To my family:

Carolyn Alt – “Homeward Bound” by Simon & Garfunkel

Thank you for the shopping trips and the grocery store runs. Thank you for the lunch dates and advice. Thank you for calling me out of school as many times as you have and for pushing me to be the best possible version of myself that I can be. You are the strongest person I will ever know, and I have looked up to you since the day I was born. You will always be my role model, my biggest supporter, and the person I call when I can’t figure out how to start the dishwasher in my new apartment in twenty years.

Millie Alt – “She’s Always a Woman” by Billy Joel

You are the best sister anyone could ever have. You understand more of my references than anyone else will, you switch topics just as quickly as I do, and you sometimes even let me borrow your shirts. Thank you for letting me tag along behind you for the past 17 years. You got two years of freedom before I came along, and I hate to tell you that is all you’ll ever get because I am never going to stop bothering you again. Whether you’re down the hall or in Rome, I know that I can count on you to answer my call or respond to my TikToks. I forget sometimes how much I miss you until we are together again and I can finally breathe easier. I could meet all the people in the world and tell them every secret I’ve ever kept, and still, none of them would know me as well as you. You know the smell of my hair as I brush it in the mirror next to you, and you know the humidity of the bathroom after I’ve showered. Our hair is the same, and our faces are similar, and sometimes I say something and realize that I sound exactly like you, even though no one else knows it. Thank you for being my other half, for laughing at all of my jokes, for letting me steal your brush, and for loving me despite knowing all of my flaws.

Grace Barber – “Dead Sea” by The Lumineers

You were originally put under the “friends” section, but in thinking about what I wanted to write to you, it just didn’t seem to fit well enough. For years, you were “Millie’s best friend.” My favorite of her friends, to be fair, since you always let me hang around you guys and scolded Millie when she was mean to me, but I think it took years for us to really connect. Sometime around reading Red, White, & Royal Blue and the sixth season of Brooklyn 99, I finally accepted the kindness you had been handing me for years. You’ve stopped being just Millie’s friend and become something closer to my sister. You’re someone I’ve looked up to for years, someone who I can look to for advice, who listens to me rant and tries to understand my constant updates about books you haven’t read. You’re like a cooler, nicer version of Millie who actually likes spending time with me. I had so much fun with you this summer, I am endlessly grateful for your presence in my life. Getting to watch you grow and thrive in college this past year has made me so immensely happy, you have no idea. Honestly, Thanksgiving break can’t come soon enough. I feel like I haven’t seen you in a lifetime, and we have so much to talk about. Thank you so much for everything you’ve always done and been for me.

To my friends:

Ella Peirce – “Strawberry Wine” by Noah Kahan

Oh, Ella, where do I even begin? You’re sitting across from me at Culver’s right now—a situation we find ourselves in often these days, and a scene I will miss desperately in a year. I have loved so many people in my life, yet you still stand out among the crowd. Maybe the atoms at the tips of our fingers were once woven together in the ink of a desperately emotional poem written by a different teenage girl or the notes a composer spilled onto their page in a haze of inspiration. That’s what you are to me: music and poetry, emotion and inspiration. I am hardly the same girl I was when we met; the little 13-year-old who rarely listened to music and worried too much about the books she read, “seeming smart” is long gone by now. And yet you loved me then, and you love me now, through all of it. You have changed, too, of course, and by now we have strayed far from the girls learning to be friends on the floor of Mrs. Velie’s classroom. But sometimes, when we talk about the future like a one-way train we have already bought tickets for, I can still see them. Of course, part of me misses being that young, with so much high school ahead of me, but mostly I think that they would be proud of us. Sure, they would be happy about (most of) our grades and the fact that we’re still in TCT, but beyond academics, I think they would be proud of how much we’ve lived. If we could go back and tell them—those girls with immense expectations of what high school should be—about the late-night drives, the spontaneous sleepovers, the classes skipped, the walks taken, the homecoming dinners, the prom dresses shopped for, the football game outfits, and the digital camera pictures taken, they would be elated. It hasn’t been perfect, and yet you’ve been here through it all, so maybe it has been. I know you think I’m too corny sometimes, but you’ll have to deal with it right now because while I’m writing this, you’re sitting on my couch holding my cat and forcing me to listen to “Strawberry Wine” by Noah Kahan. As much as you’ve influenced my music taste over the years, I’m happy that a few of my favorite songs have slipped through the cracks into your own playlists. It’s ironic, really, that you chose this song of all of Noah Kahan’s to fall in love with. I used to joke that no one understood me more than this song, but I was wrong; you do. You know what I want to listen to without me having to ask, you know to look at me when someone at our table is chewing too loudly, and somehow I always know that you understand completely how I’m feeling, even when I have no ability to explain it. We haven’t moved on to wine yet, but for now, the strawberry lemonade we spilled in the D&W parking lot serves as a sticky reminder of all the life we’ve lived together in the past for years and the potential for the rest of our lives.

Addie Woltil – “400 Lux” by Lorde

It’s all happening! I can’t quite express just how excited I am to get to watch you succeed in the next year, even if I have to do it from a few more miles away than I would like. Whether you’re in DC or Japan, I don’t think I’ve ever had more faith in someone’s ability to accomplish their dreams than I have in you. You are so incredibly full of passion and intelligence that I have absolutely no doubt you will become anything and everything you want to be in your life, no matter how much that changes. Even if you don’t remember being friends with me in second grade, and seem to lack the same importance that I put on our friendship in seventh grade, I am grateful for those years nonetheless. You have been a part of my life for so many years now; I can find you in so many memories from my past. I just went back to reread my CT from last year (mostly to make sure that I wasn’t writing the same thing again), and now I sort of just want to cry instead. No matter how excited I am for college and to get to live out my dream simultaneously with you doing the same, there will always be some part of me still stuck in the fourth hours of previous years; from Labenz to Webster, you have made every class that could have been the bane of my existence some of my favorites. I wish I could tell you more eloquently how much I value our friendship, but even after four years of your editing, I have still not yet reached that level of competence. You are the mango smoothies I wish I had ordered, the stories I wish I had written, the blueberry lip gloss trapped on the rim of an overly-sweet cup of coffee, the laughter caught deep in my chest when a joke is too funny for the environment we’re in. You are every reference I make and each nostalgic memory of whiteboards and microphones. I look for you in the grocery store buying spearmint gum, and I find you smiling around the corner of each wrong turn I make. Someday I’ll call you when I’m lost in New York City, and you’ll somehow know how to get me back home, and I’ll wish that you had directed me back to you instead. I guess I just want to thank you; that’s all I really can do at this point. Thank you for putting up with me in second grade and seventh grade and now. Thank you for not looking at me like I’m an idiot when I don’t know a word in Spanish. Thank you for letting me send you endless pictures of my favorite lines of books, and thank you for sending me too many TikToks in return. Thank you for letting me feel okay about myself when I procrastinate. Without you, I would never have made it into the classes I am in, I would never have applied to the colleges I have, and I would never have believed that I have quite as much potential as I do now. I swear your intelligence has been rubbing off on me for the past few years, and I’ll never be able to fully express just how grateful I am for you for letting me into your vibrant little sphere of laughter, references, strong opinions, and niche interests that have brightened my life in innumerable ways.

Addie McDowell – “Comfort Crowd” by Conan Gray

I should start by dedicating my entire Countless Thanks to you. Without your on a whim, speedy delivery of my medication to me tonight, I would never have gotten it done. I know it didn’t feel significant to you, but those things—even the tiniest acts and favors that you do for other people without a second thought—are the perfect representation of who you are as a person: someone who finds so much beauty and love in the world that she is forever looking for the next opportunity to add to it. While I don’t really know him at all, I am forever, endlessly, irrevocably grateful to that boy Micah had a crush on a year ago for being the catalyst of our friendship. Honestly, he should get his own section in this for how much our silly little group chat about him and Micah’s first date has changed my life. But he doesn’t get all the credit; I truly believe that no matter what had happened last year, we would have ended up best friends anyway. I have a tendency to be drawn to things full of love and joy, and no one shines with more of it than you. In the most cliché way possible, I am nothing but a moth to the flame that is your overwhelming understanding and kindness toward every complex, convoluted emotion I have. In the past year, there hasn’t been a single time that I’ve felt the need to explain myself, my joy, or my tears to you; you just get it in a way that I don’t think I will ever find again. You bring out the best in me, Addie, and I will never be able to thank you enough for it. Every car ride, sixth-hour walk, and side-room lunch, each smile, hug, laugh has not only made the world a little bit fuller, but also made me a better person. Sometimes, when I catch you staring at strangers in love or reminiscing heavily about the smallest moments only we noticed, I can see pieces of myself in you that I’ve never seen in another person. You feel so deeply, love so deeply, that I can’t help but be continuously astounded at my luck of becoming one of the people in your life. In a tragic parallel, we are both afraid of next year. As much as I am afraid of walking across the stage away from you, I know that you dread watching me do it an equal amount. But please know that just because I am leaving doesn’t mean that I will ever leave you behind. A year from now, when you are writing your final Countless Thanks, and I am not, you will still be just as present in my life as you are now. In the flowers growing through the cracks of city streets, I will see your abundant optimism; in the smile of strangers, I will find your unending, unconditional kindness. I love you so much, Addie. Thank you for letting me get to know you so well this year.

Micah McClarty – “Jane” by The Barenaked Ladies

I’ve had the hardest time finding a song that suits you. How can I find a perfect song for someone who writes their own? How does one compare a poet to a single stanza or an artist to one specific painting? At the time of writing this, I actually haven’t found the perfect one yet. I will, eventually, and I hope that whatever I choose will be worthy of you. Thank god for your date and the group chat and this class and those people and all the other factors that led to us becoming friends, because I would not be who I am today without you. You’re quite honestly unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and being friends with you has brought out sides of myself that I didn’t know existed. If I’m being completely honest, you continue to be somewhat of an enigma to me. The idea that someone could reference brainrot on a level beyond my comprehension in one moment and then go on to write the most thought-provoking column I’ve read in weeks in the next is something I have yet to get used to, but I love it. Day after day, you serve as a source of inspiration to make me a better person; you are completely unrelenting in your beliefs and unafraid to argue for them, yet you are still willing to hear another’s perspective. Thank you for teaching me that strong opinions and open-mindedness aren’t mutually exclusive. Thank you for the five albums and two Broadway shows that I now love because of you, and thank you for showing up in my life one day in November last year and being too stubborn to let me go, even when we’re both too busy to see each other outside of school for months. I love you, Micah, thank you for everything bright, glamorous, and derpy that you’ve brought into my life this year. I love you for everything that you are and everything that you mean to me. I love you.

Maylee Ohlman – “I Wish You Love” by Laufey

If the sunlight caught in the dew of a flower petal could be transformed into human form, it would be you. It is impossible to be around you and not be engulfed in your radiant positivity and opulent love. You are the steady warmth of a spring morning in April—the kind that you have no choice but to feel hopeful about. Your kindness is an ever-present being that makes every room feel a little bit safer, a little bit more full of love. Your thirst for knowledge is contagious; being around you makes me want to be smarter. Your fiery passion and steadfast opinions took me by surprise when I first experienced them, but they are something that I am forever seeking to bring out in you. Whether it’s about the casting of a movie or the most recent political event, comparing thoughts and opinions with you is one of the best parts of my day. Thank you for being the biggest Laufey fan I have ever known (except maybe Paulie). Driving to Chicago with you in October was one of my favorite memories of this year. Thank you for making my high school experience better than I could have ever imagined. I’m so incredibly excited to watch you follow your dreams after high school.

Evalyn Linnert – “All My Love” by Noah Kahan

Of all the love I have received from and because of Ada CC, your friendship is by far the thing I am most grateful for. I don’t know where I would be in life if we had not become friends the summer after Freshman year, but I am certain that I would not be as genuine, kind, or friendly as I try to be now. Being around you makes me want to be a better person. The way you experience every day, full of joy and expectation, is inspiring. You are the most beautiful person inside and out, and being your friend has made my world and every day life better in every way. Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything.

Jadyn Kemp – “Everywhere, Everything” by Noah Kahan

I don’t know how many times we’ve counted the years of our friendship at this point, but I think we can officially say we’ve been friends for about six or seven years. Honestly, they have been the best six or seven years of my life. I love you so much, and I am more grateful for you than you will ever know. You have known me since I was the shy, awkward girl who sorted quarters on your bedroom floor and was afraid to talk to your parents. By some miracle, we both pushed through that era, and I am eternally grateful for you putting up with me then and now. I love everything about you, from your random bouts of annoyance directed a me and your ever-changing laughter. Growing up with you isn’t something I would trade for the world. Thank you for giving me the space to grow into the person I have become, and thank you for loving me every step of the way. Who knows what our lives will look like in the future? Who knows where we will live or what we will be doing? What I do know is that no matter what, you will always be my best friend, always ready to love me unconditionally, and let me be myself.

To the Ada CC Youth Group – “See You Again” by Charlie Puth & Wiz Khalifa (One Voice Children’s Choir cover)

For the past four years, this group of people has consistently given me something to look forward to every Sunday and Wednesday—there’s a reason those are my favorite days of the week. If I’m being honest, I never would have expected to form the connections I have. Years ago, I would have found it ridiculous that one slightly rusty church van, two trips to the UP, an unimaginable number of rounds of mafia, and one eccentric youth pastor whose love of adventure is his literal Achilles heel could have brought so many teenagers together again and again. As a senior, I’ve watched the youth group shrink, grow, and evolve over the years. Thank you, Rick, for dedicating your life to forging so many life-changing connections. I know it can’t be easy, yet time and time again, you show up with unexplainable amounts of energy, joy, and passion that encourage all of us to step outside our comfort zone and become better people. You truly have changed so many lives. As a senior, I’ve watched the youth group shrink, grow, and evolve over the years. This summer, there was a small part of me that worried that the group had changed too much for me to have a place in it anymore. So, while I am immensely grateful for each and every person who has ever been in the youth group, I want to focus more on the people I have gotten to know better this year—those who have helped form a new version of the group I have fallen in love with, a group that has a place for everyone. Norah, your friendship has easily been one of the highlights of my year. When I think back to North Carolina, I can’t remember the specific moments we bonded; all I know is that somewhere between the fifth and sixth niche internet reference I made that only you understood, you became one of my favorite people. Thank you for letting me drive you around, thank you for tolerating my terrible pool playing, and thank you for surprising me with your genuine, sarcastic, unapologetic personality that was impossible not to fall in love with. Ava, without you, I would have had to chop all my hair off this summer—your unmatched braiding ability saved my life. Thank you for your endless supply of optimism; you bring light and energy that ties the group together. Let me know if you ever have new hairstyles you want to try out. Gavin, I’ve had so much fun getting to know you over the past few years; you’re endlessly funny, welcoming, and easy-going. Thank you for the random Instagram Reels that I almost always find funny and for waving when we pass each other in the hallway. Aaron, you’re one of the funniest people I know in the most unpredictable ways imaginable. Over the past few months, I’ve learned that if I’m around you, I’m guaranteed to be laughing no matter what, even though I can never seem to fully grasp your sense of humor. Timothy, after knowing you basically my whole life, getting to experience you as part of the youth group has been so much fun. From wrestling over pool floaties during Covid to being stranded at a Walgreens in the middle of the UP, growing up with you has been an unparalleled experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Olive, if I’m being honest, I’m a little bit intimidated by you. From your hair to your style to your overall vibe, you are easily one of the coolest people I know, in a way that I will never be able to match. Thank you for letting me experience just how much aura you have every time we interact. Spencer, I was sad when you quit Sports Report last year because I was afraid we would have nothing to talk about, but it turns out we actually have quite a bit in common. From practicing Spanish to arguing about American history to comparing favorite young adult novels, thank you for always having way more “ebk” than I am expecting.

To My R-Athletics ‘Group A’ Teammates – “Dreams” by The Cranberries

After 14 years in gymnastics, I have had many teammates. From Tiny Team to Group A, I could list dozens of names to thank for making my experience everything it has been, but I especially want to thank my group this year for being here for me as my gymnastics career comes to a close. As sad as I am to write that, I am endlessly grateful for my teammates over the past year, who have made my final year unforgettable. Amelia, thank you for being here through all of it. We made it! If my math is right, we’ve been competing together for almost ten years by now, and I honestly can’t believe that this is our last season. Thank you for years of support, encouragement, mutual complaints, and for being an unwavering source of friendship for the past decade of my life. I can’t wait to see where life takes you. Maizey, you are the strongest person I know, both mentally and physically. Getting to know you, experiencing your work ethic, unyielding morals, and perseverance, has helped me grow as a gymnast, teammate, and person, and I will forever be grateful. Thank you for forcing optimism onto me when I am feeling it the least, and always matching my energy when I am hyped up. Ellie, your joy and laughter have brightened the gym many times for me over the past year, and practice is never the same when you are gone. Thank you for always watching my series when I ask and for containing an inspiring amount of grit and tenacity. Fiona, hopefully, by this time next year, I will be sending you pictures of the view from my Manhattan-facing dorm room. But no matter where I end up, thank you for being just as excited about my future as I am; every conversation with you, no matter what the subject is, leaves me feeling a little brighter and more hopeful about it all. 20 more days! Fiona Perkins, I can’t remember exactly how long you’ve been at R-Athletics at this point, but I’ve loved every minute of it. The energy and skill you bring to our group are unmatched. I have had so much fun getting to know you. Thank you for putting up with me talking too much about college applications and my plans for the weekend. Aila, I’m so glad we finally go to the same school, even if it’s just for one year. From gossiping with you about things that happened in the day to waving at you in the hallways and getting sent pictures of myself at lunch, I’ve loved having you present in even more of my life. Alyssa, thank you for showing up every day unapologetically yourself. I consistently catch myself telling you that you’re weird throughout practice, but the truth is that I love it. I love hearing your stories, your excitement, and the songs you meow loudly in my ear. Thank you for bringing out a side of all of us that wouldn’t exist without you. Lainey, you are the most poised teammate I’ve ever had. Everything from your hair to your shoes is always admirably flawless; I hope to be as organized as you someday. Thank you for your quiet confidence that instills optimism in our group. Jada, I have had so much fun getting to know you this year; I am eternally impressed by not only your obvious talent but also your undying bravery, immense work ethic, and your ability to laugh during even the worst practices. Thank you for making the gym fun for everyone.

To friendships, acquaintances, and those in between – “I’ve Seen It” by Olivia Dean

There are so many people in my life whom I love and appreciate more than they will ever be aware of. Thank you, Ellerie Knowles, for being an ever-flowing fountain of joy and friendship to me and everyone you interact with. I’ve said many times, both in your presence and not, that you are the most sincere, kind, and genuinely good person I have ever met. Being around you, even just for one hour a day, never fails to make the world a little brighter and my day a little better. Thank you, Paulie Erickson, for being an unexpectedly perfect addition to my life; thank you for being the genius behind the Presidents Club, for sending me your complete Laufey ranking every time it changes, and for accepting me into your life this year basically out of nowhere. Thank you, Carolina Hargis-Acevedo, for being the best little fish I could ask for; I’ve loved watching you grow as a writer this year, and I am eternally astounded by your talent. Thank you, Shanza Sheik, for making dealing with Addie and Ella during second hour more tolerable; you always seem to know when your surprise, snarky comments are most needed. Thank you, Chase Kacher and Mattie Ophoff, for helping me through every chemistry-related crash-out, forcing me to lock in when we need to, and celebrating with me when we do the labs correctly. Thank you, Brennan Brown, for also putting up with me in Chemistry; your ability to explain the lesson to me even after you were asleep the whole time and I was taking notes is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Hayden Lutz, for being my favorite random classmate since eighth grade; you’re hilarious, despite what Ella says, and you’ve made every class we’ve had together from eighth-grade Science to Honors English 10 to AP Lit so much more enjoyable. Thank you, Kennedy Doubler, for still wanting to talk to me even after my incessant flirting at the beginning of the semester; I’ve loved getting to know you better this year. Thank you, Ashlyn Richards and Charlie Laufer, for showing me the importance of chasing your dreams through any and every obstacle; I miss you both so much, but I have never been prouder of anyone than I am of you two. I can’t wait to watch how much you will accomplish throughout college. Thank you, Noura Kamari, for years of friendship I know I can count on no matter what; I don’t know if you know how much I appreciate the ceaseless friendliness and unending welcoming you have shown me since middle school. I truly love every minute of time, whether full of laughter or stress, that we have spent together. Thank you, Andrew Payne, for the random moments of waves in the hallway, jokes about my bad attendance, and gossip at Starbucks that make my day just a little bit brighter each time they occur. Also, happy birthday! Thank you, Mr Lowe, for welcoming me to your side room when I have to get work done during lunch, for talking with me about my college plans, and for bringing us batches of cookies to taste test. Finally, thank you to the unnamed Foxtail employee who just handed me a free chocolate croissant—I would not be where I am today without you.

To Everyone Else – “Someone New” by Hozier

My Countless Thanks gets longer every year, and every year I complain about the growing word count. What a problem to have—too many people to thank, too much love to express gratitude for. My life has been so heavily impacted both this year, time and time again, thanks to every stranger, friend, and loved one I interacted with. There is not a single unnamed person whom I don’t wish I could add. In my last-ever Countless Thanks, the fear of not thanking everyone I want to grows greater with every second; I wish that I could individually express my gratitude to everyone I have ever interacted with—childhood friends, extended family, numerous teachers from elementary school to now, and people I once knew who now classify as ‘strangers.’ If you’re reading this and your name doesn’t appear above, please know that I am still eternally grateful for the impact you have had on my life.