2 minute read

2020: A Class Dismissed – Gracia Bareti

April 23, 2020

Gracia Bareti, a senior at Westbrook High School, would have been the first in her family to walk at graduation before it was postponed because of COVID-19.

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 Gracia Bareti was recorded on April 9.

Gracia was interviewed on April 9, 2020. On that day, these were the top news stories in Maine:

Maine sees 3rd straight week of record-high jobless claims as virus roils economy (By Lori Valigra of the Bangor Daily News)
10 residents, 3 staff members test positive for COVID-19 at Belfast retirement community (By Abigail Curtis of the Bangor Daily News)
Maine CDC updates public on coronavirus case s, including 2 additional deaths (By Joe Lawlor of the Portland Press Herald)
Maine’s immigrant population facing unique challenges during COVID-19 pandemic (By Blair Best of WGME)
School districts following state recommendation to keep classrooms closed (By Dennis Hoey of the Portland Press Herald)
Transition to remote learning exposes lack of internet access in parts of Maine (By Robbie Feinberg of Maine Public)
Portland schools remain closed through end of school year (By Michael Kelley of the Forecaster)
Brunswick, Bath-area school buildings to remain closed for remainder of school year (By Kathleen O’Brien of the Times Record)
Bangor’s temporary treatment site wouldn’t treat coronavirus patients (By Caitlin Andrews of the Bangor Daily News)
Rep. Golden questions shipbuilding deadlines, wants more coronavirus aid for rural communities (By Phil Hirschkorn of WMTW)

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.