The 2020-21 school year has definitely been the weirdest, most interesting and most stressful year that students and teachers have ever had to adapt to and overcome. 

From online school to hybrid, to back online and finally in person five days a week, with masks on throughout the day. From lunches being a fun time of the day to relax and enjoy your food with your friends, to sitting six feet apart and all alone, lunch almost feels like a graveyard in the dead of night at times.

DeAnn Thaemert, the health teacher at De Soto High School, is looking forward to a more positive and happy vibe next year.

“I’m looking forward to students engaging in class and expressing themselves. I want to see my students working in groups again and pretty much everything that we did in the past that we couldn’t do this year,” Thaemert said.

Looking forward to next year in the hopes of many improvements, the biggest hope that most students have is no more masks. If anything, masks will most likely be optional and some people will continue to wear them. Lunch seating and classroom seating will hopefully go back to normal as well. 

Sophomore Justin Flagor talks about what he is going to be most excited about next year.

“I’m looking forward to the Eudora Agricultural Tech Program. I am also looking forward to no masks, and I am looking forward to all the events that we weren’t able to attend this year,” Flagor said.

Many good things are coming next year, not just regarding masks and socializing more. 

New Student Council president Abby Campbell and vice president Brady Huggins have a lot of exciting plans and events that were virtually impossible during this school year.

“Our goal is to reunite the student body with a variety of events due to the lost opportunities last school year,” Huggins said.

In their campaign plans, they said that they will incorporate new ideas with past ones that couldn’t happen this year. Some of these ideas include a dog event at the De Soto dog park, girls’ Powderpuff and boys’ volleyball tournaments.

More things to look forward to include the infamous return of Mr. Wildcat, Fall Fest, Diamond Dudes and a new tradition to start the year off with a senior sunrise and end of the year senior sunset.

We should also expect Homecoming, Winter Homecoming, Prom and the second annual dance marathon that will all have so many more possibilities and opportunities next year for everyone that chooses to attend. 

Pep rallies should also make a return, as school spirit will be blasting around the school that has been missing this past year.

  All in all, the 2021-22 school year should represent a stark contrast to this school year in regards to activities, freedom, opportunities, stress relief, more fun and most of all school spirit.