Class of 2020: Pickard has been great at drumming up success in life

Columbia Falls senior Anna Pickard enjoys playing drums. The skill turned out to be a good way to vent a little energy during the coronavirus crisis that clipped off her high school career.

Her drum set at home is “in the middle of everything,” she says.

But living close to Columbia Mountain, neighbors aren’t real close.

“My only neighbor is my grandma,” she said.

She said the virus made her feel a bit robbed. She worked hard at school the first half the year and had planned on having a little fun at school the second half.

The student body president, she said she really enjoys high school and playing drums for the Columbians and the drumline. He also plays tennis, and that season was canceled.

“I missed out on the fun stuff,” she said. “I’ve seen a few of my friends but not many, though.”

Still, she said she was able to get stuff done as the leader of the student body. For example, this winter the kids wanted a winter formal dance and they were able to have one.

“It was a big hit,” she said.

This fall she’ll attend Montana State University and study kinesiology, with the goal of becoming a physical therapist. Classes start early — in mid-August — so school can be out by Nov. 25. That gives everyone a long break this winter, in the event of a second wave of virus infections, she noted.

Her mother, Myrna, is a kindergarten teacher at Ruder Elementary and during the stay-at-home order Anna would be taking classes online while Mom would be teaching them.

“I learned all of the (kindergarten songs),” Pickard said.

At first with distance learning she said she was swamped. But after awhile, teachers began giving assignments on Mondays and they’d be due on Friday or Sunday.

She said she just learned to manage her time on her own — something that will be expected in college anyway.

The big problem with this school year is she never really got to say good-bye. They were on road a trip with the Columbians Jazz band when schools were shut down.

“I had a special bond (with several teachers),” she said. “I wasn’t quite ready to leave yet.”

Pickard isn’t giving up the drums in college. She plans on trying out for the Spirit of the West marching band at MSU.