cl ass of 201320

13 Such Great Heights

Spotlight Senior Editors 2013

senior magBLUE VALLEY

WEST

Meghan Ketcham

Abby Krstulic

Maddy Wilson

Tucker Paine

Meghan Ketcham

seniormag2

Editor in Chief

Meghan Ketcham

University of Kansas

I’ve always been afraid of birds.When I was eight, my dad showed me Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.

If you’ve seen the movie, you know why blood-thirsty birds might scare small, little Meghan. I’ve also had rather foul(haha) experiences with birds. I’ve been tagged by them about three times and I freak out every time they swoop down in front of my car. If I every get into a car accident, it will probably be due to a vicious bird attempting to break my windshield and end life as I know it. Although I am terrified of birds, I think that they are absolutely beautiful creatures. I love their feathers and the way they take to the air. Their colors, their mannerisms, and their character seem so whimsical. It seems ironic that I would revere something so scary as beautiful, but isn’t that life itself? Life can be frightening, especially during senior year. Yet, it can be so wonderful at the same time. This year has been absolutely ter-rifying. Making the college decision, being editor in chief, and the mindset that I am about to uproot my life and fly somewhere else takes quite a toll on my sanity. While schools try to make the college change as seamless as possible, the transition seems more like jumping from one end of a canyon to another. Unlike a bird, I cannot simply fly across. I’m a hu-man, not a bird, and I feel terrified when I look over the edge. Whether I am ready or not, the jump is coming and all I can hope is that my friends, newspaper staff, teachers, and parents have prepared me for this. I want to thank all of my friends for helping me get through this year. Thank you to William, Coleen, Cheyenne, An-gelica, Léa, Morgan, Dan, Noor, Amber, and so many more for supporting me so much this year and for simply being friends with me. You guys are amazing and I will miss you so much next year!

I would also like to thank each and every one of you on the newspaper staff. Without you, we can’t have a paper! I’ll never forget that terrible game of mafia, our trip to San Antonio, our never-ending workdays, and all of the special places we go. To Emily(my wonder-ful minion!), Kate, and Jacob- I am so excited for yours and the future of the Spotlight. I would like to thank the rest of the staff for all of your hard work this year! It’s incredible that we could come together each month and basically do one big group project. I hope that you all continue to stand in the Spotlight in future years. For our senior editors, I thank you for making my time on staff memorable and challenging. As awkward as our senior mag cover photo is, it truly describes our odd newspaper staff bond. There were a lot of tense moments this year, but it was an experience that I hope we all learned something from. As we fly our separate ways this year, I hope that all of us can remember the Spotlight and its legacy. Thank you so much to Mrs. Glenn for the past three years and for supporting the Spotlight and myself. You do so many things for the paper and I can’t thank you enough. I would like to thank all of the teachers I have had in my public school experience, especially those who have helped me so much in the past year. To Dr. Restivo and Madame Domoney- one who I only met this year and one who I have had for the past four years- both of you have impacted my life innumer-ably and I cannot thank you enough for the support you have given me during this incredibly emotional year. Both of you have helped me grow my passion for language and have been incredible role models for me. And finally, I would like to thank my family for supporting me so much in my life. Matt, you are so talented and you

will be so successful! Thank you for putting up with newspaper work nights and finding other rides home(or stealing my keys to hijack my car instead of finding a ride). I will miss you so much next year, so you will need to visit me at KU! And to my parents, who have supported me in everything I’ve done over the past eighteen years. I’m no longer “Baby Bird” now that I’m about to start out on my own. Mom and Dad, I love you both so much and I will miss you so much next year. You’ve done your best to prepare me for my life as an adult and it scares me to think that I will be on my own in only three months. I am so comforted though that I can al-ways come back to the nest to loving arms to escape the madness of the outside world. As scary as it can be out there, prepara-tion doesn’t hurt. For those of you still wait-ing on the wire, learn and challenge yourself as much as you can before you take flight. It comes sooner than you know. Don’t take off too soon or you may miss an opportunity to better yourself, whether you are nine days from graduation or only finishing your fresh-man year. Before you can soar from such great heights, you need to be sure that you are ready to spread your wings. So I guess that I’m not really afraid of birds after all. It’s what birds adapt to so well that I am truly afraid of- change. While I may not accept it as fast as the birds, I am slowly, but surely coming to terms with it. With terrorism, new

civil rights movements, and a continuous twitter feed of headlines from AP, the world is changing and I too, as a journal-ist, must change with it. After all, going into the news industry isn’t about staying the same. It’s about the changes that take place every single day. I’ll need to give a bird’s eye view on the constant change, and I can no longer do that from the ground or at BV West. So Jags, I may be flying with the Jay-hawks next year, but I will never forget this school, the teachers, or the students. And with that, I take flight.

seniormag 3

It’s been close to 1,400 days since I first walked through the doors of BV West. It feels like decades ago;

it feels like days ago. I think that most people cannot believe they are already graduating. I may be the only one, but I definitely can. I’m ready to move on and see what’s next. Although have never been as eager to leave as I am now, it does not mean I won’t miss my time in Overland Park. As much as I hate it here, I love it here. I know that does not make sense, but it is the only way I can describe it. Most of all, I’m going to miss my family (specifically, a fiery five-year-old ginger with the vocabulary of a 60 year old professor). When I was 14, spending my summer at New Salem with my cousins and grandparents as I did every year, I never imagined that the “news” my parents had for me was that Maisy was going to be born in February. I was hoping for a trampoline at the time, but now I can honestly say that having a little sister is the best thing that has ever happened to me. She is my best friend, and the only downside to leaving for Illinois next year is that she won’t be there to wake me up every morning or annoy me by taking bites out of all our apples and putting them back into the fridge. The fridge that, without my mom, would not have been stocked as fully as it always is. For as long as I can remember, my friends have always wanted to come over to my house for the sole reason that my amazing mom always makes snacks, bakes cook-ies, and treats us like we are royalty. I

am sure some people think no mom could possibly be like that all the time; that she was only doing those things because I had friends over. Truthfully, she is like that all the time. She has spoiled me since I was a baby, but has also raised me to be accepting, confi-dent, and compassionate (even though my sarcasm sometimes interferes with the latter). I can thank my dad for my sarcasm, and stubbornness, among other things. Anyone who knows me knows that I am just about as stubborn as Hermione Granger, if not worse. While some may call it my hamartia, others, like my dad, have taught me how to use it and showed me how it can put me on the fast track to success for my future. I credit my thirst for knowledge and drive to be the best to him. Without him, I can not say that I would value intelligence as highly as I do. He’s always encouraged me, no matter what, even in my decision to attend the University of Illinois. I guess I am obligated to write about John. I wrote about Maisy, real-ized I should probably mention my parents, and now, here I am, realizing I for sure owe my brother a paragraph. Without a doubt, he is the funniest and nicest brother anyone could ever have. I’m so glad that we’ve become so close while he’s been in high school; it definitely beats me dressing him up like a princess and in bunny suits like I did when I was 5 and he was 3. I feel bad leaving him alone to the water gun fights that erupt in the middle of my kitchen, and the weirdness that is

our parents, but I can’t wait for him to come up and visit and party at Illinois. I cannot wait to leave for college. I’ll miss my family, and all the free time I have to read, and the dinner that my mom cooks every night, and my dog, Blue, who is actually very annoying sometimes, and the Palazzo 16, and all my friends. I’ll miss Derek and Harrison stealing my phone and hiding my homework and being all around terrible in newspaper (I really will miss that, not even kidding). I’ll miss Jacob being the only one who is sometimes sort of nice, and talking constantly about which shoes he is go-ing to order next. I’ll miss my grandparents, who have been just as important in my life and raising me as my parents. I cannot thank them enough for all that they have done for me. Writing this, actu-ally, I realize that I don’t hate this place nearly half as much as I thought I did. As much as I’d love to be the angst-ridden teenager who hates her home-town, I can’t be. Because everyone here--my family, friends, and teachers, have helped me in some way that I will never be able to truly repay them for. I wasn’t planning on writing a super-sappy senior column, but here I am, wrapping up the most sincere thing I have probably ever written in my life. Which is shocking, consider-ing I’m sitting here listening to Derek, Harrison, Connor, John, and Jacob make fun of me and talk about “Turbo Golf” which is a computer game they play far too often and are far too old to be playing.

Editor in ChiefUniversity of Illinois

Jordan Beck

Santa Clara University

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Cory Hughes

Academy of Art University

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Columbia College Chicago

Jourdan Gish

Savannah College of Art and Design

Hannah Pleasant

Going, going, gone

Benedictine CollegeSarah Sapenoff

Wichita State UniversityJoshua Barker Adam Scott

Class of 2013 makes their college selectionsUniversity of KansasMickey AhmedCiana AlbarelliHannah AlejosDan AndersonSuhaib BajwaAndrew BarlowDaniel BarlowLilly BehrmannEvan BelserParker BerardAbbey BinghamEmily BinshtokChristopher BirzerMcKenzie BixlerJack BruntzelPaige CedergreenHayden ChauvinBrian ChoiAndrew CobbMolly ConnorAustin CosnerHaley Cunningham

Ally DunkerAustin DyeAlisha EchavarriaJustin EvansCaleb FailesConnor FaustAbbey FiserLeana FoxMadison GaleyWhitney HarmonAlyssa HemphillZachary HillsJoshua HoffmanChelsea JohnsonBen JohnstonMcKenna JonesJosh JooMeghan KetchamSunny KimAlex KochTomara KostantinovaAishwarya Kumar

Aaron LawrenceCourtney LaytonDee LewisOwen MacDonaldJustin MaddenMcKinzey ManesJim MassingaleMacy McKeeAbby McLainCody McLaughlinBryce MelvinGabe MillikanSamuel MooreFatima MozaffarNoor MozaffarPriyanka NathJared NelsonThanh Nguyen Jason NoonanTaylor NorrisDrew NortonConnor Noteboom

Preston O’ffillWilliam O’ffillMackenzie OsborneTucker PaineLauren PetterTomos RidenhourJake RoatchMackenzie SipesSamantha SmithAditya TataBharadwaj ThirumalaiCade VanceVictoria VignesAzeem VishnaniCourtney WeberShelby WestLexi WilkinsLogan WilliamsPhilip Wood

Domenick AldinofliMadison AllenRachit BansalHayley BarkoviakAmanda BellColeen BostMolly BrownSamuel BrownAndrew Bryant (Salina)Rachel ChallDavis ClarkWhitney Dill

Neal GrandonMason GroskoZiang GuoLibby HerwigLiz HolsworthCedric HouleMatt HudspethAmanda IrwinRey IrwinAbby KrstulicJessie LickteigAngelica Liu

McKenna McCauslandMorgan MobleyJoel NeisesAlex NewkirkRiley NizziAshley OldingCurtis PartainMatthew PennerLauren PinoJustin PysherBrett SasenickSuzanne Schulte

Ty ShaferLauren ShawKylie SikoraBlake StevensJordan StuckeyKelly ToolinRyan VaccaThomas VadbunkerKatie WernesAlexa WoodsonColby Zishka

Kansas State University

Leaha AbbottRyan CiprianiMaggie HighbergerAshton JefferiesJacob JonesKarlin Kramer

Abby LanderAlex NorrisSai PasupuletiJana SteinerJordyn TurnerJosh Wells

Pittsburg State University

Johnson County Community CollegeAhmad AlaghaMaria BetancourtBrandi BradleyHunter ClelandSeth CutterTaylor DechantBailey GellBrandon HaddockRyan Hayden

Joseph HadelDerek HurtBrett KaiserKimberly KeelerCurtis KudrnaOlivia LarsonMichaela LeahyBryan LucasAustin Marquis

Jessica McCullumAar’Reanna MillerThinh NguyenJacob PaxtonIsaish ReimerTaina RodriguezVanessa RugovaKiara RunnelsMichelle Sendersky

Zac ShaferZach TheobaldZack ThomasZoe VandiverMelissa WaltnerHannah WhiteAngie Zhou

Nicole CarlsonKatie Kelly

Erika O’Dower

Emporia State University

Baker UniversityKyle FecteauBrooke GeenensDylan Geick

Matt PaxtonNadir Zayyad

Julie BywaterPaige DowneyJaleh EsfandiaryAbbey EubanksNicole FairchildTyler HamediMegan Lopez

Ally RenderMatt RogersDalton ShaderTaylor TroesterWhitney WoodlandKody Yanik

University of Arkansas

University of Alabama

Emma BjornsonAmanda BroadhurstJoseph JacksonJackson Knappen

Henry MartinLindsey McCauslandAndrea RockSpencer Yeamans

University of MissouriPierce BaldusMitchell BirdBreezy DurocheAshlie ElverRebecca Fowler

Michelle GildenRyan PotterMikka SidaBlair Smith

University of Colorado- BouderDanielle EdwardsSam Lapke

Jessica WilcoxHanna Yearout

Iowa State UniversityMichaela OlthoffBrett Sjoblom

Natalie BatesLauren HjelmaasLeaha Serbousek

Washburn University

Clemson UniversityAlexa HendersonKelsey Kuehn

Texas A&M UniversityKirsten LaubacherAlyssa Laubacher

Jack Owens

Shelley Bushman Kirsti Stahly

Brigham Young University

Oklahoma State University

Kale GreinerKatelyn JarvisAlyssa Wahrman

University of Nebraska- LincolnJimmy Loeffelbein Trevor Swogger

Texas Tech UniversityMatt Duncan

Creighton University

Dylan Stull

Baylor UniversityCole HamiltonSonia Kumar

Brandon Smee

Lily Caudill

Belmont University

Butler UniversityBailey Bettis

Spellman CollegeJordan Wright

Undecided/UnknownCheyenne BurchettBaraa DalaqTim DoerrJohn DunlapScott HarveyJoey LillisDalton RumleyKyle Scott Stephen Sullivan Ming Wetsawand

Alex BrivikMarissa Hotujac

Truman State University

University of North DakotaJeffery Anderson

University of Southern California

Ashley Knight

Stetson UniversityAshton MunhollandUniversity of

TexasSolomon Mudumala

Williams College

Victoria Onuzuruike

Southern Methodist University

Jason LaBau

Quinnipiac UniversityAmy Hinds

Air Force AcademyCheyenne Jones

Cornell UniversityKenna Conway

University of PittsburgStephanie Liang

Drury UniversityRyan Sipes

Duke UniversitySeo-In Kim

Brown UniversityChad Carlson

Rylee Nordstrom

Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

University of Illinois

Maddy Wilson

Johns Hopkins University

Tiffany Wu

Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design

Evin Sagduyu

Newman UniversityZac Selstad

Miami University- Ohio

Katherine Byrket

Illinois State UniversitySydney Kennedy

Avila UniversityMonique Holmes

Vanderbilt UniversityPatrick Kim

Texas Christian University

Eric Reid

University of Tulsa

Will HershbergerTyler Morrison

University of Central MissouriFaith MountAndrew Schwartz

Central Christian College

Audrey Fox

Texas State UniversityTrey Fletcher

Graceland University

Alex Craven

Dartmouth College

Timothy Tadros

Z’s Hair AcademyBrianna Wright

Paul Mitchell Beauty SchoolLovely McDonald

Drake UniversityConley Wilkins

Ottawa UniversityMcKenzie Sokolaski

Knox CollegeDavid Mann

Portland Bible CollegeAmber Zuschlag

University of Missouri- Kansas CityHaveen QariniMy Trinh

NavyKris Childers Jovon Savage

OtherKarl Donahue (Work)Hayuru Kan (Japan)Spencer Kerfoot (Europe)Makenzie Kurre (Link Year)Charles Lin (Gap year)Michelle Pfingsten (Work)Lea Puech (France)Hailey Massingale (Gap year)Alberto Sanchez (Spain)Rachel Venneker (Netherlands)Brad Wainman (Australia)

Madison CochranArizona State University

Parsons the New School for Design

Caroline Distler

Hutchinson Community College

Aaron Lawrence

KATHERINE BYRKETMEGHAN KETCHAMABBY KRSTULICMADDY WILSON

Section EditorEditor in ChiefOnline Editor in ChiefEditor in Chief

Loyola UniversitySean O’Connor

Kansas

seniormap 5seniormap4

Missouri Iowa

Information & Design By:

seniormag6

It’s been a great four years at Blue Valley West, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t ready to move on. I spent four years taking classes to gain knowledge and graduate,

and it all went by so fast. I’ve spent four years in the journalism program at BV West, and its all been an extremely helpful learning experi-ence, as I move forward into the School of Journalism at the University of Kansas and look to go into a career in the field of journalism. I want to thank everyone involved with the journalism program who helped me to be involved in newspaper, the editors above me sophomore and junior year, my co-editors last year and this year, and lastly our late adviser Mr. Michael Dunlap who got me into journalism and taught me the fundamentals during my freshman year. I also want to thank my family for supporting me throughout high school, when we had late work nights or I had to stay after for various activities they were very understanding, so thanks Mom, Dad, and Ethan. (the little guy in the picture) If I could offer any advice to the underclassmen and the unlucky majority reading this who must spend yet another year at West, it’s to savor your time there. I know that in the JoCo Bubble we talk about how much this place sucks, there’s nothing to do here, etc. but it’s actually one of the most important times of your lives. High school tends to be a big point of decision as to what you want to do with the rest of your life, and for that, it is a time to be treasured. That’s also why it’s a time that you’re glad to finish with. I guess this is the end, but in reality it’s just another stepping stone towards the rest of our lives. It’ll be bitter-sweet leaving BV West, and I’ll always remember the time I spent here.

I hate endings, I really do. However there are some that I can stand more than others. A happy ending with un-limited potential and promise for the future is one that,

generally, registers with me on a very positive note. Four years ago I started at Blue Valley West as a freshman, four years of merriment and torment awaited me as I navigated through history, out thought algebra, and avoided explo-sions in science.

I look back at the kid I was freshman year, I do not think we would recognize each other even if we stopped and talked to each other. Even though not every experience was a great one, the ride was still quite good. I met three people who, I can say with confidence, are like my spiritual brothers. High school has been interesting with a vivid diversity of events that mish mash in and out of your life. However a couple variables al-ways stays constant, learning and experiences. Over my fours years I learned why Bruce Camp-bell is nerd god, what makes journalism such a powerful tool, how to mostly survive the first week of assassins. I experienced the thrill of a high school football game, what heart attacks felt

like with physics quizzes and AP Euro tests, and how fun Gangnam Style could be when done as loud and obnox-iously possible at dances. We are seniors and we are expected to have answers to the infinite questions that seem to plague us from Aug. to May, what college do you want to go to? What are you going to do with your life? There are a lot of factors in this game of questions and answers, and the stakes are ever higher. We grow up, and the change is frightening and mysterious. Stepping out of a community that we have been with since as long as we can remember, and then we go and break away from that community. Joining a new one that will become one of the many highlights when we reflect back on our past. This journey begins in high school. The journey to adulthood and beyond, then again that is where the journey for us always begins, it begins small. Clark Kent had Small-ville, Ash Williams had a tape recorder, and Vince Papale had the Eagle’s tryout. Little steps that led to great things, because that is what high school begins for us. Those first few small steps that lead each and every one of us down the path to greatness.

Assistant News Editor

Online Editor In Chief

University of Missouri

Tucker Paine

Mitchell Bird

On a cold Late Arrival morning, I was driving to school with 30 minutes to make the 15-minute trip. I was on my way out of my neighborhood, when suddenly I was presented with a choice. I slammed on my brakes, surprised

by a German Shepard that had trotted into my lane. When it had moved back to the side of the road, I kept going, only to park 20 feet later and turn on my hazard lights. I jumped out of my car, and the dog immediately approached me. Looping a finger around its untagged collar, I quickly dialed my mother. She promptly told me that I could not do a thing if it had no tags and was not injured, but I kept pleading for her to tell me what I could do. My nose was running from my dog allergy, a German Shepard was whimpering next to me, and I was in the road, desperately asking my mother, who was in a meeting, what I could do. I was late to school that day, and I do not know what happened to that dog after I led it away from the main road, but I still think that it was the right choice.

When I think of that dog, I think of all the choices I have made during my time at BV West. I remember the good choices I made that helped me and the bad choices I made that hurt me. Every day, everyone is faced with choices. The choices we make define us. That day, I was faced with a choice. When I began to drive away, I was struck with the question: “What type of person do I want to be?” Without hesita-tion, I came up with my answer, parked, and went to the dog. I want to be a “good” person.

Back when I started high school, I had so many goals that I focused all my time and effort on, and all I wanted to be was a “successful” person. When those dreams became impossible, I had to come to terms with the idea that I may not be the “suc-cessful” person that I envisioned. It was then that I was first presented with the ques-tion: “What type of person do I want to be?”

For a while, I was stuck on my answer, but as I began to do tons of different things, like volunteer, make art, and write for the Spotlight, and meet lots of different people, I got a better grasp of who I wanted to be, and my choices gradually became easier to make. Ref lecting upon these choices gave me the answer. I wanted to be a person who would do their best, who would help when she could, as much as she could, and who would be considerate and understanding: a “good” person.

High school is supposedly all about figuring out “who you are,” but I think that it is about figuring out “who you want to be.” You are who you are, but you decide who you want be. “When I look back on my life, what type of person would I want to see?” “What type of person would I be proud of having been?” You must ask yourself these questions, when you are making a choice. Your answer may surprise you, but it

will guide you to the right decision.

seniormag 7

To be eighteen years old is to live at an age full of contradictions. At eighteen, I am a legal adult in

America, but for a few more weeks I will be expected to ride the school bus and raise my hand every time I have a question in class. I can rent an apartment and vote for the next president, but my mother still wakes me up early on Saturday mornings simply because she can. Right now, if I chose to, I could stop by the local Wal-Mart and buy a pack of cigarettes, but alcohol is still legally off limits. I could definitely live without some of these aspects of being eighteen, but there are also some perks as well. I can find a common language with twelve-year-olds one day, then get coffee the next day with someone who recently turned twenty-one. My parents buy food, pay the bills, and put gas in the car. I have a job and can afford to pay for frivolities because I don’t need that money just to survive.. I always have a home to return to; a private bathroom and kitchen and a space in my bedroom that is uniquely mine - at least, unless it’s invaded by my two little brothers.

When I go to college next fall, a lot of these things will change. For one, my lifestyle will be a lot less restrictive. No more abnormally early curfews. No more asking for permission every time I leave the house. For the first time in my life, I will be able to eat, sleep, study, and go out on my own schedule. As long as I don’t waste my money, the things I do spend it on won’t be met with parental disapproval. Some aspects of college definitely sound like heaven… But then I remember that the good things will also be gone. Since I’ll be at KU next year, I can still come home for a day or two every few weekends, but it won’t be the same as actually living at home. Even though it may sound like I’ll be glad to get away from my family, I’m sure that I will be missing them within the first week. Right now, if I need to ask my par-ents for advice or talk to them about some-thing that’s going on in my life, all I have to do is walk into the next room. It will be different next year when I have to call or Skype to ask even the simplest question, and it still won’t be quite the same as talking face to face. I’ll also miss actually playing with

my brothers. Both the one-year-old and the eight-year-old are constantly annoying me, but the funny and adorable things they do definitely make up for it. While they’re learning to live without me, I will find my own ways to keep busy. I’ll be learning both inside and outside of classes, meeting new people, and growing as a person – but hopefully not growing up altogether. I hope that living independently will teach me to be more mature in situa-tions where I need to act like an adult, but I want to hold onto a few of the unique qualities that I have at my age. I hope that I will never become jaded and fail to see the wonder in the world. I hope that I won’t lose my curiosity or stif le my imagination. I hope that I won’t stop playing addicting Flash games on the Internet or doodling in the margins of my notebooks. As a graduating senior, I have a unique perspective on life. For a few more months, I’ll be poised on the boundary between adolescence and adulthood. Eventually I’ll graduate from college and enter the “real world,” but I hope that I’ll never forget what it feels like to be eighteen.

EMILY BINSHTOK

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Section Editor and Business Manager

Section Editor

LAUREN PINO

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

seniormag8

If anyone asked me what I considered to be my highlight of high school, I don’t think I could

give him or her an answer. Pinpointing one moment would not adequately describe my time at BV West. Because one moment doesn’t tell the story of how the American Cancer Society office became a home away from home. One moment doesn’t capture my time spent in Room 233, or the times I spent in Minneapolis, San Antonio and Seattle. One moment could never showcase the amount of love that I discovered in the theatre department, or the fun that we all had on the headsets and the “God mic.” It certainly wouldn’t describe the hell that was junior year, or the sunshine and rainbows that followed the stormy days.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the last four years have not been perfect, by any means. There were highs and lows that I didn’t expect. I took classes that quickly became the bane of my existence (hint: it starts with a p and ends with hysics.) and I struggled to find my place in this crazy world. But when I attempt to sum it all up, the only word that seems to suffice is gratitude. Gratitude that I could experience the things that I did and meet incredible people along the way. I would go back and do it all over again in a heartbeat, but I know that it’s time to make new memories. While that thought is scary, I know that my heart and mind are equipped for the change that lies ahead. I sincerely hope that if you take anything away from high school, it’s that

change can be difficult, but in the end, everything works out exactly how it should. I was upset by the changes that happened to me, but I now see how it fit into a bigger picture, and I’m thankful for what those experiences taught me. I know how it feels to have people leave and to feel like

everything is against you. I know how it feels to want to give up and move far, far away. But I also know how it feels to take a risk and find that it was worth it. How it feels to put your heart into a cause and to be successful. How it feels to laugh until you cry and drive home late at night thinking, things could not possibly get any better than this. In terms of incredible people, my family would be in the highest of rankings. Mom and dad- you listened to my complaints, dried my tears and taught me to move past those “physics moments” to get the job done, no matter how badly I wanted to throw in the towel. Thank you for your unconditional love and support. Emily, thank you for watching ridiculous TV shows with

me, for fueling my love of cats, for challenging me to take a risk and switch jobs, and for being someone that I can go to for anything. In short, thank you for filling the definition of a loving sister. Last but not least, thank you to my friends (especially Katherine Byrket, who kept me sane and always stood by my side, through thick and thin). Whether you came into my life in elementary school or this semester, your impact has been indescribable. We fight about stupid stuff, but I cannot describe how grateful I am for each and every one of you. To put things simply, thank you. Thank you for sitting in a car with me for an hour so I didn’t get out in Assassins. Thank you for sharing your hearts at Starbucks to remind me that I’m not alone. Thank you for telling me squirrel facts, sharing my love of Disney and Diet Coke, sitting in a shut down, San Anotonio airport for three hours, for going on night drives, and for making the last four years absolutely unforgettable. I will miss you all next year, but know that the memories we made will always hold a special place in my heart, along with my many adventures at BV West.

Online Editor in Chief

Kansas State University

High school evokes different defini-tions for many different people. It’s a building where students

learn. It’s a community where both good and bad memories are made. It’s a sanc-tuary where students can feel safe. It’s a garden where teachers help students grow. It’s an opportunity where students can be introspective. Yet by any definition, high school is part of the journey where teenagers become adults. For me, I’d say high school is the place where I learned who I am. I spent two years at a high school on the East Coast. Those years taught me to celebrate diver-sity. I was immersed in a school with over 1,000 kids who came from 1,000 different backgrounds. I learned how to become politically active in my environment. I met interesting people who had stories to share. I was introduced to new cultures and new traditions. This helped me grow as an individual. But as a sophomore, I was still naïve, assuming my home there was permanent. I didn’t realize how much I was taking for granted. At the end of the school year, I heard two of the most devastating words a

teenager can hear: “We’re moving.” Although I understand that there are far more traumatic things than reloca-tion, it felt like the end of my world. I came to BV West as a junior, ex-pecting that my last two years of high school would be difficult. I worried that I would never make good friends – friends I would miss in college. I worried that I would never become an ac-tive part of the school. And most of all, I worried that I would spend most of my days reminiscing about the “good old days” of my old school. And yet, this is nowhere near what happened. I found myself making friends whom I know I’ll never forget. Whether it’s eating two giant bags of pretzel M&Ms by myself in Minneapolis, helping organize our Amazing Race, or comforting friends on “Girls Night,” I know that these are memories I’ll treasure forever. And Abby, I honestly don’t know what I could have done without you these past few years. You’ve become someone whom I can laugh with, cry with, and be myself with. You have no idea how much of an impact you have had on my life, and I am so blessed to know

someone like you. So thanks for everything. There are so many other people whom I am thankful for, but I only have room to mention two of the most important people in my life: my parents. I truly thank them for everything that they’ve done for me. They’ve taught me right from wrong, and they have always been there to pick up the pieces when I have fallen. Dad, I’m going to miss your midnight hot chocolates, and Mom, I’m going to miss your special hugs when I’m feeling down. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve both taught me. I love you guys. As cliché as it may sound, high school re-ally does f ly by. I never believed past seniors, but now I understand. And I wish I could remember all of the good times from high school and simply forget the bad, but I know that isn’t fair. Looking back and seeing how

far I’ve come is what makes me want to con-tinue on this path that high school has laid out for me. In so many ways, life is about learning how to battle through the tough times to finally reach the better times. And I am excited to push on ahead. I want to face my future difficulties with all that I have, while I simultaneously slow down to truly treasure the happy moments. If nothing else in this column strikes you, then please just try to remember my last piece of advice. Don’t be afraid of change. Change is what helps you grow. Change is what helps you discover who you want to be. Change is what helps you distinguish between the good and the bad. And most of all, change is what made me…me. And in the end, learning who we are – and all that we can offer – is all that really matters.

Features Editor Miami University- Ohio