A Remote Farewell

Rory King, Co-Editor in Chief

I always expected the end of my senior year to feel different. This definitely feels different. Ending this way is not ideal in the slightest, and it’s very unfortunate that there won’t be any traditional graduation or prom. But more significant than that, we don’t get a proper goodbye. This huge chapter in our lives is going to end and I won’t be able to thank the teachers and faculty in person, who have helped me reach the places I have and will reach. After four great years, this is an unfavorable circumstance to go out on. And so, rather than dwelling on my current sorrows, I want to focus on what made my journey in Mepham so remarkable, because when I look back on this time, that’s what I want to remember.

Four years ago, I entered this school with no expectations of what was to come. My first introduction to the school was through the soccer team which began training before the school year. Being involved from the get go was very beneficial for me. It made having sports and activities after school habitual for me, rather than getting used to just going home and doing nothing. I have been privileged to be a part of great teams with the soccer and tennis programs, and I have also had a lot of fun and learned a ton from the clubs I’ve partaken in, and those which I took up leadership roles in, such as being the vice-president of the Math Honor Society, president of the National English Honor Society, and co-editor in chief of this newspaper. Having these extracurriculars made high school a really fulfilling experience that expanded outside of just the classroom and taught me more than just history and calculus, but gave me genuine life lessons I can take with me going forward.

Extracurricular activities augment the high school experience, but at the core of that experience is high school itself. My knowledge of math, science, history, and language has grown tremendously during these last few years, but that was all expected. Where high school really stands out as a time and place in my life is its ability to teach me beyond the confines of the traditional subjects. It taught me crucial lessons about myself and how to be the best version of myself. Some of these lessons came from great successes, more came from fabulous failures, but all have greatly contributed to forming who I am today.

This is the end of a key chapter in my life, but there is still a long journey ahead of me. I have had some fantastic teachers who have taught me more than what filled the textbooks and prepared me to move forward to this next great chapter, where I intend to grow more, and learn from the new environment I am presented with.

And so, to the contributors to The Buccaneer, thank you for sharing your voices and your message. To the readers of this paper, thank you for listening and supporting the voices of your classmates/students. And to the teachers, faculty, and classmates who I’ve shared my high school journey with, thank you for making it unforgettable.