energy. Specifically: your energy.
It’s fabulous.
As a community newspaper reporter I end up profiling a lot of young folks who are making their marks in the community in ways both big and small. This year in particular, with Grade 12 students facing unprecedented challenges, we sought out grads to find out how you were handling this monumental year in the midst of a global pandemic. And every time I spoke to one of you it was just … fantastic.
It wasn’t necessarily the things that you were saying – although I must say that you are a sharp, plugged-in bunch – but rather it was your energy. The energy of youth. The energy of optimism, and passion, and courage to go out and do something to make the world a better place despite outrageous obstacles.
Every time I spoke to a grad this year I came away energized by the conversation, whether I was sitting locked down in my makeshift bedroom office, or sitting locked down in my makeshift kitchen office.
There was the basketball player who laughed about her good fortune in having a younger sister who also played ball, giving her exactly one opponent she could face in true one-on-one games this year while still following all health restrictions.
“It’s getting harder now because she’s growing up and she’s now the same height as me,” she told me. “I can’t just shove her over, which is obviously upsetting.”
Love it!
There was the drama student who gave out some acting secrets – take a bunch of quick breaths just before jumping into a scene that is meant to take place with characters who have just done a bunch of running. Smart!
There was the soccer player who stayed fit while locked in a room during a mandatory two-week quarantine by doing “random boxing routines” that he found on YouTube.
Heck, just last week word came to us of a bunch of Handsworth “Congrats Grads” signs mysteriously appearing outside North Vancouver rival school Carson Graham. Love that mischievous energy!
You’ve been through a Grade 12 year truly like no other, but you’ve come through it with your spirits intact. And it has certainly been a weird year. The fact that in the last few paragraphs I’ve casually mentioned things such as “global pandemic” and “mandatory two-week quarantine” seems almost normal now because we’ve been living it for more than a year, but no other grad class ever has faced such an unsettling and uncertain and sometimes downright scary set of circumstances for their final year of school.
And yet, here you are. Just look at all the beaming faces and positive messages spread throughout this special grad feature in the North Shore News. You found a way to survive and thrive while facing these challenges. And so many of you have not just looked out for yourselves but have continued to keep the community moving, putting yourselves in harm’s way by working those pandemic front-line positions at our shops and restaurants and grocery stores.
As health restrictions continue to loosen and you set out into the world beyond the walls of your high school, I implore you to take that energy and share it with everyone you encounter. Be the kid in the front row of class in your college courses who loves to get the conversation started. Be the youth sports coach that all the kids will absolutely adore because you are so cool, unlike boring old Coach Mom or Dad. Be the one who keeps your new co-workers entertained with stories about the shenanigans your friends got up to over the weekend.
Find your passion, and then spread it to anyone who will listen. Energy is contagious, in the best possible way.
Enjoy this celebration, in whatever form it takes. You’ve earned it. And then go out and re-energize this world. We need it! You truly are the greatest resource we have.
Andy Prest is the sports and features editor of the North Shore News. His lifestyle/humour column runs biweekly. aprest@nsnews.com
