Let Me Have The Last Word

Nicole Farina, Co-Editor-in-Chief

You learn a lot of things in high school: the quadratic equation, endless verb conjugations, what ‘egregious’ means, why table salt is edible, but why pure sodium should never be consumed. And you make a thousand flashcards of these things and do a thousand more multiple choice questions, and still, by the time you graduate, might have forgotten it all. With this new ability to reflect on all of high school, I can say that, yeah, lessons with PowerPoints and worksheets are important. But it’s the lessons without them that make high school such a transformative experience.

There’s no little green book that reviews how to serve your community, no Five Steps to Being a Good Person book to order on Amazon, no Late Registration Deadline for tests of character. Lessons like these are learned through experiences – ones that might happen after that 2:15 bell rings. In high school, I learned the importance of getting involved with things that I’m passionate about, for myself, and to make my communities better, not because “it’ll look good on my college application.” I know that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the pressure of GPA’s or standardized test scores; I was caught up in that, too. Up until this year, I was primarily concerned about my image on paper, but as this chapter of my life comes to a close, I see how much more there is than that, like how I look as a leader, or a role model, or a friend.

I’ve learned a lot of these lessons, and a lot about life, by forming close relationships with the faculty at Mepham. As a younger student, I always had a hard time picturing teachers existing outside of their role of teachers and outside of the walls of Mepham. As I matured, I could see past that, and had the ability to grow close to so many adults in the building. Whether a mentor, a friend, or both, sharing your stories and parts of your life with other people is always a great way to connect with someone, to learn from them, and to allow the world to know you. Ending my time at Mepham is certainly hard because of how many great people I will no longer say hi to in the halls, stay after class with, or be taught by, but walking away with the lessons I’ve learned from them, and the friendships I’ve formed is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. I’d like to thank all BMCHSD faculty for dedicating your life to making our community a better place. I can imagine the difficulties of a sometimes-thankless job, but just know that you have touched my life, and will continue to touch the lives of the future. And thank you to you, whoever you are, for read
ing and supporting The Buccaneer.