If you had told me in my last week of school I would be sad about leaving this place, I would have told you you were lying. And yet, after turning in my crappy old computer to Mr. Pittman and handing in my senior checkout sheet, I’m finding that I don’t know if I’m ready yet.

All through high school I have had my eyes on this week – the finish line – the week of graduation. I couldn’t wait to get out of here. But now all of this fondness for Blue Valley High School is bubbling up, and I want to stay as long as I can.

There is no place this feeling is stronger than in the newspaper room. After our final editors’ breakfast this morning, I feel so empty and unsure of what to do next. Nothing has been as formational for me in the past four years as the experiences I had in this room – writing, editing, designing, and everything in between. The people that have passed through Room 518 on the newspaper staffs of the last three years have deeply changed me and helped me grow in my love for journalism, and I can’t thank them enough.

I want to give an extra special thank you to Mrs. Huss, for being the best newspaper advisor of all time, and to Rhylan Stern and Ava McGuire, for being the best co-editors-in-chief I ever could have asked for, and to Harris Jones for being our wonderful assistant editor. I will miss you all dearly.

And to you, our readers, especially those of you who are about to graduate with me on Sunday, thank you for being here along the way, we couldn’t do this without you either. I hope you have found something to love and to miss at this school as well, and if not, I hope you find something to hold close in your next phase of life.