Why Is Cooper In A Video With The Chainsmokers & Patrick Dempsey?

That's a really good question, isn't it?

Well, the story starts back in mid-March, when the spreading coronavirus caused the shutdown of schools in Maine (pretty much the rest of the country).  The loss of a significant portion of the school year affected students of all grade levels.  However, most of us agree that those who had it worst were the high school seniors.

This was going to be their big year!  Sporting events, senior skip day, prom, and more.  Because of the pandemic, they would miss all of these things.

Commissioner Pender Makin and the rest of the staff at Maine's Department of Education stepped into action to make sure that Maine's class of 2020 would not be forgotten.

The Maine DOE website has a special message for the Class of 2020.  It reads, in part:

"No one could have predicted that the final months of your high school career would ever look like this, that your graduation events would not look the same as those of your friends and family members. And yet you have remained resilient, you have remained hopeful, you have remained an inspiration for so many of us. Graduation will not be the way you imagined, but you join 3.8 million students who will have this story to tell of your high school graduation in the midst of this history-making global pandemic. You are not alone, and you are not forgotten."

Additionally, the site has a tool that allows you to see a list of the graduates from each school.

And, (here's where I come in), they also put together a video montage of notable Mainers sending along their congratulations to the class of 2020.  These people include Patrick Dempsey, Drew Taggert of the Chainsmokers (originally from Freeport), Governor Janet Mills, Dr. Shah (of the Maine CDC), and a local DJ named Cooper Fox.  Yes, in addition to the actors and politicians, they included some local media people.  I'm honored that asked me to do it!

Check it out:

If you want to skip all of those far more important (and more famous people) just so you can see me, I am at 3:50.

Again, congratulations to the CLASS OF 2020!  Your senior year did not go as planned, but you made it!  Good luck in all your future endeavors!