3 minute read

2020: A Class Dismissed – Georgia Howe

June 14, 2020

Georgia Howe, a senior at Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale, discusses the positive memories she will hold onto from her last year of high school, despite not being able to complete the year in-person because of the coronavirus.

A photo of an empty classroom with overlayed text reading 2020: A class dismissed.

Born in the weeks and months after 9/11, and graduated in the year of a crippling pandemic, the Class of 2020 lived through some of the most profound change ever witnessed. These young adults missed out on cornerstone experiences that ease the transition from being a child to being an adult. We captured the stories of a class prematurely dismissed.

This video is part of the 2020: A Class Dismissed series. The Maine Monitor is speaking to seniors from as many Maine high schools as possible to tell the story of Maine’s Class of 2020 and how these soon-to-be graduates are dealing with the unexpected developments that come with a pandemic and a disrupted senior year. This video of Georgia Howe was recorded on May 30.

Georgia was interviewed on May 30, 2020. On that day, these were the top news stories in Maine:

Maine CDC reports four deaths, 56 additional cases of coronavirus (By Rob Wolfe of the Portland Press Herald)
Mills orders Maine businesses to post mask requirements for COVID-19 (By Joe Lawlor of the Portland Press Herald)
Gov. Janet Mills tells southern Maine restaurants in limbo they can sell excess food to prisons (By Emily Burnham of the Bangor Daily News)
Some Democrats distance themselves from Janet Mills on coronavirus restrictions (By Jessica Piper of the Bangor Daily News)
Advocates want Maine to form task force combating racial disparity in virus cases (By Nick Schroeder of the Bangor Daily News)
Maine Mall to reopen Monday with new rules, but most stores will stay closed (By Edward D. Murphy of the Portland Press Herald)
Mills administration may steer COVID-19 funds to schools, public health (By Scott Thistle of the Portland Press Herald)
Indoor religious services can resume, but many faith communities will wait (By Gillian Graham of the Portland Press Herald)
Employees at MEMA facility test negative for COVID-19 (By Steve Mistler of Maine Public)
Central Maine towns begin planning in-person town meetings while awaiting guidance (By Sam Shepherd of the Kennebec Journal)
Biden to address Maine Democrats in remote rally, with convention canceled (By Rachel Ohm of the Portland Press Herald)
York County GOP lawmakers, business owners voice frustration over reopening plans (From WMTW)
Maine to provide inspectors to 3 small slaughterhouses to improve food supply chain (By Edward D. Murphy of the Portland Press Herald)
Maine realtors see more out-of-state buyers during pandemic (From WGME)
Lewiston helps restaurants set up outside by waiving certain permits on use of public rights of way (From WGME)
Bar Harbor B&B Association offering huge discount to Maine essential workers (From WABI)
Augusta’s Cony High School plans three-day graduation amid pandemic (By Keith Edwards of the Kennebec Journal)
MSAD 54 looking at different scenarios in making plans for the coming school year (By Taylor Abbott of the Morning Sentinel)

To view more of the day’s headlines, browse our collection of the state’s best coronavirus coverage.

Check out our interactive data dashboard to explore trends in Maine’s COVID-19 cases by county, age, sex of the afflicted individuals and more in charts updated daily with data from Maine’s CDC.

Bailey Beltramo

Bailey Beltramo is an emerging photographer who grew up in Canterbury, New Hampshire. He graduated with a degree in communications from Norwich University in 2017, and continued his education through the Professional Intensive program at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. Both his photo and film work are pursued through a documentary approach and focus on capturing human experience in outdoor environments. His published work has spanned a range of settings from life on a dude ranch in Wyoming to the lessons of a non-profit, nature-based school in New Hampshire.