James Hart Middle School Reunion said goodbye to the Class of 2020

James Hart School in Homewood wants to create a family of sorts for its students.

Even as the eighth grade graduates from middle school each year, the district encourages students to stay close and remember their class. To this end, the school organizes a farewell ceremony after graduation and then again four years later after high school graduation.

Officials say the ceremonies help renew and strengthen friendships as a social bond until the end.

The homecoming tradition started in 2015 and has become something of a fun district tradition, said Scott McAlister, superintendent of Homewood Elementary District 153.

“We actually did this in previous years,” he explained. “We would invite the graduating high school students back for a final farewell.”

The tradition continued until 2020, when the Covid-19 virus epidemic broke out, isolation was ordered and social events such as homecoming were canceled. McAlister noted that for these students, the entire end of middle school was met with a new, difficult reality in which classes were conducted exclusively online. Suddenly, the school friends were separated and stayed that way for the rest of the year.

With graduation canceled and customary graduation ceremonies canceled, the Class of 2020 did not get a send-off. That’s why district officials made every effort to make this year’s homecoming a reality. On May 24, students and staff made it happen.

McAlister said high school seniors seemed more eager than most to make up for lost time. The graduating class of 2020 numbered approximately 100 students, and he said the attendance at the prom was outstanding, a testament to its importance.

“It was probably the biggest turnout of all the years we’ve done it,” McAlister said. “I think it was partly because they shortened their junior high school days and were able to meet with teachers.”

McAlister said this group of students is not the last to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The next year the class also met online, and the year after that it was mostly masked. He said these emotional class reunions would continue.

“We’ll be seeing this for several years, no doubt,” he said.

But the 2020 class was a trial period in which students could and did demonstrate whether the contingency plans worked, how well they worked and where any weak spots lay.

McAlister said their resilience showed as this year, four years later, students were graduating from high school just like all those who came before them, some choosing higher education and others the workforce.

The superintendent said that as far as the district could track, these students avoided the worst impacts of pandemic learning, and he congratulated them for overcoming those obstacles.

“I mentioned to them that there is a lot of discussion about the impact of Covid on earnings and social and emotional health, but as I mentioned to these children, COVID has not had much of an impact on their progress in school,” he said. .

McAlister said students had a chance to take the microphone and tell their friends, teachers and administrators about their plans after high school and what their time at James Hart meant to them, as well as overcoming challenges and achieving success despite difficult circumstances.

“I think the tone was related to the idea of ​​resilience,” McAlister said. “These kids were able to overcome something that none of us had to when we were their age. It was a great day for everyone.”

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.