Nicholas Watson, Valedictorian … Madison Jo Atchley, Salutatorian … … Riley Bennett … Kayla Bradford … Karli Bruce … Jaelyn Bunch … Evin Burton … Brayden Bushman … Vanarith K.
I’ve said many times before, “I am ‘just Nick.’” I’ve never been someone who went along with the crowd or looked for validation from people. I was given rules and expectations from my parents, and I was never given an option to not follow those rules or meet those expectations. It was just understood. I know that is difficult for some my age because peer pressure is real, and everyone wants to feel like they belong. My brain just wasn’t wired to care about fitting in, and I’m glad.
Kate Elizabeth Woodard … Jenna Alyse Woodard … Damon Rhett Young … Nathaniel Joseph Morriss … Jane Elizabeth Rounds … Nicolai Khalel Ang … Catherine Joanne Rounds … Evelyn Grace Patterson … Mary Grace Elizabeth McAfee … Charlotte Norma Jeanne Hueter
The exciting days of our senior year have consumed our minds since we first learned the meaning of ‘seniority’ very early in our first days of high school. We were encouraged to listen to and do what the upper classmen were doing and to follow in their footsteps. We anticipated experiencing all those “last times” and being the “big kids” on campus. However, we never expected our last homecoming to be experienced in our junior year. We never thought we would have to wear a mask during our drill team competitions or that not getting to dance at away football games would ever be a possibility.
Simren Pokhrel … Emma Kate Sanderson … Delia Ruth Tuttlebee … Tucker Thomas Anderson … Jared Cason Head … Katherine Ann Ferguson … Carson Douglas Rhodes … Jaden Travis Parker … Connor Anderson Damron … Lucas Dale Edwards
As I walked the halls of Pleasant Grove High School for the last time on May 21, 2021, I thought about a quote from Dr. Seuss. “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” If one thing will teach you this bittersweet lesson, it is the accumulation of four years of high school all wrapped into those last steps toward the parking lot. It all passed in the blink of an eye. … Freshman year. It was terrifying, nerve-racking, and exciting. To go from being top dog on one campus (middle school) to being at the bottom of the food chain was a jarring experience.
When thinking back on all the things I have accomplished over the past four years at Liberty Eylau High School, I am filled with a feeling of satisfaction. From maintaining a 4.0 GPA to advancing twice in UIL One-Act play, to having tried various activities to see where I truly fit in, I have very few regrets. Liberty-Eylau has been my school since I was in kindergarten, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. … I have always been a very blessed person. I did not have to study much until my junior year, when things became very hectic for me.
No Shame Zoloft Game … I got lost in a hotel when I was a little girl. In reality, it was probably only a few minutes, but that time of being separated from my family stamped me with anxiety with which I’ll likely always struggle. The racing heart, the light-headedness, the feeling of complete helplessness and lack of control over what is happening... It can be terrifying. But I’ve been on medication for years now and let me tell you, there ain’t no shame in my Zoloft game.
The Life Equation … Mama always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get.’” —Forrest Gump … Ah, Forrest, there is such truth to your mother’s life observation. However, the more life I experience, the more I find it comes with a call to action and is not dependent on the luck of the draw like when choosing from the Godiva box. In fact, it seems to me to be downright mathematical.
