Golden State Warriors Cheer For The Class Of 2020

Press release from the Alameda County Office of Education:

June 12 2020

HAYWARD, CA - The Golden State Warriors, in partnership with the Alameda County Office of Education, gathered some of their biggest stars to honor the Bay Area’s high school Class of 2020 with a video address to graduates.

The video, which was recorded in May and shared with Bay Area schools ahead of graduation ceremonies, features Head Coach Steve Kerr, All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and East Bay native Juan Toscano-Anderson saluting members of the Class of 2020 for their resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Golden State Warriors Address the Class of 2020 from ACOE on Vimeo.

"Congratulations to the Bay Area Class of 2020," said Curry in his address to graduates. "You guys did it, and you did it under some pretty unique and uncertain circumstances, to say the least. So congratulations! And now it's time to go out and conquer the world. As the last few months have taught everybody: expect the unexpected, be able to adapt, and don't let anything, anything, stand in your way."

The Class of 2020 is graduating from schools with campuses that have been closed since March in a variety of non-traditional manners, from virtual ceremonies to drive-through events.

"As any coach would tell, you're going to face a lot of adversity at some point in the game—or in this case in life—and to persevere through that adversity is really what's going to set you apart and make you a champion," Kerr told graduates in the video.

Thompson echoed the theme of persevering through adversity.

"We're all going to see so much adversity in life, whether we like it or not," said Thompson. "It's just how you handle that adversity is what defines you as a person and builds character."

In addition to the loss of in-person instruction and opportunities to socialize with peers, the Class of 2020 saw in-person high school graduation ceremonies and other events canceled to stem the spread of the coronavirus; proms, senior awards, sports and academic competitions, and other traditional end-of-year events were not possible due to concerns for the safety of participants.

“The loss of these final months of high school had an immeasurable impact on our students,” said L. Karen Monroe, Alameda County Superintendent of Schools. “We are so grateful that the Warriors were willing to add their voices to the tributes for the Class of 2020. We know of few people better able to speak to persevering through adversity than our Warriors. We are so proud of our students and if we could do anything to make their graduations more special, we wanted to do it."

The Alameda County Office of Education approached the Warriors, who have won three NBA Championships in the last six years, about this project and the team quickly accepted the offer to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2020.

"Our players and Coach Kerr thought it was important to recognize and salute the Class of 2020, especially due to the unique circumstances and challenges they have faced over the last few months," said Raymond Ridder, Warriors senior vice president of communications."These students are our future, and any words of encouragement that we might be able to provide to inspire them to dream and strive for greatness is well worth the time invested and part of our duty."

The Warriors’ tribute was part of virtual graduation ceremonies across the Bay Area and Northern California, which gave Toscano-Anderson an opportunity to speak to students as a Bay Area native.

"I myself never thought that I would be in the NBA, and just like you guys I'm also from the Bay Area. So, if I can do it, you guys can do it as well," said Toscano-Anderson in his address, noting that he graduated from Castro Valley High with the Class of 2011.

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

This press release was produced by the Alameda County Office of Education. The views expressed here are the author’s own.