Nate’s Senior Wrap

I didn’t want to go, and you said “no,” told me that I’d end up enjoying Pinewood, that it’d open new doors, routes, and opportunities, when, in that moment, it only opened more wounds. By the end of April, I was already preparing my final goodbyes, burrowing holes for every memory, every moment I’d ever spent with my sixth grade friends to bury into. In the side-view mirror, I watched the blue roofs of my old school fade into a thin line, like a scar, as we drove away for the last time.

I am 12. You’re waving goodbye to me as I walk into Pinewood, your eyes bright from the glint of your tears.

I see Mr. Lemmon greeting new students near the main office. I’ve just finished crying in the car. I’m thinking that everyone around me seems happy — and that I should be happy, too. I’m thinking that there is nothing I can do now to change this moment, to run back to my old school friends, to reverse this hurt. I’m thinking that this is probably a moment I want to remember — so I flutter my eyes like the quick shutter of a camera, framing this point in time into a crystallized memory.

The first two years at Pinewood are difficult. By the end of eighth grade, I’m asking you if I can transfer to boarding schools in the East Coast so I can experience dorm living, weekend parties, fields illuminated with snow. You agree, begrudgingly. On nights when the air is heavy, and the sun is thin, you cry, telling me that you hope I don’t get into any of the schools so I don’t leave you.

I get waitlisted or rejected from all of them.

When I tell you that I want to go to the same public high school that my brother goes to, you disagree, forcing me back into Pinewood. I cry again.

Oscar Barnes After studying journalism and learning the dictionary from front to back, Oscar can finally speak in a dialect that is unknown to mortal humans, causing him to embark on the first manned mission to Mars to meet similar intellectual beings.

Daniel Blotter Having seen the lethality of writting utensils firsthand (or firstwrist), Daniel eliminates corrupt College Board officials with #2 pencils as the Academic Assassin.

Will Bull At Artcenter College of Design, Will gets dress-coded while sporting a fashionable croptop. In protest, he streaks through campus, to the delight of some.

I am 14, 15, 16. I enter high school, make new friends, stop crying. It does get better — did get better, Ma. I grew used to the turf pebbles; joined clubs; framed more menories; piano-ed until my fingers swelled into watermelons; experienced virtual dorm living over the summers; flew for fencing competitions; fell in love with reading. Of course, I occasionally fell apart — swamped with three tests in a single day, sleeping four hours a night. But still, I fell in love with this school, Pinewood, and became thankful for every single second I’d spend here.

Ma. I was 11, 12, 13, a high schooler. Now, I am 17, graduating high school in less than a month. You were right, Ma, when you said I’d love this place — I don’t want to leave. So thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone and enduring every fight, every argument to provide me with the best future possible.

You are in the kitchen right now, molding dough, your warm hands sifting through beads of rice. Your eyes still so full of light. Two nights ago, you cried and told me how much you’ll miss me when I’m gone at college. I never understood how you felt back then, when I was in eighth grade, applying for boarding schools — but I do now.

Soon, you’ll watch me walk the stage, fling my green cap into the air. Soon, Ma, you’ll be watching me through the rearview mirror of, perhaps, a taxi, sending me off to college in a great, foreign city — and I will be looking back, my eyes glinting in the light, waiting to catch your gaze from afar.

NATE MARTIN Sports Editor

My time at Pinewood wouldn’t be what it was without the soundtrack that surrounded it. Music unlocks memories, taking me back to a specific place or reminding me of a specific person. Because of this, certain tracks are able to unlock my fondest memories of this school. So, join me as I go from the beginning of my time at Pinewood in seventh grade to the very end of it in senior year, as I recall my favorite moments from this school and the music I associate with it.

The first song that comes to mind would be “Everlong” by Foo Fighters. When I arrived at Pinewood as a seventh grader, everyone in my grade came to know me as the kid who’d headbang on bus rides to loud and obnoxious rock music. Did I look stupid? Yeah. Did I care? Not really. Foo Fighters being my favorite band only added to the fire, as all their famous songs came out before I was alive and people would make fun of me for liking music their dad liked. However, when I performed “Everlong” for the talent show in front of the whole school that same year, I became the person I was meant to be at Pinewood. Without it, I don’t know if I would have become as involved on campus as I am now. It was the first time I really put myself out there in front of the entire school and it gave me the confidence to continue to do so throughout the rest of my years at Pinewood.

The second song I want to mention is John Denver’s classic, “Country Roads.” On the first day of eighth grade, my friend Diego wouldn’t stop singing this song. After that day, it became an anthem for our grade. So much so that former Pinewood teacher Phil Ribaudo recorded his

Senior Predictions

Vincent Chen Vincent finally meets his celebrity crush, Ana de Armas. It’s too late, though, since Pete Davidson is already dating her, apparently.

Skylar Chui Skylar has become known as the Steph Curry of the retirement homes, beating everyone in the national granny 3 pointers championship. She averaged 4 3-pointers per minute, 5 more than everyone else.

Kate Cornyn Kate utilizes her fantastic song-writing abilities and becomes the next Phoebe Bridgers, giving her the opportunity to meet Taylor Swift and firsthand discover who the Him was in All Too Well.

Robert Cui In the wilderness of Canada, Robert passes out while eating a poisonous mushroom he thought would make him swole. When he awakens, he is in a mysterious cave beneath Gotham City.

Chlea Facelo Chlea starts her own cable channel where she hunts Bigfoot in the Portland woods.

Adam Fallick After studying musical theater and mastering the art of switching characters, his self-identity deteriorates and he slowly morphs into Cathy from “ “Wuthering Heights.”

Rachel Farhoudi After playing on the Pinewood Girls’ Soccer team for four years, Rachel acci- own version of “Country Roads” with lyrics about Pinewood and our grade’s trip to DC — a true “trip of a lifetime.” dentally runs into Messi on Tulane campus and wins against him in an one-on-one, spiraling her in a wave of fame and the opportunity to replace Messi in the next World Cup, where Kate will open with her new hit song “It’s all a Mess[i]”.

The next song that reminds me of my time at Pinewood would be “Freaks” by Timmy Trumpet. A lot of my favorite memories at Pinewood have come from the dances, and it’s a signature song at these events. It was the final song at my junior prom. It was the song that soundtracked one of my first mosh pits. It was and still is a certified banger.

The final song I want to talk about is “Shoota” by Playboi Carti. Rap music has been the main soundtrack for my high school experience. Whether it was my friend Max bumping 24kGoldn on his JBL speaker during lunch freshman year or a late night drive blasting Kid Cudi, rap music is a massive part of my high school years. “Shoota,” in particular, takes me back to one of my favorite concerts I went to with my friends — Playboi Carti at the Bill Graham the night before an AP English Language and Composition quiz. It was an hour-long wait to get into the venue and it reeked of B.O. and marijuana, but I had an amazing time and will never forget that night.

Obviously, there are way more memories I have at Pinewood and way more songs that I wanted to include, so check out the Spotify playlist with the rest of the songs. I’ve had an amazing time at this school and am forever grateful for the memories, the people, and the music that accompanied it.

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