2022_Senior_Special_Issue

Though our rhythm is broken and we will inevitably move on, I hope that we can manage to maintain some sort of communication with each other. I’m truly happy for all of us and I can’t wait to see where we all take our lives in the coming years. I hope you all prosper and live a dream-fulfilled life. Shoutout to Lily, Joaquin, Emery, Deandre, Marissa, Malik, Nate, Marin, Devyn, Carina, Kira, Aver y, Willi, Yanne, Sophia L., Dezmond, Maxwell, and so many others. ELIZA GILCHRIST PARENTS/GUARDIANS: Jennifer Gilchrist and Brian Gilchrist Zvarri! I’m still a bit shocked that it’s already about time for me to graduate. I’ve lived in Yellow Springs my whole life, and been going to school here since kindergarten. It simultaneously feels like a thousand years and no time at all since my first day at Mills Lawn (which I actually remember with a strange amount of clarity). I still haven’t recovered from the jarring reality that it is not, in fact, still 2016, which I think is such a significant year to me because that’s when I began school in the YSHS/MMS building. All the teachers I’ve had, from kindergar- ten to 12th grade, have been incredibly influential to me, and I will always look back with a sense of nostalgia after graduating. In the fall I will attend Smith College in Northampton, Mass., to study com- puter science. I’d like to send a huge thank you to Mayor Pam Conine for mentoring me throughout my last year of high school. I’d also like to thank all my teachers and friends. YANNE GILLEY PARENTS/GUARDIANS: Darren Gilley, Aissatou Diallo-Gilley What was your time like at YSHS? In the village schools? Yellow Springs High School has an interesting environment for students. There is an embedded philosophy of unconditional acceptance for the full spectrum of diversity in our school. This functionality has made it easier for me to learn in comparison to the majority of other schools I could have attended. The experience wasn’t per- fect but I’m thankful for the people I’ve met and the encounters I’ve had. Who or what helped you significantly? From the end of my sophomore year, through junior year, and to where I am currently, there has been a big push for responsibility, accountability, self- growth, and individuality. During this time, our schools’ methods of teaching drastically changed from the ef fects of Covid-19. We couldn’t learn to our full potential through online teachings, sometimes you had to research on your own. Freshman year I was not as aca- demically driven as I am now. Through the time we spent learning online and adjusting to in-person classes I have developed the skill to manage my education through my own will. The encouragement and recognition from my teachers kept me driven and moti- vated me to keep making progress. What are your feelings about the Yellow Springs community? I feel the Yellow Springs community, in relation to our school district, has been very supportive. The community cares about education and opening as many doors for students as possible. They volunteer, provide community service, send funding for various uses, and they all believe in each individual’s potential to be great. Is there something you’ve found to be meaningful or valuable? I have valued the people in my graduating class, not just from Yellow Springs, but in other districts as well. These are the people I’ve grown up with, ever since I was in second grade at Mills Lawn Elementary. Now, we’re in the final stretch of the last lap. I’m happy it’s with the people it all started with. What would you like to see change? I have appreciated the skills and tools given to us, but I would have been very grateful if our district, starting in middle school, would have imple- mented profession-based learning. I have been wondering about what I want to do with my life and career since I was in sixth grade. I think other students would have also appreciated having a course or practice in teaching that exposed us more to more careers. What do you see yourself doing after graduation? I want to pursue further education after high school, at the moment I’m fol- lowing the path to becoming an archi- tect. I don’t know if I am completely satisfied with that choice, but it’s all I know of at this point, and I’m not sure if I’d qualify for other majors. I hope to learn about more of my options in undergrad school. What interests do you want to follow up on? Design, creation, innovation, and entrepreneurship are the general things I am interested in. No matter where I end up, I hope that I can hap- pily be practicing these skills to gener- ate the wealth and happiness that I’m going after. SAELAH GISSLEN PARENTS/GUARDIANS: Karen Gisslen Yellow Springs has been a catalyst for my growth as an individual. I will never forget how the teachers and commu- nity here have influenced my life and character, I am forever grateful to the fertile soil of this town that has allowed me to bloom in such ways I could have never imagined. Also for my sister who keeps me afloat, I love you Soph :) MARISSA GOODMAN PARENTS/GUARDIANS: Camilla Varandani I moved from Columbus to Yellow Springs at age 6 and have been going to Yellow Springs schools since first grade. I feel so lucky and grateful that I have been able to be part of such a loving and supportive community. Going to school in Yellow Springs has given me so many opportunities I know I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I feel like I have learned about the important things in life, and that I am a better person because of it. I have met friends that I plan to have for the rest of my life, and I have had amazing teachers like Ms. Lutz, Mrs. Morrison, Mr. Comstock, Mr. Lowry, Mrs. Weinstein, and Mrs. C. I would like to shout out my mom because she has supported me through everything and is such a strong woman that I look up to so much. I would also like to shout out the class of 2022. I am so happy I am a part of this class because we have always been so close since the beginning, and are a group of people that I am proud to be friends with for 12 years now. Next year I will be attending Ohio University and plan to get my master’s in primary educa- tion. 6 YELLOW SPR I NGS H I GH SCHOOL C L A S S O F 2 0 2 2 A SPECIAL SECTION OF THE YE L LOW SPR I NGS NEWS | MAY 26 , 2022 Kettering Health Jerome Borchers, Lamm’s Insurance Nipper’s Corner O U R S P O N S O R S