Redefining Normal: Looking Ahead at the 2020-21 School Year

This article is written by Willow Bullington with contributions from Cameron Kelly.

From Feb. 27-Aug. 21, we were apart. We spent the remainder of our junior year apart from one another. We left campus oblivious to the fact that it was the last time we would be together for the next 175 days.

On the first day of school this year, Connor Claypool, our head prefect, delivered a speech about “redefining normal,” pushing ourselves to look past our previous standards and not be defined by our habitual nature. 

Upon further discussion with Connor Claypool, I was able to further understand his motivation and thought process behind the main points of his speech. Claypool’s speech focused on three pillars: unity, service and investment. Claypool says that his inspiration was “from being apart for so long” and that “once all this Covid-19 stuff goes back to normal these three pillars will be key in having a great rest of our senior year.”

The inevitability of the unconventionality of our senior year is daunting, to say the least. As much as we can hope for a football season, pep rallies, games and dances, we know that it is not guaranteed. But we do have an advantage, we know what to expect, unlike our predecessors, the class of 2020. We can adapt and change and redefine our standards of normal. 

Claypool states that “Covid split our world apart” and “no one knew what to do” and he encourages the community to use the three pillars as a starting point to rebuilding a better normal. Claypool’s three pillars all serve to support the foundation of redefining normal. 

“Who says ‘normal’ was working, or the best?” Claypool says, encouraging his fellow classmates – specifically seniors - to be willing and open to adapting to our current situation. 

Claypool encouraged our community to embrace this unknown and different way of life. Challenging our old way of life, he explained that “our environment right now has created a new normal built on service, unity and investment” Covid-19 has presented us with a new perspective and a newfound gratitude for everyone around us.  

Head prefect Connor Claypool's wise words inspired the SBS community to redefine normal. He urges us to not be defined by our past notions of what our senior year should be. Claypool encourages us to “have an attitude of service, be unified and be invested in each other and our community” this year.