Writing in Publications: TroJournal Blog
Written by Madison Clay, Junior
4/17/20
All of the Lights
The Whitmore Lake High School held an event that will stick with the class of 2020 seniors for a lifetime. As a gift from the high school to the seniors, they lit the football field lights for 20 minutes and 20 seconds, to honor all the seniors who have missed out on a lot of opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As students arrived, they parked safely away from each other to enjoy the display. Police cars and fire trucks made their way by, flashing their lights to show their support to the 2020 seniors. The students sat on top of their cars or stood out of their sunroofs to watch them go by. They set a timer on the football stadium clock for 20:20 and let the clock roll.
Students played music from their cars, exchanged laughs from a distance, and celebrated their senior year. Granted a light show isn’t much, the high school still came together to show the seniors their support which meant the most. Most of the students who attended the light show hadn’t seen their friends since school was let out. This opportunity to catch up was very exciting for some.
Some of the seniors shared their opinions on their experience of the light show. Senior Rylee Phillips commented, “It meant a lot to be able to come together with some of my classmates and share this moment with them. Listening to our class songs and laughing with each other as the time ticked down from 20:20 was very heartwarming. I just want to thank everyone who came together to do this; it meant so much.”
The gesture of the lights not only showed support for the seniors but allowed them to celebrate their class together! Every day we will not know what will come next, so this time we shared together was very special. As Phillips stated, it was “very heartwarming” and this is a memory she will cherish for the rest of her life. It has now entered the memory of high school for her.
As the seniors waited for the clock to get to zero, they were surprised by the Northfield Township Police and Fire Departments. Flashing their lights and sounding their sirens, they made their way past the school parking lot, and let the 2020 seniors know that they are on everyone’s minds during this difficult time that almost seems unreal. The Police and Fire Departments’ appearance was thoughtful and the 2020 seniors were thankful!
Life has been nothing but normal in the past few months. Everyone, student or not, is experiencing a sense of loss, whether it’s the seniors who are missing a lot of their lasts, college students missing their graduations, people missing job opportunities, and a million more things. At a time where everything seems to be going wrong, the Whitmore Lake High School proved itself to be part of a great community. Looking back in 20 years, the Class of 2020 will remember April 17, 2020, as the day that truly displayed our #TrojanPride.