Sing me one last song, pose for one last picture.
Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.
SENIOR DAY
This will be the longest LiveJournal entry known
to man. I hope that your computers turn out to be
your best friends during this &don't decide to freeze.
The French class trio of 2005. Catie, Shannon &me
4th period dorks. Kess, Jord &me
Our favourite sophomores hugging Kessler
"What are we going to do without all
you seniors &your drama next year?" -Rey
Sophie (Alecia) &Nina
Alecia, Rey &me in Treble Choir
So much estrogen! TREBLE CHOIR.
I'm going to miss days like this, swooning over Gene Kelly. <3
Me, Schmurph &Jord
The Homecoming Queen &me
Again, M&M! Melissa &me.
The neverending signing of the Sachem Invictus yearbooks
Everybody Loves JamesPeabodyyy
Ryan &Kate
Katelyn, Amanda, Jordan, me &Ryan. We're cah-razy!
The Three Musketeers. Amanda, Kess &Jesse.
Aileen, Tina &Jordan, right after the Senior Countdown
KAITY'S PARTY
Kaity's house; Dave &Dave match, everyone's looking at my yearbook.
Cohen, trying to take my camera
Miss Jessica Kerimian, looking as grown-up as ever
Keith, signing my yearbook
Eriq, taking a nap in Kaity's lovely driveway
Miss WBLI Island Idol Contestant
&Mister Valedictorian of the Class of 2006
They first looked a bit emo, &then they lightened up.
Miss Jamie Fallar, getting ready for her departure
Of course, the paparazzi couldn't let her leave without a few shots.
Me, I want a hoola hoop.
Anthony Lollo is spying!
Mmm. Trampolines.
Jesse &Jordan, matching with Senior Day shirts
Dave Cohen & Dave Hoffman, matching with AE shirts
Hoffman &Kaity
THE TEACHERS I LOVE
Dear Mr. Boyle,
I remember in the beginning of this year, walking into your class, I was incredibly excited, having heard Brianne rave about you to Jordan and me. And my expectations were not only met, but surpassed. I have come to your class each day knowing that I’ll learn much more than English. The knowledge and education you have given us has been so much more than simple literary terms and transitional words. You’ve taught us about life, and as this chapter is nearing its term, you have aided us in knowing how to begin the next transition into college and into the real world ahead of us. You have inspired not only me, but many others. I know that every day is a struggle for you with your leg, and I commend you for that. I’ve watched you teach and live with such a passion, as well as love and care for your students. And I must apologize for catching that contagious disease this year. Senioritis is obviously familiar to you. But you are unlike other teachers. You had the patience and the desire to learn about who we were, as people and as your students. You searched to find our personalities and the core of our souls before you even made a judgment about the first word on our papers. You have become a surrogate father to me and probably know me better than either of my parents do. There has never been a second where you have denied me of speaking to you about anything. And while still being rational and realistic, you have always given me the optimism and the faith that each day will get better. As you know, high school hasn’t exactly given me the greatest moments in my life, but I know that when I’ll look back, you are going to be one of the reasons I miss it. So, thank you for passing on these life lessons. And if I decide to become a teacher in the future, I will owe so much of what I know to you. I can only hope to live, love and teach with your passion. Thank you, Mr. Boyle… for everything.
With all of my love,
Michelle Demetillo
Please keep in touch.
P.S. I will think of you every time someone mentions Existentialism.
To the "Little Demented One"
You made me cry! I love it. You touched my heart. Be strong. Be Real, but be an "Optimal Realist." Best of Fame and Fortune to you.
Love Always,
Mr. Boyle
Dear Michelle,
You are an extremely talented artist! I enjoyed having you in my class! Keep up the good work - Don't just consider yourself a performing artist. You go girl!
<3 Mrs. Delvallez
I would be nothing without these teachers having been in my life.
CERTAIN YEARBOOK ENTRIES
Only JesseBoss could write Hangman in a yearbook.
KaityDavie, you are a beautiful soul.
You certainly have touched my life, my dear.
Reading that, I laughed. I then read the last sentence.
It almost made me cry. "This is not the end of us."
Oh, no, Ryan. No, this certainly is not. I love you.
Dan assured me I'd be famous someday. Awwh.
Cohen told me that this wasn't goodbye.
MY GRADUATION PARTY
Katelyn Hanson, will you marry me?
Mena's watching all of the action.
Ryan &Billy talking &sitting in the grass.
I love this picture and these two.
lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove.
I always see them in this position.
The only time you'll probably ever see Ryan with his tongue in that general vicinity.
"Ryan, did you get your tonsils removed?" -Katelyn
"Um . . . no, Katelyn." -Ryan
"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOUR TONSILS?!" -Katelyn
Rey &Malika stopped by for a short time.
Andrew arrived. WE EXCHANGED PREZZIES YAY!
Then I gave him my camera, which resulted in this:
He soon had to leave. He gave me back my camera,
which resulted in us walking to his car and these:
He left &I returned to my partyyyyy!
Oreo sandwiches, yumm.
Aileen, trying to kiss Billy.
BIG PIMPIN'
Awwh, Billy's pimpin' it with Jordan.
AND THE GAMES BEGAN.
THE HUMAN KNOT. Your task? To entangle the
circle without letting go of each other's hands.
Patrick &Dani were enjoying their time not in a human knot.
And then there's Mena, who makes kissy faces at me.
I don't know who let go... but someone did, and they all fell on top of each other.
Keith, me, Billy &Aileen.
STORY-TELLING IN MY KITCHEN.
Um, this is during the part of the story where... the boy drinks urine. Long story.
Mena-boy &Michy!
Later in the evening... GABBY ARRIVED.
THE COLOURS, DUKE! THE COLOURS!
Cat Vargas is totally gangstahhh.
Mmm, Converse.
On my front lawn, getting ready for Red Light, Green Light.
For anyone who doesn't know the rules of the game, JesseBoss will explain.
This is how Danielle freezes at 1, 2... 3.
Capturing Red Light, Green Light, using Night Mode on my camera.
The gang decided to play Duck, Duck, Goose.
What a dumb idea. You'll see... Jordan started.
Keith was chosen as Goose! They ran in a circle,
Keith tripped &scraped his knee really badly.
Billy jumped up & yelled, "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" announcing the end of the game.
Everyone &their mom played Nurse. I brought Keith to my upstairs bathroom,
so that he could wash his knee in the shower. I played Nurse! Haha,
covered his knee with Neosporin &a band-aid, and he was good to go.
After the games, everyone gathered in my living room.
And once the clocks read midnight, everyone proceeded to go home.
Now, those are the pictures. It's time for my words about everything. I had been the one to say that I wouldn't cry... but I did. Hell, did I cry. The first few hours of Senior Day were boring. You never put your pen down... it was just write, write, write, write. Even to your acquaintances, even to the people that you couldn't stand. It was a pain at times to sit there and think, "Okay, what can I write to this person?" You don't want to sound lame, at all. But to the ones who mattered, it was quite sad, as you tried to think of everything and anything you could possibly say to let them know how you felt. Mr. Cavalea arrived not too long before the Senior Countdown. I ran to greet him and ask him to sign my yearbook. After he did, he looked at Ryan and me, and he said, "Okay, kids. Go join your seniors." We turned around to see our entire senior class gathered towards the back of the field, listening to what our valedictorians, class officers and class advisors had to say. Ryan took my hand, as if we needed to prepare for the next moment, and we walked up together, desperately trying to find our friends. It wasn't difficult. They were towards the back of the group. Christina DeLeon spoke about her appreciation for so many people and how we're never going to get this moment back. After that, Dobbins took the microphone from her and started the countdown. Following the end of those ten seconds, the DJ blasted Greenday's "Good Riddance" and I burst into tears within so many embraces. I bawled in Kessler's arms, possibly knowing that I could finally feel the closure I needed. I had been excited about all of this ending, and I still am. However, at the same time, I'm not exactly over it. I still feel as if this is another weekend that hasn't reached its close and next Monday will come soon enough. It's the first time any of us will have to make an effort to see one another, instead of at school. I'll have to call many of you up, instead of just stopping you in the middle of a hallway. There aren't going to be any more food runs before a drama rehearsal, or a trip to Strathmore's in the morning before parking in Dani's driveway, or a coffee trip for Miss Jean. I won't enter through those doors to sit by Kaity's locker. And it's inevitable that, even if we all try to get together, someone will be busy or something will come up and we won't all be together again. It's also inevitable that once some of you return after awhile, and we all try to hang out, that our college friends may not like one another... or that they may possibly loathe one another... or that we'll change so much in college that we won't even know each other. Jordan's majoring in political science. Obviously they're going to be different minds than those who are going to be majoring in Theatre with Ryan, or in Communications with Billy, or in Photography with me. College will form and shape us into different people to prepare us for our new lives afterwards. It's frightening and comforting all at the same time, knowing that there will be people who will possibly understand me better than my friends do now... but it's so scary, leaving behind everything that I've known. So to the underclassmen, and especially to my upcoming Seniors, don't do what I did. Don't turn your senior year into a massive soap drama with issues and problems. Don't cause an uproar, but don't leave things unsettled. And truly if there's something you want to do? If there's someone you want to talk to? Don't kick yourself later wishing you had. You're going to have a flood of emotion, all at once, by this time of the year. Don't let yourself regret anything, at all. But don't get caught up in all of that emotion either. HAVE FUN. Only now am I really feeling it. All of last week I was freaking dancing during the last time I'd be in fourth period. And that was euphoria to the extreme. To the Class of 2005, it's certainly been a ride, being split as the senior class, and every little drama we've gone through together, and like Amanda said in one of her recent entries, "Although two of our number were not with us to sign our yearbooks, they are forever in our hearts and they were there... walking and laughing and crying with us as we watched high school end." Opening up to the two pages of Matt and Katie, facing one another, was heartwrenching, especially with the fact that I had known both of them. And they, along with Ryan, Nikoletta, Ms. Jacobsen and Mr. Taylor, are a perfect example why not to regret anything, to have fun with every moment and to cherish everything. I love you all very much, with every nick and cranny of my heart. "Sing me one last song, pose for one last picture." So, yeah. There's this phrase that totally makes me think of freshman year... "To life!"