Even though I’m writing this on my “last day of high school”, it still doesn’t feel real.

I expected my last day before graduation to be spent in North Penn High School, sharing kind words with my friends and teachers. I would be able to go down hallways and pods for the last time, letting the magnitude of the situation sink in. Instead, I’m sitting on my couch with my dogs in the same pajama pants I’ve been wearing for three days.

My “journey” with The Knight Crier started at the end of my 9th grade year. I still remember sitting in my guidance counselor’s office and picking classes for the year to come. Initially, I wasn’t going to take the school newspaper until at least my junior year, and that was contingent on if I even enjoyed my sophomore journalism class. Before this class, I had never written anything close to student features or opinion articles, and I was very hesitant to try it out.

For a few weeks, my high school schedule was going to include the basic journalism course that I thought was a prerequisite to the newspaper. However, my mom ended up double checking this information with the school, and after calling my guidance counselor one last time, she discovered that I could take the course without the basic journalism class beforehand. So, begrudgingly, and with a big push from my mom, I decided to take the class.

Sophomore year was… an interesting time. And that’s the nicest way I can put it. The last thing I needed, or wanted, was to be the youngest person in my first class. That year, everyone in the KC was either a junior or a senior, with the exception of my tiny 15 year old self. So, I did what any scared little 10th grader would do, and I latched on to a senior. We ended up becoming fast friends, and we still talk occasionally today.

My first article was “If you snooze, do you really lose?”. Please don’t go read it, as it was pretty rough. I didn’t even come up with that title, my editor did. Overall, although it was an interesting topic to cover, the writing itself was a big yikes. If Simon Cowell were judging it, he’d probably hit the red button and give me a blaring “X”.

However, I will admit that my writing style improved. I learned how to add my own voice and creativity into everything I wrote, and I finally became comfortable enough in my own opinions to write editorials. Now, they’re my absolute favorite thing to write.

Junior year went by in a flash, but the biggest event was my promotion to editor. Now, I was writing articles while going through other people’s work. I still find doing that incredibly enjoyable, as I’m always that annoying person correcting my friend’s grammar. It’s “you’re”, not “your”, thank you very much.

Despite all the memories I’ve had in K239, my senior year has easily been the best. My promotion to senior editor allowed me to have a larger role in the staff, while still being able to work alongside our incredible editor in chief, someone I’ve been extremely close to since 2nd grade. Instead of latching myself on to one person, I made it a goal to talk to almost everyone, and through that, I was able to build connections with some amazing people.

None of us could anticipate that March 12 would be our last day on third floor K-Pod. I was anticipating many more memories and fun early morning conversations with my friends. Instead, it was all taken away in a flash. No FaceTime or Google Hangouts call can come close to the energy in that room.

With all that being said, I guess this is my final sign off. It’ll feel so weird not writing articles (almost) every week, or coming up with ideas and people to interview. This paper has been such a crucial part of my high school experience, and although I’m not ready to let it go, I know that all good things must come to an end.

So, to everyone I’ve worked alongside in my 3 years here. Thank you for being such a kind, funny, and talented staff. I’ve enjoyed almost every moment with you all. To my fellow editors, I’m going to miss you all so much. I know that our friendships will go beyond this classroom, but I’ll miss the everyday banters and smiles I’ve shared with you.

And to Mr. Manero… uh, where to begin? You aren’t the sappy type, I’m not the sappy type, so let’s just say “see you later”. I still remember the last day of Public Speaking class this year, where at the end of your speech, I refused to leave the room until you gave me a hug. You asked me why I couldn’t just wait for the last day of school, because I’d see you again… but the last day of school never happened, so aren’t you grateful that I was such a pain in the butt that day?

Thank you for being an incredible teacher, adviser, and mentor. Please never take the Dundie I gave you for Christmas off your desk. And if people ask where you got it, say it was from the most awesome, productive, and optimistic person in the class. Well, maybe I wasn’t all that…

Skyler Simpson