Being done with high school is such a weird and surreal feeling. I will always remember joining the newspaper program my freshman year of high school, not really knowing what to expect or think. I joined the class to get a feel of what electives I wanted to take for the next four years coming off a secluded time period of covid. I never would have thought that four short years from then I would be reminiscing about all the people I have met along the way, not only in the newspaper, but everyone at Bowie high school. Every year I grew as a person and a writer and there are so many people I want to thank for that.
As Mr Reeves can probably attest, I entered my freshman year being a very anxious, quiet kid without too much direction. Year by year I got more comfortable in my spot, thanks to the older seniors that guided me through, I not only became a more polished writer, but also a more outgoing person. Ben Tillisch was the sports editor that kept me under his wing for my sophomore and junior years of high school. He put up with me every single class period, and would never hesitate to help me become a better writer and student. Mr. Reeves has done so much for me, and although we have been in plenty of arguments about grades, coming to class on time and meeting deadlines, he has expressed so much patience and trust in me to be a part of staff and I am grateful for that. Every EIC spent so much time and energy revising all my stories, and they did such a great job keeping this program as one of the top in the country, and I know our future EICs will do the same.
As for the staff this year, I am so happy the way it turned out. I entered this year losing all my close friends on staff. I knew entering this year I would have to get comfortable with new people and put myself out there. Being the only guy on the print staff left me in an interesting spot compared to years past, but to be honest, I have never had more fun in any year of newspaper. All the underclassmen I never knew entering this year, I ended up getting much closer with, they provided so much life and fun into the class period and I can’t wait to see what is in store for them in the coming years, not just in Newspaper, but in college and beyond. I will always have a place in my heart for the JBHS dispatch.
As for my experience at Bowie in general, I would say it was some of the best years of my life. I am leaving the school with so many nostalgic memories, and although I am excited for my future, I am extremely sad to leave this place. I want to take some time to thank all the teachers and staff at Bowie to make this place so memorable for me. Everyone here has truly treated me so well, and although Bowie sometimes gets a bad reputation by neighboring schools, I truly have nothing bad to say about this school. I also want to thank all my peers and friends I have met here. I have built lifelong friendships with people I never thought I would be close with. I have had so many great interactions with everyone here and I am so fortunate to meet lifelong friends just by going to the same school as them.
Lastly, I want to thank my parents for everything they have done for me the past four years. They have sacrificed so much for me, and I never say it enough, but I am truly the luckiest person to be raised by them. They have supported me in everything I have done, when it comes to golf, school and all the things I have experienced, they relentlessly were my biggest fans through it all and I would be quite literally nothing without them.
