Kelly Burneson

When I say that high school was four of the toughest years of my life, I mean it, but I also don’t think I would change it. These years have been filled with highs like being captain of the lady ball basketball team, playing soccer with all the girls I have grown up with one last time, (shout out Mrs. Boyd and Mr. Sams), and making an impact on the school newspaper through film and writing. When I started my freshman year, I didn’t know what to expect. Where I would end up and what I would be interested in. Little did I know Journalism would be one of the highlights of my high school career. A lot of things happened during these four years. I made friends, I lost friends. There were some challenges, but also accomplishments. 

During my sophomore year, I remember Mrs. Stoker having our class take about 15 minutes to journal whatever we wanted to clear our heads of clutter or spark inspiration for our next article.  Thanks to Mrs. Stoker, Journalism has become an outlet for me to get my thoughts down and process things. Writing in those journals did more for me than anything or anyone else could. I wrote about the things that were happening at home and with friends, that I didn’t feel comfortable saying out loud. If you are ever having trouble clearing your brain, definitely consider writing everything down.

As my senior year has started to wind down, I am feeling a lot of emotions. Sadness, because we are leaving, but happiness because we are leaving!

  I feel like I’m ready to leave WHS and go do my own thing, but as I near my last week of high school, I have realized how big of an impact this school has had on me, specifically the teachers. 

Mrs. Stoker, (I know you are reading this!) I would like to thank you for being my person in school and even after your departure from WHS this year. You are the glue to the kids in Journalism and I am so grateful to know someone like you. 

Ms. Conrad, I’m sure you were extremely nervous with this being your first year teaching and having to fill the shoes of another teacher, but you have proven that you are a teacher ahead of your time, and on some days you were the only reason I showed up to school. 

I would like to leave off with something that I wish someone would have said to me during my time in high school. School can be hard, relationships can be hard and it will all be okay. To all the girls that are having trouble in high school and think that your world is ending when you lose friends or personal things happen, you can do things alone and bring peace to yourself through that. I promise you that no matter what, you will come through on the other side learning new things about yourself and learning valuable lessons that will carry with you as you go into your years after high school. To all the girls that think they aren’t good enough for someone, a group of people, or pretty enough, stay true to yourself. All of you have a purpose in this world. You are enough. 

So take it from me, you will make it through. 

With that,  I am grateful to be attending Sacred Heart University next year with the intended major in Psychology and a minor and Journalism and I can not wait to see where that takes me. Thank you WHS for not only teaching me valuable lessons but also giving me memories to look back on forever.