Senior Ely Michel cements his legacy on Class Day 2020
As Coronavrius swept through the world, this spring was a wash for the class of 2020. With sports seasons, Prom, and graduation festivities scraped, an energetic and deserving class was robbed of the coveted “Senior Spring.” It was another chapter to the three-ring circus that is 2020.
With all hope lost, one senior threw a Hail Mary to resurrect GFA morale. He shied away from the opportunity of a Class Day Speech at first. However, after much toil and the finesse of the tech team getting a school-wide Kahoot at announcements, Ely Michel delivered a speech fit for the history books.
Sporting a Salvador Dali Mustache and a Varsity Sweater earned from god knows what, Mr. Michel chose the classic opening of congratulating his class for the finish of their high school experience. He paid homage to his fellow lifers in the attendance, with mentions of the iconic sledding hill and the controversial “spider web” being some highlights. He made sure to shout out his closest friends, yet avoided the mistake of excess inside joking. He spoke with grace, thanking the GFA community for accepting him and laughing at him during the appropriate times. After listing the athletes who plan to play in college, he stated: “Some of you have been News 12 Athletes; the luckiest of you have been on SportsCenter,” referring to one of the most challenging weeks in GFA Basketball history. The crowd now knew Ely was willing to take some risks.
What he did next, though, few expected.
He referenced an inappropriate internet joke in front of the entire school. The shock was felt throughout the Zoom Webinar. Students flocked to Social Media to commend Mr. Michel. Mr. Jones sat in awe, not knowing what to truly say after a reference like this. Ely had found a kink in the teacher-student power structure. The courage alone to say it conjured a laugh for the students. But this left the teachers in a pickle. To not confront Ely would be allowing rules to be broken. However, confronting Ely would then imply that the teachers knew what Ely was referring to, giving students an even deeper laugh. Ely had done what few could ever do.
Spring 2020 has been a sudden change. The GFA community have to say goodbye to their seniors over a computer screen and wait until next year for a shot at Zoo Crew. After spending a semester on Zoom and summer being canceled, these past three months have been disappointing to say the least. Ely gave the school just what they needed: some laughs, an opportunity to reminisce, and a sense of community. Students felt comfortable for the ten minutes Mr. Michel spoke, a feeling that has been hard to come by as of late. Ely reminds of students that we have something to come back to. In the spirit of Mr. Michel’s words, the GFA community will be ready.
