Saying goodbye has never been something I have been particularly good at. And, because I have a tendency to avoid things that I don’t perceive myself to be good at, rather than say goodbye, I’d like to say thank you.
First of all, thank you to Ms. Vergis and Mr. Boesch and Mr: Stern, for creating classrooms that exist for purposes that extend beyond getting good grades. For dedicating your lives to educating young minds, and putting your entire heart and soul into it. Thank you for challenging us and caring for us and always having our best interests at heart.
Thank you to Arlingtonian for allowing me to thrive. For letting me explore my love for journalism in an environment full of support, laughter, and passion. Thank you to the editors who lived and labored so faithfully for the success of this organization and for validating my love for this newspaper. Thank you to the friends that I have made, to Thea and Gracie and Greta and George and Carly for the incredible memories that we have shared and for those yet to come. And, of course, thank you to room W1307, for bearing witness to my journey through high school.
My last thank you is to Cane’s and all the friendships I have formed around a shared love for chicken tenders. To all of the incredible friends that I have made throughout my time at UAHS: thank you for allowing me to realize that I am worthy of true friendship, that love is not conditional- that, no matter who I become or where I go, I will never be truly alone.
Finally, and in keeping with my previous editor’s notes, I must dedicate this final issue to one of the most important members of my chosen family: Ms. Mollica. I entered high school knowing that I wanted to be a journalist, but it is because of Ms. Mollica that I am leaving it with the same dream. So thank you, Ms. Mollica, for all the days you let me rant to you, for always grabbing an extra piece of candy for me, for letting me make mistakes and learn from them and never holding them against me. You took me under your wing and turned me into a person that I am proud to be today, and I know that so much of what I achieve in the future will be because of you. I don’t know how to truly thank you for everything that you have done for me, but this is me trying: thank you.
