Could 2020 be the worst year yet? 

In this past year, we have faced multiple shocking events. We have seen the deaths of Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Lewis, Naya Rivera, Eddie Van Halen, and many more. 

George Floyd, whose death at the hands of police officers was seen by millions on video, stirred a resurgent rise in protest for the Black Lives Matter movement, as civilians expressed their continued concern for racial brutality. 

COVID-19 took the world by storm, as the number of cases have gone up dramatically in just a couple months. As the Bay Area works to keep the amount of COVID cases from rising, students have started school this year digitally. 

“It’s something worldwide that’s affected everyone whether they want it or not. It feels like COVID pushed itself into our lives,” Alexander Robinson ’23 stated. 

As Riordan started its school year on Sept. 8, students began the semester the same way it ended last year: with online learning.

2020 offered many unexpected tragic events, as many people were hopeful that this new decade could be a chance to make a change and to make their lives better. But as this year has continued to get worse than anyone expected, it raises the question: Could any year compare to this year? 

“We had some major celebrity deaths this year, a pandemic, world leaders blaming each other and having no regard to working to make it better, but I think because of technology, we have been able to get closer via video calling and all of us going through this together,” history teacher Cory Nelson said.   

He continued, “I would compare it to our last pandemic of 1918 because the world was very divided at the time with World War I and at the same time going through a pandemic.” 

However, this is only one of many years that could be comparable such as, the Great Depression in the 1930s, or when millions of Jewish people and others deemed dispensable by the Nazis were forced into Concentration Camps from 1942 to 1945, and killed.

 Even though this year has taken a toll on everyone, “I hope when we return students maximize their opportunities on campus and cherish their time together. The last and most important thing we could have benefited from is perspective,” Director of Admissions Danny Curtin ‘08 said.  “I hope we all gained some perspective on life, and we do not lose sight of the power of the community and others.”