A to the LHS Music Virtual Holiday Concert

The night before the first day of break, LHS Music released their virtual holiday concert, “LHS Music: Home for the Holidays.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iECiDAHD0Fw It premiered performances from every ensemble, including the beloved LHS Carolers. Some favorites from the concert included junior Reese Yaras as the infamous Rudolph in the Caroler’s rendition of “Christmas Soup,” Principal Fagan reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” with Symphonic Band, Acabellas and Final Cut’s collaboration with jazz group Highline Vocal Jazz (which featured some funny video game references), and last but certainly not least, the blooper reel at the end. All in all, the show was a big hit. And students and families from the Ledyard community and beyond enjoyed the concert just in time for the holiday season. Wonderful job LHS Music, and especially to Mrs. Cometa and Mr. Thomas!

A to Midterms/Finals Cancellations

Sometime in December, an announcement was made that all midterms/finals – depending on the class – that were scheduled for January were cancelled. This was good news for LHS students as it was one less major test to stress about right after the holiday season. Some students are still hoping for the end of year finals to be cancelled, but I say, one day at a time guys; we can do this. 

A to the NHS Toy Drive

The National Honor Society held one of their biggest fundraisers this year, the Toy Drive! Led by seniors Megan Banach and Abby DiRico, the toy drive was a huge success. Principal Fagan created the clever idea to make the goal 800/800/800, meaning the school should try to raise $800 in toys, cash, and gift cards. The school far exceeded that goal, raising over $6,000 altogether! Great job Colonels, and awesome job to the members of NHS!

p.s. F to the end of the Target Shopping Spree

    Ok, don’t worry, the Target Shopping Spree itself was perfectly wonderful. A few NHS students paired up and had a blast picking out toys for kids of all ages. But when it came time to check out, everything was running smoothly at first. The students loaded everything into senior Blake McLeod’s car, and were ready to pose for the classic “thumbs up” picture with all of the toys. But bad news hit just moments after they finished loading: the transaction was deleted. That meant unloading, rechecking out every single toy, and reloading everything into the car. While this may have absolutely sucked for the students, they did it with a smile and enjoyed making some fun memories. A big thank you to those few students who had to endure that!

B to Snow Days

The first snow day of the season was a pleasant surprise for the Ledyard Colonels. Outside everyone’s window was a winter wonderland, and despite online school being a possibility, Mr. Hartling went for no school whatsoever. Students enjoyed a nice day off to catch up, nap, or binge their favorite show. While this should have been an A, the snow day did cause one cancellation: the LHS Key Club’s first event, their annual community gift wrapping. President Jaxson O’Connell and the rest of the officers, alongside advisor Mr. Jannke, worked extremely hard to plan the event, and the snow cancelled it. While the day off was great, we still appreciate all the work put in. We appreciate you Key Club!

C to Holiday Break

Call me a pessimist for giving holiday break such a low grade, but can’t we all admit it wasn’t the best this year? With Covid still hanging about, extended families were unable to visit each other, having to send gifts in the mail or dropping things off on doorsteps. I myself dropped a few gifts off for friends from the safety of my car. While the holiday season still had some sparkle, it just wasn’t the same. But despite that, many families still enjoyed a quiet and cozy Christmas. We are staying positive Colonels, let’s keep it up!

F to Covid…still

The end of 2020 was quite a celebration for many. But the end of 2020 unfortunately does not mean the end of the big bad pandemic. While things are looking up with the vaccines starting to be distributed, the conclusion of December means one month closer to March: the one year anniversary of the Covid shutdown. So, while I give Covid an F (and I always will), here’s my message to the LHS students and faculty. 

Staff: We see you. We hear you. We appreciate you. You have gone above and beyond to help your students adjust and adapt to a whole new method of school. You have helped the students who are struggling, and you have encouraged them, lifted them up. But this is hard for you too. Your work does not go unnoticed, your students love you, they appreciate you, and they will be forever grateful for everything you have done for them during this time. So again, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

Freshmen: This can’t be easy. I couldn’t imagine starting high school like this. It’s hard enough without the masks and the social distancing and the hybrid model. But you guys are basically halfway through your first year! My advice to you is to look ahead. Work hard now, but look towards the brighter future. You have a great couple years ahead of you, and I’m sure things will be far different for you in the upcoming high school years. While this time is extremely challenging, keep pushing on. You’ve got this.

Sophomores: What a year to be stuck in this pandemic. One of the most pivotal years of high school is sophomore year, at least it was for me. You didn’t get to do many things you were excited to experience for the first time as a freshman, but stay hopeful. You guys are serious troopers, and we are all proud of you.

Juniors: You guys are facing the toughest academic year in a pandemic. Many of you are taking multiple AP’s, and even if you aren’t, junior year English is no easy class. While you may feel like you have a solid place where you “belong,” this still isn’t easy. Many of you have friends who you can never see, you may feel alone in your tough classes. Motivation is especially low this year, but you guys are doing amazing. I have hope that your senior year will be better, so for now, just keep doing what you’re doing. We love you. 

Seniors: To my fellow seniors, I’m so sorry this had to happen to us. We have missed out on so many things. We have been beaten down time and time again. And while we all feel completely exhausted, burnt out, defeated, we keep getting up. Despite everything, despite all of the loss, the heartache, the struggles, we get back up and brush ourselves off. No one else has ever gone through what we are going through. We are one of a kind. And I know that while most – if not all – of us struggle to find the motivation to pick up a pencil, we are still doing it. There may be some hiccups along the way, but we are each other’s support system. We only have a few months left, so let’s make them worth it. We are strong, so let’s stay strong.