Cairo class of 2021 learns more than just what’s in textbooks through pandemic

Published 3:24 pm Tuesday, May 18, 2021

CAIRO — What the Cairo High School class of 2021, in particular its top two graduates, has learned this year goes beyond the classroom walls.

The COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered schools at the end of the 2019-20 school year has led to a mix of online and in-person. Students have learned course material, along with being adaptable and flexible. 

“It is also taught me the value of persistence,” said valedictorian Camille Dukes. “A lot of us don’t know what is going to happen next. A lot of days we’re not sure if someone has COVID or not. Some days, it’s a risk coming to school but it has really taught me how working hard and being here at school has been a blessing.”

Salutatorian Michelle Morales said she doesn’t like change, so the last year has been hard. 

“It’s been really tough,” she said. “I never thought I would want to come back to school, and it just makes me really grateful to do that. I know a lot of schools are still virtual.

“A lot of people complain we’re not getting a normal senior year,” Morales continued. “But in comparison to other parts of the country, we should be grateful to be here, just to get to see different faces every day. I’m glad to get to see my teachers face to face and not through a screen.”

Having to take classes online also showed Dukes how important having other students around was.

“To me, it signifies how much we take being around other people for granted,” she said. “Now, I would never want to go back to virtual school. I like having people around me and having people around to bounce ideas off of. It made me really appreciate having my classmates around me.” 

Dukes is headed to Mercer University, with the hopes of eventually getting into their medical program.

“I like how much they value community service,” she said. “They value volunteering. They really push their students to be the best they can be, academically and in being more involved in the community. Their medical program seems to be a good opportunity.”

Morales will be going to Georgia Tech, where she will major in chemical engineering. She said she liked how Tech embraced diversity and that orientations for parents of new students, like hers, also are given in Spanish.

“They always talk about minorities and first-year students,” she said. “They have a lot of opportunities for Hispanic students. And obviously, it’s Georgia Tech. No one can turn down Georgia Tech.”

Dukes said her favorite course during her high school years was chemistry with Lara Starr. 

“She definitely had an influence on me,” Dukes said. “She encouraged me. She supported me. I didn’t care for chemistry at all but she helped me see the fun side of it.”

Dukes also enjoyed English language and composition with Alex Papanicolopoulos.

“I wasn’t a person who read for fun,” Dukes said. “It was always something that was a chore. But he made it fun. He gave us a lot of different novels we could read. He allowed me to see reading provides you a whole another world.”

Morales’ favorite course was a chemistry class, which opened her eyes to the science.

“I’ve been always naturally good at science but I never had a love for it,” she said. “When I took it in 10th grade, I fell in love with chemistry a week into the class. I’ve never felt like that with anything. 

Morales said she wants to do a bilingual speech while Dukes said she wants to deliver an uplifting tone in her address.

“I’m going to try to take a deep breath, say what’s on my mind, and hopefully give a motivational and encouraging message to my classmates,” Dukes said, “but also to the parents and families and the faculty and staff, everyone who has encouraged us along the way.”

The past year, with and without classmates, and seeing a future without seeing them has the two top grads introspective and retrospective on graduation day.

“It used to be it wasn’t that big of a deal,” Morales said. “But I saw the class of 2020 struggle to get a graduation. I didn’t realize how much I was looking forward to that day. We didn’t know at the beginning of the year if we were going to be able to have this chance.

“It’s going to be a big change from high school to college,” she added. “I’ve grown up with these people for 12 years and now they’re not going to be there. It’s hard to think about that.”

Dukes said she, like Morales, is trying to enjoy the environment around her before their last day as Syrupmakers.

“I want to just try to take in every moment we have left,” she said. “I know the teachers had a hard time this year too. So I can’t blame them for the homework we have. I’m just trying to soak in the moment and get used to the feeling of everything being normal.” 

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.