YSNews_2024_SeniorTabloid

12 YELLOW SPR I NGS H I GH SCHOOL C L A S S O F 2 0 2 4 A SPECIAL SECTION OF THE YE L LOW SPR I NGS NEWS | MAY 17 , 2024 NEVI SMITH . REESE SPURGEON PARENTS/GUARDIANS: Victoria Spurgeon My experience has been nice. I have made lots of friends and have had very inspiring teachers. AUDREY STACY CHARLES WHITLOCK PARENTS/GUARDIANS: Randy and Jennifer Whitlock If you don’t know who I am, wait 10 years, then you’ll know. Ideally, because I did something good. It was definitely a journey though, going through 12 years of suffering, all to hold a slice of a dead tree. At least I got some cool symbols on it; mine has nine. Did you see it? Yeah, you reading, did you go to the ceremony? Well, maybe you’re reading this because you didn’t. That’s fine though, life happens. I had a lot of life happen, almost 18 years of it. I was born in Burbank, California, where one time, in pre- school, I was eating Lucky Charms when the kid sitting next to me had the nerve to tell me, “Just eat the marshmallows, it’s way better.” I moved to Lake Elsinore after that (great Mexican food) then I moved to Hawthorne (You can see me on Google Maps at 14107 Ramona Ave, the 2019 image.) I briefly moved back to Lake Elsinore, and then finally came here to Yellow Springs, eager to make lots of new friends...over Zoom? Yeah, not the best way to do that. I’m sure my Freshman teach- ers were as good as I remember. For the few months we were back MILES STROLGER PARENTS/GUARDIANS: Jackie and Shahkar Strolger Long before time had a name, the First Spinjitzu Master created Nin- jago using four elemental weapons. But when he passed, a dark pres- ence sought out to collect them all: Lord Garmadon. So I, Sensei Wu, his brother, sought out to find four ninjas to collect them first. LILLY VALDEZ PARENTS/GUARDIANS: Ettamarie Valdez I have lived in Yellow Springs for most of my life. I have so many wonderful memories from my years at Mills Lawn and the high school. Although I was only at the high school since my sophomore year, I had wonderful experiences and suppor t from the school. Yellow Springs will always be a special place to me and my time here has given me lifelong memories and friendships to take with me to my next chapter. on campus, it was great hiding behind glasses and a mask under a hood, like some stock image burglar. My Sophomore and Junior years were better, I got outside more, so I could finally see the light of day and touch some grass. I could be closer with teachers, and learn how to make pain au chocolat . (Thanks, Mr. Smith! Do I get stocks for pro- moting the Farmer’s Market?) That, and I got to do cool lab stuff in Lowr y’s. It was always great asking him things like, “Out of curiosity, do you think cryogeni- cally cooled oxygen, or hydrogen peroxide would give a higher spe- cific impulse in a rocket thruster?” (Liquid oxygen, fyi.) I can’t forget taking apple sauce from Mrs. Morrison’s fridge to dis- tract myself from math. I can also gladly call myself burly, thanks to School Forest, although I reverted to being a nerd in Senior year, suf- fering through five AP classes. In addition to a diploma, I have a bit of wisdom from my years in school; I know that it’s better to eat variety in my cereal and I know how to (hypo- thetically) build a rocket. NIXON WILSON Yellow Springs Youth Orchestra Association Young’s Jersey Dairy O U R S P O N S O R S