By Michele Robertson

We are a short time away from the biggest event in a high school senior’s educational path, graduation. Students work hard to have the honor of walking across the stage as their name is called out and their parents embarrass them with amazing homemade signs mixed with excited hoots and hollers and tears of joy. Alas, the graduating class of 2020 is going to have a completely different experience.

The graduation ceremony sits in the top three senior class events that Cristiana Zumbrun says she is sad to be missing. “I would prefer a traditional graduation, but I am glad they came up with an alternative. We know our teachers are working so hard to make it happen and I am really grateful for that” she said.

Zumbrun is a busy senior. Her activites include the CHS Dance Company, the Varsity Cheer Team, secretary for Student Council, Honor Society, and the Interact Club. She participates in these along with working at Java Nicks Coffee Hut and as the youth intern at First United Methodist Church. Zumbrun says, “nowadays, I’m mostly spending time with my family and close friends. It’s hard because I’m used to being so busy. I’ve tried to take up some new hobbies like cooking and redesigning old clothes.”

As far as distance learning goes, she said they were already doing a lot of work online. They would have the face-to-face lesson with their teacher and turn the work in online. “It’s hard to be motivated to work. Having your teacher there motivates you,” she added “we use Google Hangout weekly for questions we have for the teacher.”

Zumbrun feels the process of distance learning during the last part of this semester has helped prepare her for college. She has had to motivate herself, even though it is hard to do and focus on getting the work done. This top 20 graduate (#18 to be exact) with a 4.065 GPA, plans on attending New Mexico State University in Las Cruces in the fall. She shared that she has not heard yet if there will be classes held on campus or if it will be all online, “I would like the experience of going to college classes and seeing the professors.”

When asked how she was processing all the changes that have happened recently, Zumbrun said “it was harder in the beginning. You work so hard for the entire year, to have it taken away. It has gotten easier as time goes on. I’ve had a lot of great memories this year.”

There are so many memorable and fun activities that happen at the end of the school year, asking someone to narrow them all down to the top three that will be missed is no easy feat. Graduation was a big one for Zumbrun, and her earlier sentiments of gratitude for the school figuring out a way to make it happen for the graduates and their families was heartfelt.

Another event is senior prom. “There’s just something about your senior prom” she said. Indeed, dancing the night away with your friends and making memories you laugh at later in life are priceless moments. Her third event is a new one, the Senior Sunrise. “I was looking forward to eating pancakes and sitting on the green with your friends as you watch the sunrise.”

Advice for students from Zumbrun, “From your freshman to your junior year it goes by so fast, you don’t even comprehend it until you are about to graduate. Don’t take anything for granted, it goes so, so fast. I wish I had slowed down and embraced the moments more than I did.”