“There are places I remember / All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better / Some have gone, and some remain
All these places have their moments / With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living / In my life, I’ve loved them all.”

– “In My Life” by The Beatles

To my closest friends

Audrey Milanowski, the reason for it all

We were in yearbook together in 8th grade, and as you know from my daily rants in that class, I hated it. You talked about the fun you had in band, and it made me curious about what would happen if I were to rejoin the band after a year’s hiatus. So I did, and it truly was the greatest decision of my life. Without you, my life would be extremely different from what it is now. I would not be playing the saxophone, going to WMU for music ed, and just involved in music whatsoever if it weren’t for you standing by my side as I talked to Ms. Z about joining the class. Since then, we’ve had four years of marching band together, and I have truly had the best time with you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I have so much teasing you in 4th hour Human Anatomy every day.

Gabe Herpolsheimer, for your faith

Over the past couple of months, we have grown so much closer. I am thankful for each of our deep conversations over Culver’s custard; I feel like I can be truly myself, and I don’t have to hide anything from you. We are vastly different, but I believe that’s what makes us so close. You are so committed to your faith, and that’s something that I admire deeply. I love riding around in your car, taking the big loop around Cascade and Ada. There, we talk about our experiences, ideas, and opinions, creating a calm but complex and deep environment and conversation—I enjoy it endlessly. I also love showing each other new music. I cannot wait for our next Culver’s trip.

Henry Oxley, for your intelligence

You are one of the smartest people I know. You articulate so effortlessly and have a deep understanding of the world around you, which is very admirable. I appreciate your friendship more than you know because you are easy to be around and fun to play video games with (even if I don’t like the boring fighting games). I admire your eternal appreciation for artwork of all forms; I’ve barely seen you without a comic book or a PlayStation controller in your hand. You are hilarious, and I always enjoy our time together, whether it’s at lunch, in your basement, or in jazz band. I thank you for introducing me to great movies, though I may not like them all. I enjoyed Sunset Boulevard indubitably.

Jack Monterusso, for your kindness

I’ve known you for five years, but I honestly don’t remember the beginning of our friendship. I know it started in the eighth-grade band room; however, we clicked so quickly and effortlessly that it didn’t need a big greeting to remember. Since then, you’ve watched me grow as a person throughout high school, through all my rough patches, and you’ve continuously been there by my side and been my friend. Whether it’s comedic, musical, sentimental, or anything at all, I always know I can come to you and just talk. Though you may not know it, you are one of my biggest supporters. You applaud my musical journey and encourage me to better myself. I look forward to standing by the back door on the cold mornings, laughing about something stupid. As we’ve been saying for years, “Nice to meet you, sir,” and I hope to run with you again soon.

Sully Lower, for your passion

I have looked up to you and your vast knowledge of music for many years now. I am so proud of you for all your hard work and accomplishments in the world of music, and I enjoy each note we play together. I miss you so much, but I know that you’re doing great things at Western this year, like being in the marching band and learning theory, and I can’t wait to join you there next year. You are my best friend, and I am so grateful to have the connection that we do. Since you left for college, some distance between you and me has grown, but that doesn’t affect our friendship at all. I am confident that the next time we see each other, it will be as if no time has passed. I am excited to see you and play with you again.

To my mentors

Mr. and Mrs. Lower, for taking me in

I see you both as my second parents. I used to worry that I bothered you both due to the endless amounts of time I spent at your house, but I know that’s not true. You both have taken me in and treat me as if I were your son, and I appreciate it endlessly. Ginny, I love getting texts from you asking how my life is going. I have learned a great deal from you, particularly in organizing my life. Mike, I love sitting in the living room downstairs, playing the guitar, whether it’s you and I playing together, or you’re just listening to Sully and I play. Every time I hear “A Horse With No Name,” I think of the first time I heard it in the car with you. I love you both and appreciate everything you have done and continue to do for me.

Mr. Burns, for believing in me

It’s hard to believe in myself when I make mistakes in music, but you are always there to pick me up and push me forward, whether you realize it or not. You are also always there to applaud my accomplishments. Without you, I would not be able to express myself on my horn as I can today. My music progression is all thanks to your teachings, and I thank you endlessly. I hope you can forgive me for how much I goof off. As excited as I am to continue into this next stage of my life in music next year, I am going to miss you and your class infinitely.

Michael Dirksen, the wisest person I know

Every lesson at youth group, you surprise me with your knowledge. I always leave the church on Wednesday nights having learned something new. It’s not always philosophical; it could be a fun fact about the world. You have single-handedly made me a better person with your knowledge. I am kinder, patient, more optimistic, and loving due to your teachings. I look forward to learning something new each Wednesday night.

To my sisters

I have grown up with the two of you and cannot imagine my life without you both. I love you endlessly and am so proud of everything you both have accomplished.

Stella, you are in college now, and when you told me the amount of workload you have, I was astonished. You push through, writing multiple essays a week, on top of working two serving jobs. I am impressed with your work ethic, and I am so proud of you. You are 14 months away from being my twin, though we have lived together as if we are. I love seeing you work with kids, whether it’s being a counselor at Crystal, babysitting, or helping out TJ in his classroom—you never fail to impress me with how naturally you teach. I am so excited to see what you accomplish in your future classroom, and I will be there by your side to help decorate.

Alex, I remember holding you for the first time. I was 6 years old when you were born, and I have watched you grow from a newborn to a 12-year-old. It makes me emotional thinking about how you are never going to be that little toddler in the Elsa pajamas ever again. I miss hearing your little baby voice, even when you distorted it to sound creepy, chasing Stella and I around the house, yelling, “I’m your grandma.” Though I miss that version of you, I love who you have grown to be throughout these 12 years. You are finding your passions and friends, and I am proud to call you my little sister.

To my friends, continued

Max Silva, I have enjoyed growing closer to you throughout the beginning of this school year. I can always find myself laughing with you, whether it’s getting water in the morning before fourth hour or at the lunch table. Playing Armed Forces with you was exciting, and I was happy to be able to share that with you, although you did scare me when you told me about the Spanish trip—I would not have been able to learn that 2nd part. I am excited for the rest of this school year with you, and I’m sorry for being late to first hour all those days. Addie Woltil, sitting in the side room with you has quickly grown to become one of my favorite parts of the day. Though sometimes we actually do our work, other times we have good conversations about life, college, or whatever else comes up in conversation. You are someone that I would have never seen myself considering a good friend, but I am extremely grateful that you are. I look forward to third hour every day, and I am very proud of you for all the amazing writing you do. Julian Fernandez, I am thrilled you joined back into the band this year after a year’s hiatus. If you didn’t, I would not have had such a funny, exciting person to sit next to every morning. You are so effortlessly hilarious, to the point where sometimes I am laughing into my horn during a rep. Thank you for the laughs, and keep being yourself. Delilah Nelson, I wish I had tried to become better friends with you in the past because I would have found such a kind, caring person. You are so easy to talk to, and I love singing with you in the mornings at Central Singers. I love being in the truck with you, even if you tend to push the speed a little bit. You are unapologetically yourself, and I admire that. Caleb Murphy, I have loved being in ASL with you these past few years. I think back to all the stories that we have told through signing, and I think about how much we have both grown in the language. I am saddened thinking about the fact that I won’t be there with you in ASL 4 next year, but I truly wouldn’t have had it any other way. Gia Monterusso, you are such an amazing actress, and I love seeing the shows you are in. The first show of yours I saw was Cinderella back in 2021, and your characterization of the stepmom stood out to me before I even knew who you were. Not only that, but you are a great teacher as well. I enjoyed Peter Pan under your instruction, and I know I will again with Something Rotten! coming up soon. I am so excited to work with you again.

To The Central Trend Staff

Thank you to everyone for making me feel welcome during my monthly visits to 6th hour. Though I may not be in the class, I feel as if there is always an open spot for me, and I thank you all for that. I appreciate all the praise for my writing; reading all of your stories on the site is something I look forward to every day. I wouldn’t be the writer I am without all of you.

Micah, I know I can always count on you for a laugh. You are so immensely talented, and I love watching you perform. Ella, you always have such a bright smile on your face. Your energy lights up a classroom, and though we don’t talk much, you are so genuine and kind in every conversation we do have. I appreciate your support. Your column about time passing in moments has stuck with me since the first time I read it. Elle, every time I see you, I always think about how cool your aesthetic is. You are so creative through your style and writing. Your comment on my WMU commitment post reflects how natural kindness comes to you. Maylee, the way you dance enthralls me every time I see you perform, whether it’s at assemblies, football games, or the musical. After I finished halftime and was walking back to the risers for the marching band, I always found myself walking backwards just so I could see at least a smidge of the amazing performance your group was doing. I cannot wait for the spring musical with you this year to see you dance again. Ellerie, your column “I’m still the same girl as before” captivated me so greatly. You truly deserved to be homecoming queen, and I am so happy you got it. You are an amazing writer and dancer, and though we don’t talk much, I enjoy ASL with you. Kathryn, every story of yours that I read gets better and better every time. I am in awe of your word choice and symbolism, and your column about Joy being your middle name is one of my all-time favorites on the site. I hope to learn more about you. Evelyn, I have known you since what feels like the beginning of time. I’ve seen you grow up from the sidelines into the talented, kind, beautiful person you are today. I miss our fun times in Mr. Lloyd’s 4th-grade class and Mr. Greer’s third-grade class (with the double Evvy’s). I am so proud of who you have become. Addie, theatre with you is so much fun. I wish you still played the saxophone because then I would be able to see you more, but that just means every time I do see you and talk to you is so much more special. Kylin, 5th hour is one of my favorite classes of the day, and you are one of the reasons. You are so unbelievably funny and such an amazing signer. I feel like our class all gets along, and there would be a mood shift if you weren’t present. I silently celebrate every time we are paired together for an assignment. Thank you for always having a positive outlook on life and never stopping being yourself. Deacon, when I found out you were writing for TCT, I was overjoyed. You are a talented writer and percussionist, and you have a bright future in the band. I can’t wait to see where your feet take you. Alex, singing and acting with you has brought me so much joy and will continue to do so. You have a great voice and an even better mindset on life. You are one of my favorite Lost Boys from last spring, and you continue to live by the lessons we unofficially learned in Peter Pan: be yourself, have fun, and try. Your writing is also amazing, and I will be reading your stories even after I’m gone next year. Emmy, to say you light up a room would be an understatement. You are truly one of the kindest people I know, and I’m happy you joined the site this year.