This year has brought many difficulties upon us all due to the pandemic, such as stress, anxiety, and depression for some. The statistics that were just released this past month defend this notion. 25% of all teens are diagnosed with anxiety, 30% of all teen girls. About 20% of all teens experience depression before adulthood. Everybody is stressed once in a while, but this past year definitely assisted with the spikes that have occurred in all of those percentages listed… plus more that we didn’t want to list (for positivity reasons).

The pandemic caused schools all across the country to go completely online and there were thousands of quarantines that occurred this year. The isolation caused by them was very difficult for most people because it’s something that we all had to adjust to in a moment’s notice. Students had to immediately adjust to a whole new school environment. Not only online, but returning to school in person this past fall was also a struggle because we were away from people for so long. Surprisingly, this also caused stress and anxiety to spike.

Despite the struggles we all had, we were still able to push through this year and accomplish many positive things.

The boys’ golf team finished third in the WPIAL District 7 Finals, the highest finish for a Derry Boy’s Golf Team ever, and numerous sports records were broken… and rebroken. A musical and chorus concert was performed live streamed, and the bachelor auction still happened. A handful of students represented Derry at the state level, and graduation was held outside.

Because of this, YOU are the 2021 Trojan of the Year.

Many students, such as freshman Jane Huss are proud of their successions during the difficult times of the pandemic. “I work very hard in sports and school,” Huss said. “I feel like all of the work I put in is paying off by succeeding in the sports I contribute in and getting good grades.”

Another student, sophomore Alyssa Wolf, is also proud of her academic success while online and in person.

“I’m proud of keeping my grades up this year while dealing with the stress I had because of the pandemic.”

Some students have pushed through to accomplish a lot during this past year throughout all of the stress we have had to deal with.

“I’m proud of everything I do despite having a lot on my plate and I’ve been able to devote a certain amount of time into everything I do,” says junior Cydney Wierzbowski. “I put my best effort into everything I do even when I have a lot on my plate.”

Senior Abigail Hart, who experienced more than half of her high school career in a global pandemic, says, “I’m proud of myself for keeping good grades during the pandemic struggle and getting into a good college.”

And maybe that’s just it. Despite all the hardships, the statistics, the anxiety, the FOMO, and the daily struggles of being a high school student, we as a school, a team, and a family have stuck together through it all, which is why we chose each and every one of you to be the Trojan of the Year.

Let’s make 2022 even better.