The Seniors were asked to share their final thoughts and leave behind memories and words of wisdom to everybody as Graduation approaches. Here’s what they had to say, along with a brief video and some pictures from the past!

These four years in Galway High School have been a great time. I, Phil Marchese, would like to leave some things behind for the friends I have made.

To Darren Heigel, I leave you my clout, and my title as APARC Pollmaster. To Joshua Rumsey, I leave you my creatine, preworkout, and my gains. To Erik Malanoski, I leave you my New York Jets spirit, J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! To Mrs. Denison, I am going to APARC. To the Cross Country team, you guys have made every year fun and enjoyable. I promise I will return for sectionals and for a game day if I can. Keep the traditions alive in my name. To Coach Kennedy, Big Ken, I leave you all of my back days, and I invite future students to work out with you. To Mr. Kocak (Kocak Black, Big K) I leave you my parking spot in the upper lot. To all of my teachers that have put up with me, thank you for making my education fun and effective for me.

To Galway High School, I owe you everything. I would not be the person I was today if I didn’t grow up here in this beautiful town. My only regret is not being the best student I could be, but it has been a great time. This chapter of my life has ended, but will never be forgotten. I will forever love you Galway and bring honor to your name.

I, Michael Jesenski, leave my best luck to the students who get to partake in strength training in the new weight room. I give my best wishes to those who think they’ve written a good essay in Mrs. O’s class, because the fact of the matter is, it probably could’ve been better. I invite all future students to not take the amazing teachers here at Galway for granted (all of the teachers I’ve had here have been great, but some are just amazing) like Mr. Kirvin, Mr. Toscano, Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. O’Brien-Yetto, Mr. J, Mr. Diamond, Mr. Kennedy (Big Ken), Mrs. DeLuca, Mrs. O, Mrs. Mierzwa, Mrs. Muth. All of these teachers somehow garner the energy day in and day out to help students with more than their school work and when every single one of these teachers comes to mind, it takes quite a long thought to think of a ‘bad’ quality in them or their way of teaching. To Coach Kennedy/Big Ken, I leave you all of my back days and wish you the best luck in your pulling endeavors. (I’ll check back in when I start setting some powerlifting records). To the future athletes, I invite you to seek out Big Ken and ask for lifting advice – he knows his stuff. To Darren Heigel, I invite you to continue being a straight up comedian – it’s unfortunate that you’re a Dubs fan. To all teachers and administration, I invite you to continue shaping the students of Galway’s lives for the better. Thank you all for everything you’ve done. The subtleties don’t go unnoticed, in fact, the little things and the specific interactions and situations we can’t quite recall are what represent you in our minds in a great way. Thanks for everything.

I,Kaitlin Sisler, leave Mrs. Lenz my study hall teacher  enough pairs or ear plugs so she doesn’t have to listens to kids. To Lexi I leave my locker 420 without a number plate, good luck, everyone tries to get you to switch. To Mrs. Durand don’t forget all of the fun we had in resource together listening to all of us have our arguments.

I, Zarah Chaverri, leave the duty of submitting the yearbook on time with zero errors to Cori Hardcastle. May the process be swift and enjoyable, or at least somewhat bearable.

I, Justin Halbritter, ask only one thing for the students in this school, it’s to give these wonderful teachers the love that I gave them, for as long as possible, for which I am grateful and honored to have had the teachers that I had had. I only ask this because I know that I will not have the ability to do so when I leave this school in the years to come. And so it is on this note that I say one last thing to this school. I say to all the teachers that I love you guys with all my heart, and I will always remember every last one of you, for the rest of my life. You are the greatest teachers that I have had and there is no one better than you guys out there in the world. I will miss you guys everlong.

I, Graham Willbrant leave the varsity baseball team and all of our shenanigans to Erik Malanoski, Christian Hines, Mike Sowle and Sammy D’Alessandro. You guys are going to be kill it next year. I leave the Robotics team and all of its issues to David O’Connell and Ryan Lovelass. Try to get some sleep before the competitions next year guys. Of course Josh Jankowski will continue my legacy in the student section at the basketball games. To Mr. Jacaruso I leave our 4th period computer science class and all of our jokes about Brandon. To Mr. Toscano I leave our 2nd period Sociology class and Evan’s constant antics.

I, Sky Arnold, leave Galway the following Senior Will:

To Jerika, I leave our wild first period mornings in the E-Way and constantly ranting about anything and everything.

To Adam, I leave you my friendship, first period and the classic phrase “Hi Adam!” Thanks for putting up with me. I know you don’t hate me. Lol. That’s a good one, right?

To Phil, you were the first person at Galway to talk to me. I will never forget that. Thank you for four years of friendship, memes, senioritis, and great music.

To Christian, JJank, and Shader, I leave you The Goodest. Going to Menchie’s, McDonald’s, and Chipotle was lit and I hope we do it again!

To Mike Z, JJank, Shader, and Carson, I leave you the most iconic picture of my high school career.

To KJank, I leave you our iconic Riverdale FaceTimes and half a season of coaching you. I will support you wherever you play, but I do hope you’ll come home.

To the GTV/EMC staff, I leave you the studio and three years of falling in love with journalism.

To the Club 518 14u volleyball team, I leave you many long practices of passing and serving. Coaching you ladies was a pleasure and I cannot wait for next season. Much love.

To Sam Grant and Cori, I leave you jokes about Jay Cutler and Blair Walsh.

To Jasmine, I leave becoming very close friends senior year. I will never forget our classes together and our many jokes, including jawn, DPE, and Subway and McDonald’s stories.

To Tyler and Jasmine, I will have you know that I am actually not bluffing.

To Mr. J, I leave you my dedication for when I become a millionaire.

To Jasmine, Darren and Steve, I leave you Computer Applications and Seniors Gone Wild. That was the funniest class with you guys.

To Darren, I leave you your hoop mixtape. I wish you and I had become friends earlier. But it won’t matter when you make it to Siena!

To my English teachers, thank you for inspiring me into the English ed profession.

And last, but certainly not least, I leave Hannah Thompson three years of friendship. You are my best friend and I will love you forever. I cannot wait to see what you do in the future.

To everyone else in Galway, I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

I Griffen Gannon leave Lily Gullett, Izzy Mancini, Rachel Wnuk, and Mikayla Neahr the song Hello by Adele. I leave Hannah French 6th period study halls, indoor soccer, and FFA concessions. I leave Van Horvath the title of best megger and the name not-Kaya. I leave Charlie Clarke (Charles) that track spike that I buried by the high jump mats, that goal I scored in travel that one time, and the empty promise that he’ll cut his hair for soccer next year. I leave Ryan Ripepi all possible Destiny the whale jokes. I leave Riley Flint endless rude desk pushes and any extra pencils I can contribute to his collection. I leave Natalie and Siela Zembsch my love for Moana and my hope that they will be the ones to fulfill the soccer twin legacy ;). I leave Victoria Triffeletti all of the times I almost but not quite missed her driveway. I leave Sam Grant the job of giving Kirvin as much trouble as possible (Don’t let him off the hook too easy.) I leave Madison Kieft the time she tried to give 6th period study hall dance lessons. I leave Sarah Ernst feisty feet for soccer, and the famous blonde curse. I leave Isabella Hart with FFA trips and concessions. I leave Alex Smith talks about cow showing… which no one really understood. I leave Holden Decker walks into school when I was half asleep and trying to tell stories that didn’t make any sense. I leave Jade Sicluna (Slayyyyyyyyyy) the hatred for the 4X800 and all of our funny looks in the hallway. I leave Ryan Ingle the Hurdle Coaching duties (which he already had, but I just want to make sure it’s in writing so he keeps it up.) I leave Carson and Carter Scribner the months it took me during soccer (and then some more) to figure out who was who. I’m sorry it took so long. Also, I leave Carson a “good luck in college” along with his track spikes and jacket. I leave Madison DesPres with that one time she took shotgun privileges from Lily in the car… I leave Mike Sowle all of the jokes questioning my nationality. To Anna Wnuk I leave the job of pestering someone as much as I pestered her to play soccer. I leave Kaelin Pitman (with all of her savagery) the job of megging all of the guys (especially Ben) in indoor soccer next year, and our obliviousness that we could’ve known each other for years. To Emma Spadaro I leave the hope that she will answer her phone more, (apparently it’s not only me that she ignores for long periods of time,) and her friendly waves in the hallway. To Julia Reedy I leave the hope that she will play soccer next year and her nice smiles/waves in the hallway. To Anna Meisenburg I leave the hope that whatever football team she is rooting for is winning whenever she is playing a soccer game. To Mr. Kirvin I leave all of our fake arguments, bad jokes, laughing fits, and any cleaning power that it might take to keep your room from closing in around you :). I leave someone (literally anyone, please I’m begging) the duty of helping to keep Mr. Kirvin’s room somewhat clean. To Mr. Trip I leave our double T double G band that we never started. To Mr. Toscano I leave all of the sticky notes I left on your board as “decorations.” I leave the Varsity Girls Soccer Team my lucky pink gloves, homecoming games under the lights, the fireworks, bus rides, and team bondings. To Stephanie Martin I leave Raspberry Pure leafs, breakfasts, walks in the hallway, and my big gym locker (which is ever so conveniently placed next to Lily’s.) To Rachel Wnuk I leave my center mid duties, my soccer number, her good taste in music ;), and the job of bringing extra water for Lily. I also leave her the duty of teaching whatever freshman becomes her new locker buddy next door the trick where you can half-rig your locker. (You know the one it took me two years to convince you to use.) To Izzy Mancini I leave all of the “mom” advice you can think of, someone to run the 400 under your name in case you’re having a heat stroke again, our radio station, the endless pet names, and the hope you’ll learn how to eat ice cream from a cone sometime soon. To Lily Gullett I leave the rap, I’m taking the Chorus ;). I leave you breakfasts, the job of claiming my family as your own, the mean names in the hallways, and shotgun privileges in my car forever. I also leave you the job of adopting a new soccer car squad, and the hope that you’ll remember not to leave your stuff behind. I leave our car rides filled with laughs for no reason, tears for good reasons, drives around the block instead of going home, Dunkin runs, Stewart’s runs, I mean literally any type of food run. To Lily, Rachel, and Izzy I leave our road adventures, Dunkin Sugar rushes, non-stop laughs, and the papers to file as a legal family.

I, Samantha Munchbach, leave my Criminal Justice memories to Julia Holbrook and Sean Devernoe. Remember, you are the top dogs now, the juniors in class will look up to you, always be welcoming. Take advantage of everything BOCES offers like Skills, class officer, etc. Enjoy your senior year, it goes by fast. Don’t forget about me.

To Mrs.O’Brien-Yetto, I leave to you my snarky comments. One other thing I leave to you is my greatest thanks. I owe you so much that I will never be able to give you. You pushed me to do my best after sophomore year. I realized you are right and high school is the base for your entire life. You have shown me so much more than being just my teacher. You have shown me what a true friend really is. You have gone above and beyond to make my life easier and happier. You are caring and I will never forget you. Thank you!!

To the class of 2019, Enjoy senior year, If you have Mr. Mal, enjoy his stories. Enjoy Mr. Miller as well, he is the best thing that has happened to Galway. A piece of advice I have is to step out of your comfort zone, you will regret not going out for that sports team, or joining that club. Good Luck!

I, Brandon Wight, leave Mr. Jacaruso our wild eighth period Calculus class and the Jeffery street sign.  To Mr. Darlington, I leave a brand new pencil sharpener so students don’t kill their pencils.  To Darren, I leave the crazy experiences and memories of high school from the past.  And to Ryan, the memories of study hall and the laughs we had every day.

I, Gabriella Decker, leave Mr. Toscano our love for music and sharing of artists. To, Ms. Clifford, I leave post-notes for future generations to throw at you and a fertilized tank of fish. To my lunch ladies, I leave our vents, tears and laughs. To Mrs. Ostrander, I leave all the money in my pocket for candy. To Coach Cassie and Coach Kennedy, I leave my constant energy. To FFA members, I leave my support and faith. To the upcoming senior class, I leave my positive thoughts and hopes that you will do great things. To Mr. Miller, I leave the mascot. To Mr. Kocak, I leave a CLEAN mascot. To the cross country family, I leave 5 mile runs and frisbee games. To Sarah, I leave my laughter. To Lindsey, I leave our Stewart’s runs. To Collin, I leave my heart, laughter and eye rolls. To Nick, I leave my Ag Notebook. To Natalie and Siela, I leave bike rides and cider donuts. To Riley, I leave New York, New York. To Hannah Hofmann, I leave my corduroy jacket and hugs. To Holden, I leave “Mrs. Decker’s son.” To Mr. Darlington, I leave chemistry…thank goodness. To the dark, sketchy gym hallway, I leave all of the smells those mice produce. To Galway High School, I leave with great hopes for the future and a love like no other for this chaotic place.

 I, Erik Matthews, leave Mr. Miller a friendly hello in every hallway of the school, and of course my green Vineyard Vines pullover. Thanks for being such a kind, dedicated, and hardworking principal. You presented us with unforgettable opportunities that I will never forget, especially the senior trip!

To Mr. Kocak, I leave a whole lot of tin foil and plastic wrap. I hope you didn’t hate us too much. I mean after all, you can’t really blame us because Mr. Miller was the one who approved it.

To Jade Sicluna, I leave endless laughter at the pole vault pit and crazy bus rides. You always have a smile on your face, and you never fail to make me laugh. Never change that! I am going to miss you dearly next year!

To Ryan Ingle, I leave you the basketball rim to dunk on, and the 155 pole to beat my personal record in pole vault next year. You were an incredible vaulter this season, and your advice was key. You never fail to put your 100% into anything and I admire you for that! Good luck with all of your future endeavours.

To Ruth Reichard, I leave you endless Disney soundtracks to jam out to in the auditorium. You are the only person I know that can recite every lyric of any Disney song with me and I don’t know what to do without my singing buddy in college. And also, thank you for embracing the fact that Reflection from Mulan makes me emotional. You are such an intelligent individual and I can’t wait to see HOW FAR YOU’LL GO in the future. LOLOLOL! All the love!

To Kaylee Bagdan, I leave you all of the OUTSTANDING HOBY cheers. You are one of the few people from Galway that got to experience this amazing conference, and I am sure you will share what you learned with the rest of our community. I also leave you a game of Exploding Kittens, and a trip to NYC. You were a great bus buddy on the Journalism trip this year, and you are a phenomenal editor! You are going to do amazing things in the future!

To Arianna and Ben, I leave you the percussion section. The beginning of this year was rough, but you guys proved me wrong. I am proud of the accomplishments you reached throughout the year!

To Lit Leanne, I leave you a stage to fulfill your acting career. I know you are definitely going to get the lead your senior year because you are truly the best in your grade. No one can even compete. Never stop your vlogs because I have definitely enjoyed watching them. Your sense of humor always makes me laugh and I wish I could spend another year in drama club with you. Also, thank you for listening to Gucci Gang on repeat!

To Vanessa Colangelo, I leave you a prop to sit on and read your books during stage crew. Doing stage crew was so much fun and I will never forget your quiet, humble presence. Always do you and continue to spread your kindness with everyone.

To Holden Decker, I leave you the 800 meters and the mile. You pushed me really hard this year, and you are a very talented runner. I can’t wait to see how far you will come in the next years. Best of luck!

To Kim Martin, I leave you pig-latin and big poofy dresses to wear during drama productions. You are such a talented actress and I am going to miss watching you perform so much next year! Keep making the most of everything when you perform because it goes sooooo fast!

To Hayli Raylinsky, I leave you a ka-kaw! You pranked me so many times this year, so now I can finally get you back! Pranked!

To Gabi Scheeren, I leave you a stop sign. You must be a great driver, but you just have to pay attention to those stop signs. Thank you for all of the great laughs in track, and being such a great person. Have fun in your last few years of high school!

To the Scribs, I leave you an empty soccer field and an imaginary army of soccer players because you are going to need anyone you can get. Both of you are very athletic and I wish you the best of luck out on the soccer field in August. Lead with confidence no matter what happens. I believe in you!

To Sarah Ernst, I leave you endless laughs at the pole vault pit, painful elbows, crashing into the pit, and of course a whole lot of onions. We go wayyy back and I will always remember hanging out at Lillie’s. You are such a talented athlete, and I look forward to seeing how you progress in the next year. Don’t ever forget to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Don’t ever say no and listen to Shaps. You are going to go so far in life! Both personally and physically, because I am pretty sure you are going to college in a different country. Best of luck with everything you do and wherever you end up!

To Lily Gullett, where do I even begin. I leave you an amazingly creative handshake that I am almost certain happened on accident. However it came about, it brought me good luck for the entire season! I can remember the first time we really started talking back in my junior year. It was on the way home from a track meet and I sat with you on the bus ride home. You told me your entire life story in the matter of 45 minutes, but from that point on, I determined what kind of person you really are. You are a genuine, funny, cheerful, and optimistic human being. I hope you never change. I am really going to miss seeing you in the halls next year and screaming with you at every track meet. I also leave you one last dance to Mambo Number 5. You are the only other person that enjoys that song as much as I do, so thank you for jamming with me! Never lose your spark and use it to your advantage to light up our world! You are going so many places in life!

To Erik Mal, I leave you the best name Galway has ever seen. Keeping the Erik tradition alive in Galway, and continue to be the role model you are today. You are a very just, hardworking, honest individual who is oddly good at rapping. I will never forget your OLO phase, and of course soft taco. Keep doing you, and have an amazing time both in high school and college! Go Cuse!

To Christian Hines, I leave you a badminton championship. You and Erik played really hard the past couple of years to win, but I really think next year is your year! Enjoy your last year of high school athletics, and keep doing good in school like always!

To Lillie Milton, ohhhhhhh Lillie, I can’t even remember what we did years ago back in your woods besides fall over laughing. I leave you an endless amount of wild leeks, trips to the leanto, the bouncy bounce where I launched myself over the side and almost broke my back, and laser tag in the woods. Our families were super close so it brought us close, and I may never forget some of the memories that created. Never lose your spunk and harvest all those wild leeks for me.

To Evelyn Relyea, I leave you a hug. Drama club was pretty fun, and I will never forget the moment we starred together on stage. Enjoy your last year of high school. It goes real quick.

To Corin Allen, I leave you my toe thumb, the word ewwwww, and one more lunch period in Gerber’s room. We didn’t start talking to each other until you helped out with make-up for Cinderella, but after that our friendship sparked. You are such a hilarious, and down to earth person. Never lose your drive and dedication to show our school that it’s okay to be different. I admire your bravery, and your willingness to express who you are. I hope you kill it next year when you join Drama Club next year, and I am so excited to see how much you’ll grow in the next couple of years.

To Joshua Rumsey, I leave you an incredible band, and some pre-workout. We didn’t really get to know each other until this year, but having band and physics with you was pretty fun. You have a very funny sense of humor, and you have a great Mr. Mal impersonation. You are very intelligent and I know you are going to do some great things in the future.

To Emma Smith, I leave you a Statistics class, and some physics blitzes. Thank you for venting with me this year and freaking out about physics just as much as I did. You are a very talented athlete and I know you are going to do some fantastic things in college. Cherish your senior year and every last sport match because it goes really really fast.

To Hannah Thompson, I leave you a new locker buddy, a lab stool to pose on, an endless amount of chicken wings, several games of mao, tight NYC hotel rooms, and of course a pre-production dance party. You have been an amazing friend these past few years of high school, and I will miss you so so so so much. I can’t remember a time when we weren’t laughing together, and I am really going to miss saying hello to you almost every day at our lockers. I loved watching you perform this year in the play because every time you walk out on the stage you are just in your element. Dominique Dominico will always have a special place in my heart! I wish you luck with all of your future endeavours. If you go to Ithaca, because I know we both loved it so much, I will definitely come visit you in Ithaca Commons during Harry Potter weekend! Thank you for brightening my days!

To Anna Wnuk, I leave you a simple hello by my locker and a screaming cheerleader to replace me when you send it on the track. You are such a kind-hearted individual, and you are always so supportive. You are quiet, but cheerful and I am eager to see how well you are going to do in the future. Your amazing qualities that will carry you far in life. Never stop working as hard as you can, like you did every day this year!

To Natalie Zembsch, I leave a trip to the waterfalls, a Harmony Corners Chicken BBQ, freezing NYC streets, an elevator to jump in, a cucumber to eat slowly, an evil glare from this year’s production and all of the different types of ferns in this world. You are such a down to earth person, and I have enjoyed getting to know you over the past couple of years. You and your sister are the type of twins that Justin and I strive to be every day, except it doesn’t work for us. LOLOL. You are such an intelligent, caring, and athletic individual. I am so excited for you to go on your first huge trip this summer! Backpacking sounds so much fun, and you have to tell me all about next summer when I see you again! I admire your mao skills, and I am really looking forward to see how much you grow within the next year. Embrace everything Galway has to offer, because your senior year goes by in the blink of an eye. I remember sitting behind you and Siela on the bus like it was yesterday! I’ll miss you so much!

To Siela Zembsch, I leave you an elegant dove dance, uncomfortable hurdle stretches, tongue clicks, a game of mao, all of the HOBY cheers you could think of, a Harmony Corners Chicken BBQ, an elevator to jump in, and an ice cream trip to Stews or Dairy Frost. You are such a quiet, but caring individual. I have never seen you without a smile on your face and I admire you for that. Track and Drama Club this year were so much fun. You came such a long way in track this season and I could not be more proud. I said this to Natalie as well, but I am so excited for you guys this summer! I’m sure Alaska is going to wondrous, and I am so jealous of you guys! You are such an adventurous and spontaneous individual and these qualities will take you so far in life. Cherish every moment of high school because before you know it, you’ll be counting down the seconds on your last day of high school ever! I’m really going to miss seeing you and Natalie around this summer.

To Callia Boudreau, I leave you lots of creamy cheese bagels, Mike Wazowski fingers, and a pillow for physics. LOLOL. We became really great friends this year, and I will never forget the laughs we shared. Good luck at UAlbany! You are going to amazing things!

To Schuyler Arnold, I leave you church lock-in, and trip to NYC. We have grown really close throughout high school, especially at church. All of the memories we created with Maddog are ones I will never forget. You are a very kind individual and I know you are going to do big things at Siena!

To April Carlson, I leave all of our memories because I cannot even begin to list them all without writing a 10 page paper. You have been without a doubt the best bus buddy, video maker, dance partner, cheerleader, and friend. I am really going to miss going to the great escape and riding the Sasquatch with you. I won’t mention what almost happened, but what I will mention is how much we were crying while laughing. And then there was the time we screamed our lungs out on the comet as you grabbed things that were falling over the place! Those times were unforgettable! Drama Club was another fantastic experience. I still listen to the Big Fish soundtrack on repeat. I loved our pre-performance dance parties, especially when we all failed at wall twerking. LOLOL! Track is a whole new story. We laughed, we went to the waterfalls, and enjoyed every second of our last season together. I would give anything to spend just one more year with all of my friends! You are one of the reasons my high school experience was so great! Thank you for everything. I will miss you dearly next year when you are all the way down in Virginia:(((

To Elly Belly Decker, I leave many walks in our orchard, a bike down Cook Road, and a day at preschool. When we met on the first day of school last year, you already knew who I was which was shocking, but I am so glad we became really close friends! You are HILARIOUS! I am honestly so happy you are going to Cobleskill because you can keep my brother in line! I will never forget the time we wanted to surprise Grace for her birthday and she thought I was cheating. LOLOLOL! Going to Olive Garden was really fun both last year and this year, and I can’t wait to make more memories this summer!  Track was also extremely fun! I loved jamming to throwbacks with you in the back of the bus, especially when you hit the high note in Bohemian Rhapsody! This leads me to next point which is, HOW ARE YOU SO GOOD AT SINGING! The notes that come out of your mouth don’t even sound human. I am so incredibly proud to be your friend and I know you are going to go so far in life! I’m sure we will see each other quite often this summer!

To Christina Despres, I leave you a sassy comment in the hallway :)) We never really talked until this year, but you are super chill. Thank you for enlightening my day with videos of your sister jamming out which make me die laughing. You are such a spontaneous, energetic person, and I love that about you! I hope you have an awesome time at Gordon! You are gonna slayyyyy chicaaaaa!

To Griffen Gannon, I leave a pair of pre-tied soccer cleats, a polaroid of a bug flying in your hair, and a thicc piece of cake just for you. You are one of my best friends and I am going to miss you so so so much next year. The fact that our colleges are 7 hours apart makes me depressed! We have had some truly amazing times in high school that I am never going to forget! Throwback to freshman year and all of the meditation music we listened to just to annoy Maya. And then all of the hangouts we had at your house, like the going away party for Kyle and the other summer party you had. All of those days seem like yesterday, but now we are forced to go our separate ways 🙁 Fat Albert will always have a special place in my heart no matter what. Out of all four years of high school as the Vice President of the class, I am proud to say that I have never had to run a single meeting, because you are always there! This just goes to show how dedicated, passionate, and caring you really are. You never miss a game, a practice or even a meeting. You are a fantastic listener, and always know how to make everyone happy. I really do admire you for that. You have always been such a down to earth person, and are always willing to lend a helping hand, even if it means you get the short end of the stick. Thank you for keeping Jake, Justin and I in shape the last few years. Just remember Shelving Rock Falls Road is not the longest road you will go down, LIFE is the longest road you will go down 😉 I am truly going to miss you. Thank you for everything!

To Julianne Labreche, I leave you 5th period study hall with cute puppy videos and videos about old childhood TV shows. You have made me laugh all year, and I admire your ability to always speak your mind. Thank you for lighting up my study halls, and always finding a way to brighten my day. I am really going to miss seeing my fellow ginger classmate on a day to day basis, but I guess I am going to have to get used to it. Good luck with all of the goals you have set for yourself in college. I know you will achieve each and every one of them!

To Gracie Montague, I leave you a purple forehead, a new beta fish (RIP the other one), a low note in the middle of Ten Minutes Ago, and a flake to remember me. We had lots of fun in High School, and I am never going to forget all of the memories that we created. I hope you do good with the fishies at URI!

To my Catholic Homie For Life, I leave a whole church just for you, many onions, hibachi dates, and of course some gas money to come visit me at Daemen! Leah, you have been such a kind, funny, and genuine friend. From the trips down to the city with Molly, and many of our Hibachi dates, I am never going to forget you. Thank you for introducing me to Settlers of Catan, and always making me laugh. I still remember going to see It with you and how scared we were. I am quite positive we were squeezing each others hands so hard that I couldn’t feel mine by the end of the movie. And then our taco/Harry Potter night! Momma Maria whipped up some really good tacos, that had lots of good onions. Mmmmmmmmmmm! I am so happy we are going to school so close to each other and I can’t wait to have lunch with you in Buffalo! I don’t have to say goodbye yet!

To my ELMO, I leave you endless laughter over Ms. Keisha vines, a torn apart rocket named Experiment 626, a delightful car accident, trips to Olive Garden, trips to Hibachi, laughter about your mom eating it in the Moes parking lot, dancing to Despacito at Prom, ranting about physics, stressing over projects, NYC trips, and a big fat thank you. We have grown incredibly close the past two years of high school and I wouldn’t trade our friendship for anything. You are a shy, reserved person on the outside sometimes, but on the inside, I see a brave, determined, and intelligent young woman. I am never going to forget you in college. Although I have many favorite memories of our friendship, I would have to say the first one is the best, because from here we blossomed into the friends we are today. That first memory was in Mrs. O’s class when we completed the spousal abuse project together. Somehow and in some way we decided to partner up for that project, and if I had the chance to go back and choose a different partner, I would never do so. You have filled my life with joy for the past several years, and our hostile relationship is something I will cherish forever. Remember what I always tell you! Go to New Haven with a full head of steam, and be the outgoing person I know you are! Don’t worry about what other people think of you because there is literally nothing to hate about you! Go out in this somewhat evil world, and be you! I believe in you Molly Elizabeth Ryan and you should too! Thank you for everything.

To Jake Restivo, I leave one last soccer game, a broken drumstick, back sweat from our harnesses, a band trip with endless laughter, and a 16 year old long friendship. We go wayyy back, and I can’t even fathom the fact that we aren’t going to be in the same exact place at the same exact time next year. We have had every class, every sport, and every club together since the beginning of time, and I enjoyed every second of it. You always know how to make me laugh whether it’s making a funny face or even a funny noise, and I’m going to miss that next year. Hopefully there are a few people at Daemen that will understand my passion for Disney movies just as much as you do. Thank you for all of the memories over the past 16 years. It’s definitely going to be weird without you!

To Maya Vanderhorst, I leave another ACL, a trip to Jade Bistro, and one last soccer game. You have been such a great friend the past 16 years of our life, and going separate ways feels a little bit weird. Thank you for always organizing our trips to Olive Garden, and always being the one to make reservations for us. You are such a strong, dedicated, and smart young women. RIT is very lucky to have a student like you arriving on their campus. I know you will fulfill all of the dreams you have set out for yourself. I am sooo not ready to graduate and I STILL haven’t started writing my speech, so RIP. This summer is going to be so much fun and I can’t wait to make some amazing memories with you!

To Leah Vanderhorst, I leave you The Greatest Showman, a lunch period in Mrs. Gerber’s room, stress about physics, lots of food, and endless laughter. Thank you for being a ray of sunshine this year. You are such an admirable person. I have really enjoyed spending my lunch periods with you this year, and I especially enjoyed drama club. For the first year, we all did amazing. If I knew performing would be that fun, I would have been on that stage many years ago. You were an absolute star! Track season was also a blast because no matter what you always kill it. I am so proud of your athletic career at Galway! I wish you the best of luck at Quinnipiac! You are going to be the best pediatric oncologist specialist sports injury cancer research doctor ever! LOLOL (this means your major is too confusing for me to even consider thinking about)

To Megatron Whalen, I leave you heel clicks in the NYC streets, all of the pictures you could ever dream of, a wild Kubota ride with Justin and I, ice cream runs, and of course a picture with a N.Y.P.D officer. I was quite scared when I took that picture, but I think we were both too amped up on sugar to even care. You are such a talented photographer with a very intelligent view to our world. You know exactly how to get things done, and what to do to carry you far in life. I admire all of your hard work, and the countless hours you have spent trying to perfect what you are good at. We really didn’t start getting to know each other until this year, and I wish we did so sooner. You have a natural spontaneous charisma that makes people gravitate toward you. You are always happy, and have a very welcoming presence. You are going to incredible things at UAlbany, I already know it. I will be waiting to hear from you about our trip to Greece!

To Mrs. Ooooo, I leave you 3 juvenile delinquents for fifth period study hall, endless Disney soundtracks, and a thank you every time I leave your classroom! I am NEVER going to forget our fifth period study hall groups. I have had so much fun in your classroom over the years, and I have cultivated so many memories that will last me a lifetime. Thank you for always caring about us no matter what the circumstances. You are the type of person I strive to be on a daily basis. You are such a great listener and offer the best advice! You never lose your patience, and always have a smile on your face. Thank you for helping me work my way through high school and learn to make the most of everything! I will definitely come visit when I’m on break from college.

To Mrs. Gerber, I leave a meditation session, a deep conversation that would only happen in a health classroom, and one more lunch period. Thank you for being such an open, honest, and caring teacher. When I am in your room, I just feel safe. You are open to everyone’s ideas and beliefs and you make everyone feel accepted. I will never forget some of the very deep videos that you showed us, that made me rather emotional. You really know how to comfort your students, because you always have the right words to say. I swear you and Mrs. O are twins because you are both so good at taking care of rowdy students. I am really going to miss Galway next year, and I will be back to visit!

To my brother, Justin Matthews, I leave you our silly fights, our stupid laughs, and most importantly our friendship. Growing up with you, and being by your side all the time was definitely not the easiest, you know that. You are my evil nemesis, but also my best friend. As we walked through the fields today doing our usual chores, and laying irrigation tape, I really thought about what it is going to be like not being by your side every step of the way next year. I mean after all we have learned to do everything together. We learned how to walk together, we learned how to write each others names together, and most importantly, we learned how to live with each other. Literally everything in our life we have done together, besides some farming things and of course HOBY, but that is besides the point. You know practically everything there is to know about Erik Joseph Matthews, and I know practically everything there is to know about Justin Thomas Matthews. Next year will be the first birthday we have away from each other in our 17 years of life. From the moment mom gave birth to us, we have never been away from each other for more than a week. Isn’t that weird to think about? I am really going to miss dragging you into the pool with me, forcing you to go outside with me, and laughing with you over stupid stuff while we work in the field. I have no clue how I would have gotten through life on the farm without you. Sometimes you force me to do things I don’t want to do, like work on your tractor, but these activities have brought us really close. Quite honestly my life would be quite boring and lonely without you the more and more I think about it. Many people think we are so different, but in reality we are so similar. I apologize for all of the times I was annoying, or slapped you because why not? I just want you to know, I appreciate you more than you think because if I had to put up with a twin who was just like me, I don’t know if I could do it. As we graduate I look back on all of the years we spent together in school. I remember getting on the bus with you in kindergarten like it was yesterday. We are finally graduating high school, just like you had dreamed of, and are heading off to college. I wish you the best of luck with all of your tractor dreams. Thank you for always being there for me. Love, your annoying twin brother:)