Wow. Being at the tail end of my 4 years at Magnet I can say I’m genuinely floored. I never thought I would be going to Magnet instead of Wando. Wando had been everything I envisioned for my highschool experience from as early as I can remember. I was fascinated by the mere size and volume of that school, enchanted by it even. But as I neared the start of my freshman year, I realized I felt like there was a possibility of my getting “lost in the crowd” at Wando and like I wouldn’t have a close community of people around me. And of course, I can’t actually speak to this because I never went to Wando, but this simple thought is almost completely what convinced me to attend Magnet. 

Upon arrival at the school I couldn’t have been proven more correct. The staff at Academic Magnet has been a pillar of support in my life, and I have no idea where I would be had I not had such an empathetic and encouraging group of adults around these last few years. Of course, there were a few bumps in the road. I definitely got some slaps on the wrist for breaking certain rules. There was the time a bestie and me got a mandatory day off from school (OSS), the time me and a group of about 7 got absolutely torn up after the keys trip freshman year, for being stupid, and definitely when me and another bestie almost got the chem final curve ripped away from our class sophomore year for cutting school. HOWEVER! Each of these instances was met with a swift punishment that was never super unreasonable and definitely made me not want to make the same mistakes twice. Most importantly, these mistakes were never held against me, either. And, even with all the mistakes I’ve made, I have been met with consistent love and support from the Magnet staff. Even after making an abundance of errors, I was still encouraged to be the most authentic and goofy me I could be. There have also been moments in my life where if I hadn’t been at a small and supportive school I would not have had the resources I needed to work through difficult times. On days like this, where I was really really down and out, I could rely on quite a few Magnet staff members to not only empathize with me, but to also give me a mental break from the classroom setting. This would frequently manifest for me through wandering the hallways and saying hi to my favorite staff. Some honorable mentions through the years have definitely been Mrs. Roop, Mrs. Hurt, Mr. Grimshaw, Mrs. Bortz, and Mrs. Smith, who have all always been consistently understanding of any changes or help I needed to my scheduling as well as extremely supportive through stressful mental health moments. Can I also make note of Mrs. Roop’s and Mrs. Desbrow’s senses of  HUMOR! Like wow! If I’m ever having a bad day, the first few minutes of their chatting in class always is sure to cheer me up. I also can’t forget Mrs. Aydllette, who gave me a safe classroom to disappear into as early as freshman year. But, someone who sits very highly in my mind at THE Academic Magnet is none other than the stunning Anita Vogel. Mrs. Vogel has been the biggest brightest light for me at Magnet, for years. Anytime I have been hungry, stressed, happy, pissed, crying, or literally any other of the million emotions experienced at school, and have gone to Mrs. Vogel, I have been met with unmatched consistency, support and space. She always has a snack, hug or insight to give. And she has always been there for me on my worst school days. And of course this is such a small chunk of the staff pie. Almost every teacher that I have had has greatly impacted my daily mood in a positive manner. 

So all of this is basically just to say thank you. Thank you to everyone whose name was and wasn’t mentioned. I know I have been extremely blessed with my experience at Magnet and that not everyone has been lucky enough to have had a positive experience with the staff at our school. But for me and quite a few of my friends, having the close knit staff of Magnet greatly impacted our experiences in a positive manner. There have definitely been moments of frustration and bafflement at the way something is handled or said, but nobody is perfect. I genuinely believe most of the staff members at our school are focused on making our days of work bearable and successful. The fact that I know this is unbelievable when so many people have the opposite experience with their high school staff. Many people I know at Wando don’t even know some of their teachers’ names. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But personally, had I not gone to a school with a close support system I surely would not have ended up as happy as I am today. I wish everyone got to experience the love I did throughout their high school career. Staff, I love you guys so much. And thank you from the deepest parts of my heart for the care you have given me these past 4 years. I will definitely never forget it, and I know many students feel the same.