This year has been completely out of the ordinary. It’s been filled with a lot of different emotions. For some, it may be frustration with a political candidate, or for lots of youth, dealing with depression and other mental health problems. When 2019 ended many had high hopes for 2020 but sadly most were let down with the way that things have gone this year. Obviously, the pandemic has been hard for numerous people. Anywhere from a classmate to your favorite athlete has most likely struggled coping with the results of Covid-19. We have all been significantly impacted by the effects of the pandemic.

Coughs, chills, aches, and loss of taste or smell have left a large majority of the country in fear, and this has led to one of the worst years in recent history. This year has seen devastating environmental consequences,  as many California fires affect air conditions immensely leaving football games and group events cancelled for weeks. On top of all of that we had some of the lowest job rates in American History.

In the months of March and April the number of unemployed people under the age of 18 went from two million to 18 million creating a hard time for local business owners and the working class of America. While people over eighteen lost jobs and assets, kids and teens lost a part of their childhood and school experience. Many of the spring athletes last year lost the final season of highly competitive sports. Seniors graduating in 2020 lost their graduation, prom, and their senior athletic seasons.

Now students are learning online, losing connections with friends, being forced to spend hours a day on a computer learning about the government while their mental health slowly slips into a depression. All of us as a country have struggled and many are sick of it, but with new vaccines it looks like 2021 could improve for many. However this is not guaranteed so what was 2020 like overall? 2020 was by far one of the most destructive years to our nation.  Millions have lost jobs, family members, and their homes. This year has created a generation of people who will feel the effects of the virus for decades or even a lifetime.

I would rate 2020 a solid negative ten out of ten.