In the middle of a mass of his fellow classmates adorned in green gowns and caps Glenbrook North High School senior Landon Lauter reflected on his first days at the school four years ago.
“Over time we built tighter connections throughout the pandemic in times no one’s ever experienced before,” he said. “It truly made our class tighter as a group.”
He also offered advice to his classmates. “Keep on moving forward,” he said. “Better things are ahead.”
That seemed like the general sentiment among the 475 GBN students who took part in the June 2 graduation ceremony at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont.
“It flew by especially with the pandemic early on,” said senior, Andrew York. “It felt really quick but I’m glad to be moving forward in life. I feel like it made it a more unique experience. It also made us a lot closer I feel like. It brought everyone together because we were all experiencing the same thing our freshman year.”
Indeed for many students, the ceremony was a chance for the GBN Class of 2024 to enjoy a big exhale after four years of challenging times.
“It’s kind of surreal for me because I feel like we’ve been working our way all the way up to this moment and now it’s finally here,” said senior Briana Tansky. “I learned not to take anything for granted because it all just came super quick.”
She also said she hopes her classmates remain optimistic as they move into the next stage of their lives.
“Everything happens for a reason,” she said. “Even if you don’t get into your to top choice school, you’ll get into somewhere you’re meant to be.”
GBN class of 2024 commencement speaker, Molly Becker, told her graduating class they should be very proud of what they accomplished.
“Seniors you did it!,” she said. “Fours years of unprecedented times, struggle, amazing memories, and growth have led us to where we all now stand.”
She also said that over the past four years becoming and staying connected has been “crucial in navigating our lives both in laughing and learning.”
“Our class faced unique challenges as we began our high school adventure in the midst on a global pandemic,” she said. “When we entered this next stage of our lives we weren’t even able to enter the building it was supposed to take place in.”
“It is imperative that we not forget the lessons that we needed to teach ourselves about reaching out to others and reaching inside ourselves to find out what we truly felt,” she added. “To my classmates. Remember to stay connected with each other and with the communities to come.”
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
