Four years ago I walked through that STAC door for the very first time. I’ll never forget that moment. It was the first day of school. I was a freshman. I remember what I wore. I remember walking in after the bell rang expecting to get yelled at for being late. I remember standing in the back of the room with another new STACie because there weren’t enough stools for us. I remember being called “newbie” and being thrown into the center of the circle during gauntlet of death. I remember feeling nervous and excited and really small. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Four years later and I’m standing onstage during the senior tablo. I can’t fathom how quickly these past four years have gone. There are thirty of us in STAC this year. Thirty students from completely different family situations, circle of friends, social statuses, and of different ages. But for three periods a day every day we come together and leave everything else behind. We are drawn towards each other because we all have something in common. We love art. We’re filled with passion and the need to create. We understand that there’s more to life than high school drama. We have a desire to explore and learn with one another. We are an extremely mature group of people. If we weren’t mature we wouldn’t be able to handle the type of work that we are assigned. We are constantly surprising ourselves with how talented we are and with what we are capable of accomplishing. And this is all because of STAC.
STAC isn’t just another high school class. It’s a life changing experience. It has the ability to pull its members through the most difficult times. It teaches us things that can’t be taught in math or science or Spanish or history. It’s really hard to understand how lucky we are to have the opportunity to be STACies, but we are the luckiest kids in the world. STAC is something bigger than us. It’s something that’s been around for many years and will continue to go on long after all of us graduate Herricks. We come and go, but STAC will still be here. If we’re lucky, we can leave our mark on the program, and I believe that this group will be leaving a big one.
We’ve proven that a group of thirty high school kids can respect each other and love each other. We’ve shown that we can be friends but also co-workers. We know how to fool around and have fun, but we also know when it’s time to buckle down and work. We’ve proven that we know how to support each other and be there for each other. We care for one another. And more importantly, we care about each other’s work and applaud each other when applause is deserved.
I’ve never felt this way about a group of classmates before. And I don’t know if I’ll ever have anything like this again. I hope I do. I hope we all do. But nothing can be guaranteed and that’s why we have to appreciate what we have here and always remember the amazing times we’ve shared.
I’ll always remember our first STAC field trip. I’ll remember when Jesse cross-dressed for the first time as a zombie in that be-kind rewind movie. I’ll remember our do-over fall ritual. I’ll remember watching Bari jump in the pool with a big smile on her face at Ashley’s pool party. I’ll remember being thrown in that pool with my clothes on to shoot the music video. I’ll remember when the lights went out the night we were supposed to have STAC night. I’ll remember crying during the Jim Bonnie workshop and feeling totally connected with each STACie in that room. I’ll remember our Pollack paint fest. I’ll remember washing myself off in the girl’s bathroom and making a mess. I’ll remember Jamesy and how much we all were in love with him. I’ll remember giving everybody hugs after STAC night, feeling like time is too precious.
I want to thank each and every one of you for making my fourth and final year in STAC the best one yet. And I mean it. There really aren’t words to express my gratitude. I am so grateful to have had the chance to work with all of you this year. To all the non-graduating STACies: Remember us seniors. Remember what we’ve shared. Don’t be scared for next year because of all the new people coming in. Embrace them and take the chance to make STAC 10-11 amazing in it’s very own way. Don’t take what we have for granted. Try to soak it all in now because before you know it it’ll be gone. And that’s the emptiest feeling ever. To all the seniors: We did it! We survived high school, but I don’t think we would have done that if it hadn’t been for STAC. You’re all extremely talented people and I know you’re all going on to do amazing things next year in college. But don’t forget this. Don’t forget right now. No matter how far any of you get, always remember the things that you learned in STAC and remember the relationships that made you who you will become. This isn’t goodbye because I’ll be seeing you all at prom and graduation. And who knows, maybe I’ll get to work with some of you again one day. But I want to say that I love you and thank you for giving me joy, inspiration, and creativity. I will miss you all so much.
--Becky Kalman
