Time, so simple yet so complicated. Going through my last year here at Derry Area High School, it is nothing like I imagined it to be.

Coming in as an underclassmen, opportunities that were nonexistent in middle school and elementary school suddenly began to widen. More sports were offered – clubs, electives, and so forth. As for me, I couldn’t wait to finally begin to take classes to help me decide what to do after high school as well as participate on the track and field team.

What I did not realize is how fast they would fade. ​

I first would like to give a thank you to my coaches throughout the years from basketball and soccer in elementary school, to my track and field coaches in high school including Coach Curcio, Coach Mylant, Coach Rager, and Coach McNichol. Without you guys I would not be shaped into the athlete I am today. You four have pushed me to be the best version of myself from developing my footwork freshman year to being by my side as I PR, or when you guys yell just “one more set”  or “come on 15 more seconds do not give up now.” Those are the things that I will not just remember for the gym or on my next throw. but for life. In addition I also thank my teammates throughout high school for not only being on my team but always being there no matter what. Track and Field is not only just a sport at Derry but a family, where when one teammate falls, the rest of the team picks them up.

If you had to ask me my favorite memory from the past three years, I would probably not be able to tell you because everyday is a favorite memory with Derry Track and Field.

When our season was cancelled last year, I was devastated. We put so much effort into practice and were going to be more than ready for the season. Not only that, but it hurt to watch my senior teammates leave without a final goodbye at what would be our last meet. It made me realize that you do not know how much time you have left in a sport. This taught me that you have to throw in every meet like it is your final throw or to train in the weight room as if it was your last time as a team in there, because it might just end up being your last.

Furthermore, I would like to thank my family and teachers. If all of you were not in my life I would not be the person I am today. I can say that you guys are the major reasons for my accomplishments and my successes. You have prepared me the last 12 years to walk across the stage.

From lying down rules to teaching us responsibility, and to assigning us homework and making sure we understood what we were obtaining , there was always a sense of relief and a smile at the end of every year. I will miss you faculty and teachers, and hope you can give other kids the  gifts you have given me.

In just a few months, I will be known as a member of the Class of 2021 from Derry. It may just be seen as a title to some, but to my classmates and I, it is a lifetime memory. So I would finally like to thank my classmates. We have all stuck together through thick and thin and have spent more time together than we have with our own families. When Grandview was being remodeled our second grade year, they didn’t realize they were also remodeling our bonds by creating a unison of all three schools. As time moved on, we taught each other what it is like to be in a friend group, and how to collaborate with one another when teachers would assign us to groups.

During our junior year on March 13th of 2020, the unspeakable happened and everything stopped, except our drive to keep going. I could not be more thankful for my class as we accomplished so much together and experienced so many obstacles. As we divide into our separate ways, our memories at Derry Area will be embedded into our minds and will never be forgotten.

Thank you Derry for building my character, forever and always – the Class of 2021.