As I have a week left at this school I think back on everything that went into my scholastic career. Even though I have worked very hard I would be nowhere without the support of everyone around me. It wasn’t just my friends, but also my teachers, parents, and tutors. While this school has helped me gain much knowledge throughout my past four years, it also has had many flaws. The hardest thing to deal with over the years was the lack of air conditioning and heat in the building. This being said, my teachers have made up for it.

I have learned so much from Mr. Reeves about journalism and the proper way to write a story. Without his guidance I wouldn’t be the writer that I am today. I also want to give a massive thank you to my peers in my newspaper class, especially our chief of staff Ditri Silva for all the work he put in and all the help he gave me on my paper. I hope that my hard work made the newspaper better for all of the readers as well.

I would also like to say thank you to my parents for shaping me to be who I am today as well as Mr. Morgan for peaking my interest in a further education. I hope that in my time here I have left a positive mark on my teachers, peers, and the school itself. Although my sophomore year was made remote by covid I still learned and grew as a person mentally during that year. It only made me appreciate my fellow friends more and make me happier to come back to school next fall, albeit masked. Junior year was unusual given that we were all still figuring out what we could and couldn’t do. 

But thankfully at the time I’m writing this the WHO has recently declared the state of emergency over. My senior year has been absolutely amazing and anyone in a lower grade should be looking forward to it. It has been the best time of my life. Make sure you don’t stay home during your senior year. Go out and live your life because now is the time to do it.

I would also like to thank Mr. John Flickinger for being a constant beacon of support for myself and my classmates. He has been an inspirational figure, and a great mentor over the past four years, and I will, always appreciate him and his class for it. As sad as I am to be departing from Bowie soon I am ready for the next chapter of my life and hope to do well in pursuing a good career. 

Many Thanks, and best of luck to everyone. May the force be with you. Always.

Colin Barnes