SHS Class of 2023 Survives A Strike, Pandemic, Storm

Shawnee graduate Chiara Carpenter celebrates her acceptance into the University of Oklahoma with support from her dog. Carpenter was in the Shawnee High School Class of 2023 that started high school during the COVID-19 pandemic and ended it with tornado damage to SHS. Photo provided.
Shawnee graduate Chiara Carpenter celebrates her acceptance into the University of Oklahoma with support from her dog. Carpenter was in the Shawnee High School Class of 2023 that started high school during the COVID-19 pandemic and ended it with tornado damage to SHS. Photo provided.

The Shawnee High School Class of 2023 graduated on May 18 - after completing an obstacle course of everything life could throw at them.

Their obstacle course actually began before high school. In 2018, during their eighthgrade year, there was a state-wide teacher strike, supporting higher pay in education. Halfway through their freshman year, in the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused canc…