In May, the senior class will be graduating from VHHS. The endless memories I have made with the senior class will stick with me for years to come. Like me, several other students have lasting memories of this year’s senior class. The stories people shared with me are surprising. When I say memories, I never said good ones.

For instance, entering high school, Ethan Bowers (10) had a dark cloud following him everywhere he went. The summer prior to his freshman year… get this… he burnt down the majority of a park — all that was left was a swing set and crying children.

“As an 8th grader, I made some mistakes,” Ethan Bowers (10) said.

After experimenting with fireworks, sparks flew and Bowers ruined several kids’ childhoods and his freshman year.
Bowers told me about the constant harassment he would get from this year’s senior class. More specifically, the harassing came from the seniors on the baseball team.

Bowers said the kidding was all in good fun. He has mostly forgiven these seniors mentioned with all the fun they had over spring break in Fort Lauderdale. The team played against great teams such as Miami Christian High school and had an eye-opening experience while visiting Stoneman Douglas High School for a junior varsity match up.

Upperclassman have always had a track record of picking on the freshman class, and as a freshman, Rohan Vasudeva (11) was no exception. Vasudeva told me the story of his freshman backpack. He said three members of the class of 2019 took his school bag and proceeded to play keep away with it, sometimes stealing his stuff and refusing to return the items. Vasudeva stated that the teasing caused several tardies to his classes.

“I hated it because they used to always take the stuff out of my backpack… and I couldn’t get to class on time,” Vasudeva said.

Vasudeva said he is good friends with all of them to this day, having bonded with them over their mutual love of cars, sports and memes.

“Yes, all of them; I love them all,” Vasudeva said.

The love/hate cycle that seems to form between freshmen and upperclassmen goes further. Gigi Margos (11) and Brooke Donaldson (10) told me about how they were intimidated by the upperclassmen.

However, through the long season of competition, the team grew together as one. The team, spending the majority of the week together, had a lot of time for the upper and underclassmen to bond.

My personal memory begins right where I am currently sitting. This year in journalism, I started off knowing no one in this class. This was a daily struggle for me, sitting alone, bored, feeling like a black sheep. As I would sit in the corner, I would observe my classmates’ behavior.

Luc Gudmundson (12) struck me as an easy-going and social guy, but in all honesty… he was a nerd. He was Editor-in-Chief of our newspaper, and everything he would say out loud would contain vocabulary I didn’t know.

Ethan Schuster (12) seemed like a scrawny, odd and outgoing person. My immediate thought of him was that he’s my polar opposite. He was into fashion, and I wore the same thing every day. He knew everyone and everyone liked him. I, on the other hand, sat in the corner silently, patiently waiting for the bell to go off.

The first time I heard Vincent Martorano (12) speak, my ears hurt. His decibel level seems to surpass that of a train horn. Vincent is a very emotional guy — passionate about what he does in the class — and it shows. I knew if I was to get along with anyone in this class, it would be the man in charge of the sports section.

In the two semesters I spent in this class, I have formed an unbreakable bond being a part of “The Sports Section.” These three men and I have grown together to produce the highest quality magazine we possibly could. Throughout the long work days, stressful final checks, tedious tasks and monotonous moments, these guys brought constant comedic relief along with the power to lighten my mood no matter the amount of stress.

Gudmundson taught me a great deal of knowledge in this class. His lead-by-example attitude allowed me to observe first and ask questions later. His easy-going demeanor made it very simple to work under him and cooperate to create articles, all while forming a friendship for years to come.

Schuster has made me cry of laughter once a day for months. Our immature humor and like-minded hobbies make classes with him lively and enjoyable. Even in the worst times of this class, I have found myself constantly giggling. That is the bond we have formed this year — sheer laughter and entertainment.

Lastly, Martorano took me under his wing early in the year. He created the role of Assistant Sports Editor and stuck me with the job. He invited me to sit with him, instead of sitting alone. Vincent took time out of his senior year to look after me and make me feel involved in this class, and for that, I’m very grateful.