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Dear Longwood and Hampden-Sydney Classes of 2020:

Farmville has missed you.

Your “adopted” hometown is not the same without you—it is eerily quiet without your smiles and energy.

Especially this week. This would have been your last as student residents of Farmville—the week prior to graduation, a week you have anticipated for the last four years. It would have been a celebration of the culmination of years of hard work and marked your passage from college student to the workforce.

All that hard work, all those accomplishments are more than the last two months—don’t let it define your college experience. Please cherish your achievements and treasure the memories and time in our community.

We will still salute you this week, celebrate you, honor your many achievements. And we look forward to celebrating with you and your families when you return to Farmville this fall for an in-person graduation.

Godspeed Class of 2020.

David E. Whitus

Mayor of Farmville