High school graduation season is upon us, as John Marshall High School on Tuesday handed out about 250 diplomas during a ceremony at WesBanco Arena.

Other Mountain State schools soon will follow. Many graduates will spend the summer preparing for college, while others will head to the trades, the military or another career.

While high school graduation is a milestone in every young person’s life, this class of seniors from West Virginia deserves an extra-special nod of appreciation from all us. They hold the unfortunate distinction of seeing every year of their high school journey interrupted by events outside of their control.

And we’re not referencing snow days or school being called off for a water break.

Consider:

When the Class of 2021 was in the ninth grade during the 2017-18 school year, teachers around the Mountain State staged a nine-day strike over pay and benefits. Schools were closed for the duration of the strike. Students found themselves stuck in the middle between the state’s two teachers unions and the Legislature.

A shorter strike followed during the 2018-19 school year, this one lasting two days. Schools again were closed.

And then, of course, came COVID-19. Starting in March 2020 — this would have been toward the end of the Class of 2021’s junior year — and lasting through much of the current school year, school buildings were closed while learning moved to ineffective online platforms. And even when classes were held in-person, it was on a modified, student-unfriendly schedule.

Whether you agree or disagree with how school systems locally reacted to COVID — many Ohio districts returned much sooner to an in-person schedule with no real issues — students were the ones who had to sit home and attempt to learn, isolated from their peers.

To the Class of 2021 we offer congratulations for your perseverance during a less-than-ideal high school experience, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors.