By Peter Hyle
Every year, friendships and relationships grow stronger within the halls of FC. At the end of each year, however, an entire class of seniors and other students say goodbye to the people they are leaving behind. While these seniors are of course nervous and excited for what is to come next, the friends that are not leaving with them have different feelings toward the next year ahead.
One example of this is junior Emily Shumate, who has developed a very close friendship with senior Addison Dorris.
“We met through mutual friends when I was in eighth grade, and ever since then we’ve just been really understanding with each other. He’s like a big brother to me,” said Shumate.
Being close friends for over three years now, Shumate has never experienced a year in high school without Dorris.
“I imagine I’ll still look for him in the hallways next year,” said Shumate, “It’s just weird to think that no one will be coming up to my locker to scare me next year.”
Others have gained more dynamic friendships with members of this year’s senior class. Junior Cat Briscoe has quickly become a good friend to senior Gunner Turner, and the two have grown extremely close throughout the course of this school year.
“We’ve developed a sort of routine this year, like he typically always comes to my house after school every day. It’s just what we always do. Next year he won’t be here to do that anymore,” said Briscoe.
Though Turner has not yet decided where he will be attending college in the fall, they know that the amount of time they spend with each other will change drastically.
“I’ve talked to him about next year and how I want to meet up every chance we get, and maybe go on one of our nature walks. I don’t think we will actually lose contact that easily once he graduates, so I’m not too sad over it. We will absolutely stay close friends,” said Briscoe.
Others, however, are facing different and more heartbreaking goodbyes. Junior Olivia Bays and Slovakian exchange student Boris Bican have spent a lot of time together during his year-long experience in America. Their closeness makes the fact that he leaves for home in one month when the school year ends so much more painful.
“I think the hardest part of saying goodbye will be knowing that I may never actually see him again. We both have a lot of the same friends, and once he leaves there is just going to be a big hole in the group,” said Bays.
These two face a much bigger challenge, where instead of attending two different schools in the fall, they will be living in two different countries.
“I don’t really want to go back, and I really don’t want to leave Olivia and all of my other friends. It’s going to feel awful saying goodbye to her and not knowing if I will talk to her in person ever again,” said Bican.
Through all of the questions and uncertainty that each of these friendships and relationships are facing, everyone involved knows that they will always have memories to look back on throughout the next school year.
“A few years ago he took me to this tractor pull with him and his friends. I was kind of hesitant to go but it turned out to be the most fun I’ve ever had with him. Afterwards we went to the par and just talked. I think that’s my favorite memory with him,” said Shumate.
For other students, it is a certain character trait that they will look back on the most.
“He [Turner] is just so funny and goofy. There was this one night we were in the park and Gunner started talking about some crazy European photo game, and the next thing I know he had jumped into a freezing creek and started posing on a rock like a mermaid, and then had me take pictures of him. I’ll never forget it,” said Briscoe.
Some have so many memories that it is hard to chose a specific moment that they will look back on most often once the next school year begins.
“I don’t know what my single favorite memory with Boris is, but I know what I’ll remember when he’s gone. Since we had all the same friends, we were always kind of surrounded by our friend group. It was hard to get away and spend time alone together, and that’s why those were my favorite moments with him. I liked when we walked down Bardstown Road, went to the movies, sat under the bridge on the waterfront and talked about traveling. It was fun to spend all this time with him lately,” said Bays.
For the students staying here at FC next year, it is hard to imagine an entire school year without their friends.
“This summer and next year are going to be interesting without him, and I think that we’ll eventually lose contact with each other. Being in different countries, different time zones, and speaking different languages is bound to pull us away from each other, obviously. I’m sad about that, but I’m glad I got to know him and got to spend all this time with him while he was here. That’s something I won’t lose.”