Like a natural disaster to some or a huge sigh of relief to others, graduation has finally arrived. Whether or not graduation was a bloody story of redemption or a grueling reminder of the existence of procrastination depended on each student and their experiences at Gilbert high; but grades and units aside, it’s important to admire the strength and empathy found all around the school whether it was in students, teachers, staff, and everyone else found in the Gilbert community. For it was the characters of the Gilbert High Community that made it worth hopping on a bus coming to school everyday, made it worth sacrificing comfort to express new ideas and communicate on a deep level with staff, and greatly made it worth the suffering of having to think about your future everyday in hopes that one day it will click and all your ambitions will last. 

          Being part of the community and witnessing the feats of students and their own tales of tribulation showed to me that Gilbert High was in pain. And it was in the rooms of classrooms and seats of counselors that gave Gilbert students a place to call home. And in the teachers and in the staff that gave these students a sense of meaning and feeling of self worth that some have gone on without for a very long time resulting in their reasons for sacking in credits in the first place.

          When looking at Gilbert students the best way to describe them was that they are smart however in different or worse ways. And teachers and staff saw this and created the perfect environment for the students to grow and find realistic passions in the things that they were working and projects they would complete, whether it’s journalism, career ed, ROP, or simple English classes, Gilbert gave you the opportunity and the attention to overachieve and create positive connections while doing it. 

           Having spoken to the principal Mr. Lara has given me insight to the beating heart and the soul of Gilbert that keeps the community going. The man is a thing to behold, and it’s in his conversations he’s had with students here that he has shown admirable traits such as empathy, logic, and fairness. And it is to him, to teachers, to staff, and to those with the patience for our procrastination, that I give the sincerest thanks to.

           And to every student who was sent to Gilbert High School, whether your not you will walk in a blue cap and gown or not, it is certain you have surely learned a lot more of what the world has to offer by coming to this school.