During the past week or so and continuing into this week, Butler County seniors have been taking a major step toward a future that we hope will be brighter than the past year.

To the graduates who faced challenges this past year that most future graduating classes will likely never understand, we congratulate you.

It’s been a tough year amid a once-in-a-century pandemic that caused students to switch back and forth between sitting socially distanced in a classroom and learning remotely. But you persevered and rose to the challenge.

That back-and-forth must have been a hindrance to the learning process, but you’ve still managed to cross the finish line. Both you and your teachers deserve credit for bringing this to a fine conclusion.

During the past week-and-a-half, seniors from the Butler Senior High School, Knoch High School, Mars Area High School, Allegheny-Clarion Valley High School, Slippery Rock Area High School, Karns City Area High School, Seneca Valley High School, Union High School, Grove City High School and North Catholic High School received their diplomas.

On Tuesday, Freeport Area High School and, on Wednesday, Moniteau Junior/Senior High School did the same.

Educators at several recent graduations noted how county students have made the best of an abnormal senior year.

“I think that this senior class — even more than last year — learned how to face adversity and adapt on the fly,” Mars Area High School Principal Lindsay Rosswog said.

“They rose to (the) challenges,” Butler Senior High School Principal John Wylie said. “They found ways to be successful.”

Some high school students moving on to higher education might find themselves nervous about the challenges of college life, but the struggles faced by seniors across the county during COVID-19 have made them more durable in dealing with whatever the future might throw at them.

All of the county’s graduates should be proud of themselves and what they’ve accomplished during the past four years, but especially in their final year of high school. We wish them luck in their future endeavors.

— NCD