Alex Smith

Some of my favorite memories and people from the musical.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has meant more to me than possibly anything I’ve ever done. I thought nothing could beat my first musical, or the one I spent with 25 elementary schoolers who made me so proud, but this show tops them all. It could be due to the fact that as my first musical as student director, it was a huge success. It could be due to the fact that most of my best friends participated. But whatever it is, it meant so much to me and I couldn’t be prouder of everyone.

Looking back, I can’t forget all of the maybe not-so-good memories. The ones of stress and tears. The ones where I thought it was all over. The ones where I thought we would only get three shows instead of four. The ones that make me cringe looking back at.

But despite that, there are countless good memories that will always outweigh the bad. Memories of countless trips to Starbucks, of spilled coffees, of screaming songs in cars and on stage, of countless runs to the store in a panic, of TikToks that make me simultaneously laugh and cry, of late nights almost getting kicked out of IHOP, of Mexican and Mexi-can’t, of choreography that I taught in twenty minutes, of lines that made me crack up, of songs that made me bawl my eyes out, and of people that I will never forget and I will always miss.

Thanks to Addie, Aubrey, Audrey, Abby, Yahvi, and Micah, who make me feel like a role model, and who make me confident that this program will be in good hands once I graduate. Thanks to Aiden, who decided to do what needed to be done and truly save the show and my sanity. Thanks to Jake, Henry, and Toby, which, I’m not really sure how they showed up at IHOP, but made us laugh regardless. Thanks to Paige, Gia, and Josie, for being the reason I love the cast so much, and the reason I’m scared for the future without you. Thanks to Keegan and Eliza, for making me so confused yet also making me smile so big. Thanks to Jacob, for the best hugs ever, the constant love and support, and showing your true dedication to this program and that show. Thanks to Lili and Emalea for being the smiles I never know I need. Thanks to Megan, for the past three years, the reason my eyes were swollen from crying, believing that I could do it, and making saying goodbye the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Thanks to Miss Dykstra, for always reading my mind, always believing in us, and always being the positivity we didn’t know we needed.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was amazing, and it made me unbelievably excited for all that’s still to come. As I come upon my last year in this program, I know that no matter how far away I am it will always be a part of me. It will always hold a place in my heart that nothing could ever replace. It will always be my home, and for that, I am eternally grateful.