Though many of us will be glad to see 2021 in the rearview, this past year we have learned strength, resilience, and patience. As we look forward to a joyous new year, let’s look back on the Top 5 stories/issues from 2021.

1. COVID-19 – The pandemic has affected everyone. All races, religions, young and old. Bay Window covered several stories on the pandemic, including how MCC responded. With persistence, students, faculty, and staff made it through and on-campus operations are up and running at Phase 5.
2. Severe weather – In September, MCC faced a hefty bill after severe storms came through the area, causing over $200,000 in damages to buildings, trees, and campus property. The storm also shut down MCC’s online services for over 27 hours. Thankfully, clean-up crews worked around the clock to get the college back online.
3. Sports – MCC has a long history of winning sports teams, and this year was no different. Many of our teams went to both regionals and nationals! Megan Crowley was named student-athlete for the 2020-2021 season; Shane Thompson was named MCC’s male athlete of the year; and, Jordyn Carlyle was named MCC’s female athlete of the year.
4. Nesbary’s retirement – In early September, MCC President Dr. Dale Nesbary announced he will retire in 2022. Dr. Nesbary has had a successful tenure during his time at MCC, including overseeing $55 million in renovations to the college. Nesbary, who has been with the college for 13 years, is also credited for taking MCC to the number one community college in the state for the past two years.
5. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fantastic features and OP/Eds written by BW staff. From Lance Klemple’s, “What they don’t understand about the Transgender Experience”, to Aaron Petersen’s feature on Paralympic star Alex Breuker, Bay Window’s writers and editorial staff knocked it out of the park! Last summer we boldly decided to change the format of BW to all-online. BW faced this challenge head-on and has continued to surprise me with new, innovative ideas for future projects.

On behalf of the editorial staff and writers at Bay Window, we wish you Happy Holidays and a safe winter break! See you in the new year!

Do you have a story idea? Do you like to write, take photos, design graphics, all while earning a little cash? We have a plethora of positions open at Bay Window for the Winter Term! Contact Jessica Dennis, [email protected] for more information.