2020 class of Mamaroneck High School Community

As a senior at Mamaroneck High School, I have witnessed the importance of community throughout this pandemic. Our 2020 class community has seen graduation canceled and moved virtually and our prom cancelled, but we have also seen our community come together. We are finding alternatives: baby picture montages, virtual speakers, and “Google Hangout” classes.

Sadly, I don’t think I can say the same thing for our greater Larchmont-Mamaroneck community. I have witnessed the divided fronts on social media, specifically nextdoor, where the attacks seem constant and no one can ever be right. Unlike how our senior community at Mamaroneck High School has looked out for each other, it feels like our Larchmont-Mamaroneck community is out there fighting each other. Right now, at Mamaroneck High, student leaders are continuing to organize events and our facebook group is busier than it’s ever been. Clubs are working together and even some students have taken time to volunteer for the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force.

Personally, I’ve focused a large part of quarantine making calls in the neighborhood for Andom Ghebreghiorgis, a Democratic congressional candidate in southern Westchester. On these calls, I am able to check in on my neighbors and connect them with mutual aid. When we can deliver groceries, print materials, and be there for each other, we can build the community we need to persist through this troubling time.

Andrew Basta
Mamaroneck High School Class of 2020
Regional Field Director with Andom Ghebregiorgis