2 minute read

2020: A Class Dismissed – Joshua Mutshaila

June 19, 2020

Joshua Mutshaila, a recent Casco Bay High School graduate who moved from South Africa three years ago, discusses the mixed feelings of pride and regret over a nontraditional senior year marked by the coronavirus pandemic.

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 Joshua Mutshaila was recorded on June 7.

Joshua was interviewed on June 7, 2020. On that day, these were the top news stories in Maine:

Maine businesses on the brink worry about pandemic’s lingering effects (By Lori Valigra of the Bangor Daily News)
Maine CDC reports one death, 46 new cases of coronavirus (By Rob Wolfe of the Portland Press Herald)
Pandemic poses unique challenges for Portland-area startups (By Glenn Jordan of the Portland Press Herald)
Pandemic money delayed for some needy families (By Lindsay Tice of the Sun Journal)
Vinalhaven man returns home after weeks-long fight against COVID-19 (By Lindsy Mills of News Center Maine)
Edward Little High School Class of 2020 celebrates an ‘evening of joy’(By Matthew Daigle of the Sun Journal)
Poland High’s Class of 2020 told they are ready for whatever the future holds (By Eriks Petersons of the Sun Journal)
Pandemic changes 40th anniversary plans for Belfast Farmers’ Market (By Abigail Curtis of the Bangor Daily News)
Anonymous Portland couple provides cash for those in need (By Mike Lowe of the Portland Press Herald)
Maine JC Penney stores spared in first round of 154 closures (By Lori Valigra of the Bangor Daily News)
Puritan workers share experience after President Trump’s Maine visit on Friday (By Hannah Yechivi of News Center Maine)
What it’s like being a sign language interpreter on TV during a pandemic (From WGME)
Despite safety measures, opinions vary on restarting youth club sports (By Steve Craig of the Portland Press Herald)

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.