You have probably heard it about a thousand times now, 2020 has been a crazy year if not the worst in a while. The year started with conflicts that have always been around to ending the year in a global pandemic that is on the rise again. Even though we have lost well over a million people to COVID-19 this year, humanity has still proven to be larger than any conflict that has risen so far.

The year had started out with tension and threats of war with Iran after the United States killed one of their top generals in an airstrike. Many people thought that war was inevitable and prepared to get drafted into the military. Fortunately, the anticipated large scale war never came.

As the year progressed, the threat of the now infamous COVID-19 virus grew out of hand. The virus had begun to spiral out of control towards the beginning of March and many countries went into lockdown to prevent the spread. Schools all across the United States shut down and transferred to using online classes. 

Due to this sudden transfer to online classes, many students fell behind in learning the criteria and struggled to pull off a passing grade. For some Arizona school districts, the first quarter of the 2020-2021 school year was also online. This, once again, caused students to fall behind.

Once schools went back to their regular in-person instruction, students began to test positive for COVID-19. Students who were in contact with anyone who has or had the virus had to quarantine. 

There have been plenty of other unfavorable experiences and events that have happened this year, however, there are a few good things that have happened so far.

Due to the pandemic, many working Americans have had the most free time that they have had in years and have done things that they have never been able to do before. People have been binge watching shows, playing video games, and discovering new hobbies to pass the time. This was no exception for students either.

Many students have enjoyed a few weeks off of their normal school year. The time off gave students the opportunity to readjust and cool down from their normally busy schedule. Many people capitalized on the extra time by catching up on much needed sleep and hanging out with friends.

Once the quarantine started to lift, schools went back to in-person instruction. In the case for CUSD, students had the option to continue to work online through Chandler Online Academy. For those who returned to campuses, they got to see their friends after two quarters and a summer break. Even though we have been told to physically distance ourselves, it was still nice to see friends face to face.

This year has been one of the worst years in a long while. There is no denying that. All of the protests, the pandemic, the constant threats of war, the recent election, and whatever else that has happened has made 2020 what it is. However, you have to find the good in everything to truly appreciate how we handle hardships.