That’s Owl Folks

Amelie La-Branche Co Editor-in-Chief

I must admit that the overwhelming emotion I feel at the idea of graduating from high school is relief. My junior and senior years have been a time of burdensome stress and droll monotony, with assignments appearing like moles in a whacka-mole game and my trying to get ahead on my work a distant dream. However, I do not want to remember my high school experience as merely four years of a rigorous and soulcrushing academic schedule. No, I would rather record the memories that - ten, twenty, or thirty years from now - I might wWake up within before I realize my past is no longer my present. I want to remember these precious moments that will appear long after I walk the stage, the faces of those who have changed my life, and the feelings of pride and triumph that emerge when I recall these past four years.

I arrived at Spanish River during my sophomore year, muddled by the confusion of moving states during a global pandemic and missing the friends I had known for eleven years back home. Back then, I had no idea of the changes I would undergo, of the realities of high school I had not experienced, of the struggle and sacrifice for knowledge, of the bonds and ties I would make to individuals who so deeply enriched my life. I joined Mrs. Delaney’s Creative Writing class that year, and at that moment, my life changed. From there, I became a Guest Writer on The Galleon and an Associate Editor on Pieces of Eight, two ventures I, at first, had absolutely no clue about. However, I grew into this role of a leader and adviser and worked alongside the most talented and friendly group of people I could have ever hoped to meet, people I trust will continue to bring joy and greatness to the newspaper long after I leave.

I can only be grateful to the people who made these experiences so fulfilling. I want to thank Mrs. Delaney for guiding me through these past three years, for pushing past the boundaries of what I thought I could accomplish to achieve my potential, and for being a much-needed source of humor and wisdom at the unexpected occurrences life brings. I want to thank Ms. Lewis for helping me make Spanish River my home, for teaching me to see the optimistic roses and realistic thorns of each day, and for being a listening ear when I was so isolated from others behind a computer screen.I want to

thank Ms. Kalman for constantly supporting me throughout these three years, for providing me with so many opportunities I truly cannot believe I deserve and for which I am forever indebted. I want to thank Mrs. Macleod for her continuous support, for believing in me and my abilities, and for always providing me with much-needed encouragement. Though I have only known them for one year and wish I had known them for longer, I also want to thank Mrs. Singerlie for bringing so much fun to each class period and for making me feel more comfortable to ask questions, Ms. Shonty, for deepening my understanding and appreciation for literature and making each day an enjoyable adventure, and Ms. Cutrona, for her invaluable assistance and enthusiasm in making this year’s Pieces of Eight a success.

High school can sometimes feel neverending, with the mountain of homework assignments and anxieties of each school day, and sometimes, you may pray for each class period to end. However, though education can be a tedious process, though we may never use the Pythagorean theorem or speak

Lyndsey Roth

Co Editor-in-Chief

Since my first day at Spanish River High School, The Galleon newspaper with Mrs. Delaney has been a homebase. It is so surreal to think this will be the last article students and staff will read from me. Freshmen year, I genuinely believed my superficial problems would never get better, and that I was destined to be miserable forever. Rather than sympathizing with me, I always wished someone would tell me to get over myself, and that I was being overdramatic, so here is what I will tell you:

Avoid sweating the small stuff. I know better than most that in the moment it may be hard to realize the problems we have in our social lives will not last forever. My niche was to dwell on every problem, and with that, I stopped focusing on what really mattered: my academic career. I am not the first to tell you all that academics matter, however, I know from personal experience that it is hard to work your way up from the bottom. When I say bottom, I mean your rank and GPA. If it was not obvious already, Spanish River is quite competitive in regard to academia. DO NOT spend your freshman year slacking off. I spent my entire high school career working towards making my C in Geometry look like a freak accident. College admissions boards do not care about your drama. You will be mad at yourself when you are rejected from your dream school because your GPA proper Old English beyond these gates, it is crucial not to simply view these years as an accumulation of useless trivia. It is the knowledge we gain that truly defines our high school education. It is the exercise of our brains, the neural connections we make, and the critical thinking and problem-solving skills we practice that remain with us and form us into stronger leaders, methodical thinkers, and individuals of action. However, it is just as important to realize that there is more to our experience than the grades and scores this knowledge begets. We are so much more than a couple of digits, and we too often forget that those who love us do so for more than these academic prizes. Take the time to truly enjoy these unique years, as they pass by all too quickly.

Though I am still unsure of my future, I am excited to enter this new stage of my life and education at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at FAU, and I will fondly remember this time of my life as one of beautiful change and treasured friendships.

is 0.5 away from their required statistics.

With that being said, do not let other people tell you who you are or what you want. Your life is your life for a reason. That does not mean you are to make bad decisions and excuse it as you being you, however, it is important to remember that life changing decisions involve no one other than yourself. Also, hardships are inevitable, if anything, they are learning experiences… not to mention, a good college essay topic!

Moreover, get involved in extracurricular activities. Colleges are looking for what makes you an exceptional student beyond your grades, hence SAT and ACT scores, extracurriculars, and your college essay. I did not care for school my freshman year, and slacked off because of it. My advice, think of what you want to do after high school and where you want to be, with that, change whatever you are doing that is holding you back.

Lastly, take care of yourself. Try hard, but don’t let it burn you out. We are all going at our own pace. Let high school be as enjoyable as possible because it truly is one of the last times you get to experience being a kid. As dreadful as it may seem now, it only goes up from here. Thank you to everyone who helped me get to where I am today, my freshman year self would never have made it without the extra push.

Caroline graduated from River in 2013. After highschool, she went to Yale which she graduated from in 2018. From there, she worked with different government agencies to provide low-income mothers with mental health services. As of now, Caroline is working towards a master’s degree in social work at the University of Chicago. When asked what her best Galleon memory was, she responded with: “I loved the hours the editors spent in the back room finalizing layouts before each new issue — I always enjoyed the puzzle of putting the pages together and the focus and energy that went into it. And also how we’d start to get kind of goofy after working for too long (think: making everything comic sans, adding ridiculous Photoshop effects, riffing terrible puns for headlines)”.