Admittedly, there are times in the neighborhood when all the young energy seems to be about VCU student residents, but ever since the pandemic shut down the schools, the absence of Open High students has been palpable.

So it was wonderful to see the Richmond Free Press’ photo gallery of Richmond high school valedictorians this week. And in particular, it was very nice to recognize Open High’s representative, Jane Ruggles.

JANE RUGGLES, Open High School, 4.9483 GPA. Attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in the fall, where she plans to major in biology and environmental science. Daughter of Sandra Lambert and Jeffrey Ruggles. “For me, the silver lining of this pandemic has been the ability to spend time with my family before going to college. I was very busy before the pandemic and I have tried to be thankful for this time. I’ve also been happy to see how my school, classes and friends have stayed in touch although separated.”