Resources

Celebrating the Class of 2020 and an End to a Unique School Year

Introduction:

To conclude our Current Events weekly resource for this school year, Civics Learning Project is celebrating the Class of 2020 – in whatever form that may be! Whether it’s seniors graduating from high school, 8th graders moving up into high school, or 5th graders moving up into middle school, this year’s conclusion is nothing like any of us could have imagined. Students all over our state have participated and seen so much this last year, from Climate Change Demonstrations and walkouts, to worldwide movements to protect education and students’ futures.

To end the 2019-2020 school year, you’ll find below a more brief version of our usual Current Event. We’ve collected videos and news stories about celebrating the Class of 2020, and links to special commencement addresses from celebrities and leaders to encourage and motivate students as they move on in this new uncertain world. In addition, you’ll find stories of what students have been up to in this strange but inspiring spring semester of 2020.

 

Videos:

 

2020 Commencement Advice:

The Best Commencement Advice of 2020 – Forbes, May 16, 2020

The 15 most uplifting commencement messages celebrities and icons from Oprah Winfrey to Tom Hanks gave the class of 2020 – Insider, May 16, 2020

Hey, Class of 2020! SpaceX and NASA want to launch your photo on historic Dragon flight! – Space.com, May 15, 2020

24 Chicago celebrities offer advice, congrats to 2020 high school graduates – Chicago Tribune, May 15, 2020

Advice to the Class of 2020 from People Who Graduated in the Great Recession – Newsweek, April 27, 2020

 

Stories of Student Innovation in 2020:

12-year-old Bay Area boy manufactures 3-D printed device to limit spread of COVID-19 – KVTU News (CA), May 10, 2020

6-year-old runs joke stand in Saanich, B.C., to make people smile during COVID-19 – CBC, April 27, 2020

10-Year-Old Seeks to Empower Other Kids During COVID-19 Pandemic – CBC, April 10, 2020

3D-Printing Teen Makes Hundreds of Ingenious Devices to Alleviate Ear Pain for Healthcare Workers – The Globe & Mail, April 10, 2020

High school students launch positive message hotline for seniors – CBC April 11, 2020

16-year-old pilot flies medical supplies to rural hospitals – Associated Press, April 7, 2020