COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa. (KMTV) - — Council Bluffs Schools have celebrated senior signing days for 10 years, but the pandemic stopped the occasion last year. That's why this year's celebration hits different.
"Our students have lost out on a lot the last couple of years, everybody has but one thing I think that's really important is those setbacks don't negatively impact their entire future," Principal Dania Freudenburg said.
Freudenburg said it was important to give kids their time to shine — during a grim time.
"They have so much ahead of them, they have so many opportunities and we're here to support that," Freudenburg said.
Senior Abby Tague couldn't be more excited, she's headed to the University of Northern Iowa to study criminal justice and human services.
"Since I was little, that's just always been my dream," Tague said. "My mom and dad always took us to see the firefighters and the police officers and something just clicked. I've been wanting to do that since I was younger and I stuck with it."
Tague said celebrating the next step in this public way makes it that much sweeter.
"We were all super hesitant of what we were going to experience toward the end of this year because it's just been so crazy with COVID...up and down all year. Who knows what's going to happen," Tague said.
Principal Freudenburg firmly believes this pandemic's challenges will give her students the grit and resilience they'll need to succeed.
"Someday they'll look back on these years, and they'll be, 'Like, do you remember 2020 and how crazy that was?'" Freudenburg said. "They'll see how much they grew during that time and how much they changed and what they learned from that."
250 students participated in the ceremonies at Thomas Jefferson High School and Abraham Lincoln High School.
