I’ve always been told by everyone things don’t last forever, and I’ve shrugged it off up until now.

For most of my life, the end of a school year didn’t feel weird or sad since I always knew I’d be back in two months and see the same people every day walking around the halls. This time is different.

Not all goodbyes have to be emotional or overwhelming, they can be satisfying and joyful as it’s a new step for everyone. Not knowing what happens next is one of the best parts about the future. It can lead you toward greatness which always seems to come to you at unexpected times.

Having gone through a pandemic, It has helped me grow and allowed me to keep pushing through the high school years regardless of what I’ve been through.

I got introduced to journalism in my junior year, and at first, I was really bored. I had no interest in learning more about it; it wasn’t something I saw myself doing in the future. Eventually, it grew on me and became an interesting topic. I wanted to keep learning and joined newspaper for my senior year to end things with an enjoyable and interesting class. 

At first, I didn’t converse with the other staff members and just sat back in the corner to write my stories. I got to know them more as each month went on and started to realize these were people I wanted to talk to and be friends with. We all bonded and shared a lot about each other. Now as the year closes off, it’s time to say goodbye to all the memories and staffers that I spent a whole year conversing with.

To AJ: The editor-in-chief and the one we all got help from, you were fun, funny and full of excitement every day when you walked into class. We didn’t start talking much till the second semester, but we really got along well and you were helpful with my stories by giving me tips on what to do and not to do so I’ll always appreciate that. Thank you for being an amazing editor-in-chief, and by the way, you should definitely rock the fake mustache next year for new staffers. It means business.

To Jade: The managing editor, you were always funny in class telling your stories, it always made me laugh or just shocked by how out of pocket you were. I’m glad we got along and thank you for the helpful tips you gave me, I’ll try to keep them with me. Thank you for being the kindest and funniest person in class and coming into class with the most energy and making us all laugh. I’ll forever be grateful you didn’t kill me in mafia, or maybe you did.

To Rae: Even though we’ve known each other since eighth grade, I feel like we interacted more this year and became friends. You made me laugh every time you called someone out in class, when you joked about something that happened and even when you killed me in mafia for understandable reasons. I’m glad we got to talk more this year, it was definitely fun even if you criticized me for being a gemini it wasn’t as bad as the others were.

To Claire: At first we didn’t speak much and interacted little, but we both started to talk more when we spoke in UIL everytime the others went off to do their competitions we weren’t competing in. You wrote sad columns which will be remembered dearly as you made most of the people in class cry and that’s an accomplishment honestly, you also wrote great reviews like the “Attack On Titan” story you published. It was fun to talk to you and get to know you as well, you also made me laugh whenever you called someone out or pointed out some out of pocket scenarios.

To Alexa: There might’ve been some beef for absolutely no reason, but I feel like we got along pretty well and bonded with our hispanic blood. You made me laugh throughout the year, and I’m glad to have had you as a friend this school year. I’ll never forget your love for Dream, WWE and your amazing photography skills. Thank you for your album reviews, as they were good inspiration like Claire’s and who knows maybe we’ll see each other at UNT, it depends, but also sorry for killing you in mafia, it was part of my plan.

To Taylor: Where to start, as much as you judged me for being a gemini and the out of pocket comments, you were easy to talk to and funny as you made various assumptions about the people in this class by questioning everyone’s, especially Jade’s, preferences. You made us all laugh throughout the year and wrote great reviews and stories which contain a little bit of you and your catchphrases. By the way, I’m sorry for reading your Valentine’s Day story out loud. I just found it funny, and also I’m sorry for killing you in mafia.

To James: You had many shenanigans and out of pocket moments this semester and questionable actions you committed. You were a good companion after all and a good staff member even if you came up with the most ridiculously creative story ideas. You made me and the others laugh at your weird, questionable moments like the one time you brought a tray full of oranges into the classroom.

To Zain: We didn’t know each other that well when we both competed, but you always seemed confident during UIL and always won. You seem to have a great sense of humor which was confirmed in our staff group chat and you were the only one to make it to state. We are all proud of you, so never stop writing good headlines, you’ll do great.

To Ruben: I don’t know you that well, but you definitely left an impression on me with your constant love of sports and the well-written stories about them. You always seemed nice and confident at your work while making us laugh with your humor.

To Mr. Hale: Thank you for teaching me journalism and all the rules you told me about it. You gave me the confidence to do my best during UIL even if I wasn’t that good at it. Your class was one of the most interesting ones I had through my high school years with the movies, news stories you showed us, as well as making us laugh by telling us about bad interviews you’ve had. Thank you for considering me to be a part of the newspaper staff and having faith I would try my best as I did this year.

To Mrs. Pinkham: Thank you for leading the newspaper staff and for always making us laugh, even when you called us out for being an awkward class. You taught me a lot of what I should or shouldn’t put in stories which was helpful and had faith in us to finish our stories even when we took too long to finish them, you had a lot of patience which I respect. Although, some of my stories got archived and I’m sorry about each and every single one of them, I was able to pick up other stories thankfully. But thank you for everything, I will always remember this class and thank you for letting me be a part of this great staff.

To family and the rest of my friends: This isn’t a goodbye toward y’all as I will always have your support for as long as you decide to follow me in this path, but thank you for always being there and giving me courage and support. I will always keep the memories with me as we keep going down the unknown to who knows where.

This school year was the end of an important part of my life, and I think I ended it off on a good note for the most part. I will keep the memories with me as if the moments never ended. I’ll keep in mind everyone I met through the years. I just hope for the best and that whatever paths I take in life, I’ll always take the best ones. As sad as it sounds that the good times are ending, there’s always new ones coming my way.