2020 was a nightmare! From Covid-19 to raging forest fires, we experienced it all. This year was a flop! But what did it look like through the eyes of a middle schooler?

I surveyed the Junior High on their thoughts of this year. I found that they would give 2020 a 1-star rating. I think that we would all agree that this past year has been a rollercoaster that we don’t want to ride again.

Throughout 2020, many trends came and went. How many of these trends did Galway’s own 7th and 8th graders partake in?

My survey answered this question.

The most popular 2020 fad in Junior High was the hit game, Among-Us, with 80% of them playing it! Tik Tok and having Zoom Calls were a close second.

Describing 2020 is a tedious task. I put the Junior High to the test. Here were some of the responses I got:

“Torture, chaotic, depressing”

“Isolation, head slamming against a fridge worthy, Sucky”

“Productive, abnormal, mediocre”

“Hectic, funny, unforgettable”

“Waste of time”

Not all of 2020 was bad. 77.1% of the 7th & 8th graders found new hobbies over quarantine. Also, 48.6 of them got new pets! One way that I cope with sadness is to think of the positives. I had the junior high try this method. I asked them to share one positive thing that happened to them over 2020:

“I got to spend lots of time with my family!?❤?❤?❤?❤?”

“I got my black belt!!”

“I started boxing and got to work harder for baseball, and in the beginning of 2020 school was awesome”

“got better with my art skills”

“Made academic scholar”

I had one final question for our Junior High. What are their plans and expectations for 2021? 

“For it to be a whole lot better than 2020”

“I expect people to remember 2020 so that they can work hard to stop Covid and prevent another outbreak, and I expect a lot of 2020 jokes and toilet paper jokes”

“Not sure yet. Just enjoy every day!”

“An expectation for 2021 is COVID-19 vaccinations to be available at least to everyone in the U.S.A.”

“I want to get on the leadership/pit team for tae kwon do , be able to play volleyball, Get on the cheer team”

Finally, 2020 is over, and it has been one crazy ride! I know that I will never forget this special year. Thank you to all of the 7th & 8th graders who submitted responses to my survey. It’s 2021 now. Are you ready for Round 2?