To the Lake Stevens Vikings,
As the school year is approaching its end, I would like to take a moment to shout out the people in this school that have made my year better.
My first period choir is a close group, as many of us have had classes with each other for years. From sophomores to graduating seniors that I was in choir with back at Cavelero, students across grades have made my mornings better.
In class, sophomores Bella Luna and Alexa Little never fail to keep the mood high or make me laugh when I’m down. They are positive and uplifting people with amazing singing voices, and I hope they continue on with choir to keep sharing their talent and joy with others.
Many of my classmates listened to my song for our Solo Project and helped me feel just a bit better about my skills, even if I didn’t perform it in front of the whole class. Thank you to sophomore Lauren Soper and seniors Sara Scherer and Sydney Zaagman for helping my confidence in myself grow, no matter how small the steps I take are.
During the Solo Project concerts on May 8 and 9, seniors Alexis Dodge and Katelyn Dewey, junior Kaleb Peterson and sophomores Rylie Quimby and Daniel Littman were a tremendous help in making the concert work and end up as memorable as it was. I give them my endless gratitude.
While my fourth period journalism class is full of hard workers, there are two people in particular that I’ve gotten to know over the year, one more unexpectedly than the other.
Senior Josh Anderson and I instantly clicked, bonding over more than just our colorful hair. We worked collaboratively on our first two articles and quickly became friends. No matter how much they rant about white men with mustaches, I always enjoy their presence and our talks about music and our lives.
I can’t pinpoint when junior Holly Hart and I started talking more, but since we have three classes together, it was probably somewhat inevitable. By becoming my friend, she gave me the opportunity to build my skills in making new friends and helping people through the journalistic process, and for that I am thankful. I hope I’ve helped her as much as she’s helped me.
At the beginning of the year in my fifth period forensics class, three girls sat at a table with me and none of us have moved since, even when given the opportunity to choose new seats. I already knew junior Jade McCall from our chemistry class last year, but I’ve grown just as close to my new friends, sophomore Ella Frantz and junior Ella Lis. After joking in class, helping each other understand the work and going to the mall together, I know for certain that I don’t want to lose touch with any of them over the summer.
Not quite last and definitely not least are my close friends that I’ve known from anywhere since first grade to just a few years ago. Sophomores Addilyn Tschanz, Piper Skinner, and Emily Smith have given me hundreds of good memories, either over text or in person. They always make my day brighter when I pass them in the hall or we sit down to eat lunch together.
I have two more friends who are currently a part of the ORCA program and Running Start respectively, and therefore seem ever-elusive, but still remain close friends of mine. No matter how long we go without hanging out, every time juniors Sarah Poinaru or Kate Fetters-Walp come over, we can laugh and joke as if we still see each other every day. Having people I can fall back into a rhythm with assures me that no matter how turbulent life gets, I always have people I can have good times with when needed.
They say that what’s meant for you will always find you, and I think that’s more true than ever for me right now. After being sat next to junior Dakota Brothers in our sixth period class and exchanging albums to listen to, we’ve only gotten exponentially closer and I can’t put into words how grateful I am for it. What’s left unsaid will be known by those close to me, but what I will say is thank you for showing me a little piece of heaven.
Next I would like to shift my focus to the teachers and staff members that have helped me throughout the year.
When I signed up for UW Psychology and talked to Suzanne Kerker on Connections Night, I was convinced that I was going to struggle and drop the course because of how the workload was described to me. However, I can happily say that I’m glad I stayed in the class for the whole year and don’t regret it. Learning about psychology has given me a better understanding of myself and the people around me, and having Kerker as a teacher has made the whole learning experience much more interesting and enjoyable than expected. She is a funny, honest, self-aware, humbling, understanding and wise teacher, which are all excellent qualities to have when talking about a subject as diverse and intense as psychology.
As I mentioned in my January Letter from the Editor, joining journalism helped me find my place at LSHS, and that was in part because of my advisor Julie Henggeler. Her classroom is a space in which I feel safe to ask questions freely, and she herself has supported all of my passions and goals, whether it’s pushing me to step out of my comfort zone or allowing me the chance to write to my peers more than once a month. I have signed up for journalism next year and am excited to see what I could do with her continued encouragement and guidance.
I know picking favorites is mean, but it’s hard not to when I walked into Joel Kesler’s room on the first day of school and he was playing Fall Out Boy on his speakers, my favorite band. I feel he makes an effort to build a good rapport with his students, which I believe adds to the welcoming and feel-good environment in his classroom. His willingness to discuss somewhat contentious and taboo, yet completely relevant, topics is something I value and think is essential and important in the current world. My time in his classroom has helped me grow, whether it’s my understanding of myself and my own abilities or how I see the world.
While I didn’t have to meet with my counselor too often last year outside the required check-ins, I have found myself in Amy Wiklund’s office twice recently. Both times she has made me feel understood, worked through my problems with me and helped me take the next steps I need to make my experience at LSHS better. I thank her for being easy to talk to and joke with and for mom-ing me when I need it.
While you don’t have to write out a whole letter like I did, I encourage you to let the people in your own life that have helped you know how much they mean to you.
We have events throughout the year like staff appreciation week or when we were told to give lollipops and a note to those who make our day better, but what better way to show people that you truly value them than an honest unprompted display of appreciation?
Your Editor-in-Chief and fellow Viking,
Star Knaak
