by Christina Barton

Next year, I will be stepping out of the August to May, 7:50 am to 3 pm schedule of STA. I won’t be starting school until September and I will still be in school through mid-June. I won’t have eight class periods a day back-to-back. I won’t get to greet Ms. Blake three times a day in advisory. I won’t get to wander the halls of the beloved academy and see all the friends I have made over my four years here. Next year, I will be 1,754 miles away from STA in San Luis Obispo, CA, nestled in the mountains with the beach a short 10-minute drive away. I will be spending a large portion of my time working in the studio as an architecture student. I will walk across campus and see all the new friends I will have made. I will find a new home.

While I will find a new home next year, STA will always remain a home away from home. No where else can I act as spastic and oddly hyper as I do at STA. No where else can I find sisters who love me even when I am acting as spastic and hyper as I do. No where else can I find a stronger, more supportive community than STA, a community that plays together just as much as works together.

As much as I am ready for school to be over, there are so many things that I will miss from STA. I’ll miss walking across the quad between classes. I’ll miss watching “West Wing” in government class. I’ll miss “group work” in calculus. I’ll miss our back and forth discussions in lit that continue out of class.

I’ll miss Katie Hyde’s quote jar. I’ll miss making sure my best quotes get into the quote jar. I’ll miss Erin Sellers trying to distract me and prevent me from ever doing any work (class of 2012 best procrastinator in action). I’ll miss Kate Rohr imitating my whinousy (whiny jealousy) everyday. I’ll miss Elaine Schmidt borrowing my pens whenever we take notes in physics.

I’ll miss hearing Sara-Jessica Dilks say “Hey Tina” every time she sees me. I’ll miss Caitlin Fletcher calling me by the “clever” nicknames she made up for me. I’ll miss eating as much as I want at publication nights without feeling bad about it. I’ll miss working in the publications room for all hours. I’ll miss losing my mind every publication night when I’ve looked at the computer for so long that I can’t think straight. I’ll miss answering Mr. Thomas’s hypothetical questions. Let’s face it: I’ll miss the Dart.

Four years at the Academy. All it took was one shadow day to realize I wasn’t just finding my school, I was finding my home. No matter how many miles away I am next year, STA will forever be my home. See you later STA, I’ll be back soon.