In life, we all have our good years and bad years, though 2020 was one of the worst years as a result of many tragic events such as the arrival of COVID-19, celebrity passings, and economic strife. Despite the fact that 2020 was surmounted by negatives, there were still positives in the year.

Reflecting on 2020, junior Mike Ibrahim discusses what he would’ve loved to have. Ibrahim said, “In 2020, I would’ve loved to attend school in-person. No one was planning to have school all virtual, so it was hard to get used to the system and it was not the best way to learn. It is clear that the failure rate for high school students is rising, and so is the stress rate. Teachers have had a hard time teaching and students have had a hard time learning in this new environment.”

Similarly, sophomore Noah Zamora said, “I would love for us to go to school again. I miss hanging out with my friends.”

Despite not having the enjoyment of being able to go to school, many positives came out of distance learning and quarantine as a whole. For example, learning more about oneself, gaining a new interest in a hobby, spending time with friends and family, etc.

Senior Aryan Patil said he found  a new hobby during his quarantine.

Patil said, “I have been enjoying playing Valorant with a bunch of my friends and I hope to get top 500 by the end of 2021 and rank out of Silver 2 as a Yoru main.”

Zamora said, “I was able to spend more time with my family and I was incredibly happy to do so.”

In addition, there were many brights spots in 2020. One event was when SpaceX launched two astronauts into space for the first time. Another highlight from the year was when the UK gave the first Covid-19 vaccine dose. Also, another highlight was that carbon emissions fell as a result of quarantine.

When asked about his thoughts on the topic, Patil says, “These positive aspects create a good omen for our future. It is the rainbow after a rainy day, and I hope this rainbow shines brightly for next year.”

Many hope that 2021 will prove to be a greater, brighter future for the world through advancements, reformations, and overall a more positive year for everyone.

Ibrahim said, “In 2021, I would like to see more people coming together to make a greater difference, and for us to possibly come back to school and be able to learn more. Another thing that I would like to see is changes in school, hard to ask for, but school has become just a memorization period, rather than actually trying to learn.”

Despite the dreadful year, 2020 still had many great things occur to uplift the world. Many were able to find new hobbies, notable events took place, and people were able to spend more time with their families and friends. 2021 will hopefully become a great year to remember for all, and ultimately rescue the world from the darkness within 2020.