Page 4 - 2020 Priory Yearbook

As we brainstormed yearbook themes at a workshop in August, we knew this would be a monumental year.
With Mr. Molak departing after having an extraordinary presence at Priory for over 30 years, we found our community in a state of transition. We picked the theme “to be continued” to commemorate not only the end of an era, but also to acknowledge that our story does not end here.
As the year has progressed, this theme is more fitting than ever.
From wildfires and power outages, to departures of beloved faculty in Mr. Molak, Mr. Schlaak, Ms. Faisal, Mr. Turner, Ms. Buccola and more, our lives were interrupted and we began to look to the future.
However, we never saw what was coming when campus life was abruptly canceled in March, without knowing if we would ever return. A global pandemic is something we never could have anticipated.
But that is not to forget all of the good memories we shared as a community together. The reopening of the new dining hall brought smiles and joy to students and kitchen staff alike. We shared countless laughs with one another during spirit week, seniors cried together during the college application process, and our community reflected together during chapel.
For us, there is not something in particular that we miss. Rather, it is the warmth and joy we feel when we are together on campus that we long for in ways we never could have imagined.
It is only by being apart that we realized how much we cherished being together.
For our seniors, it is devastating that they are not able to say “goodbye” in ways that they expected, and now, they look to the future for closure.
It seems like an unexpected end to an era in so many ways, but it is in this moment that we must remember that our lives will continue forward together.
Although we are all at home, the spirit of the Priory community lives on. And when we reunite, whenever that may be, our story will continue.
It is in this time of uncertainty and transition that we can find hope in the future.
Current status: to be continued.
Sarah Park and Christina Cheng 2019-2020 Yearbook Editors