Curtain calls, part 1: on high school

Today it was announced that school is out for the rest of the year.

It feels unreal that my time at CBHS is over. Like, there was so much I've done and so much I've yet to do. I just wanna shoutout the fact that these last 4 years, particularly the last 2, have been amazing beyond description. I shoutout the last two because of my marvelous Media Studies teacher, Tina Stoklosa.

When I was in the 8th grade, and I had to take 1 more elective as I was quitting band, I chose film 1 cause why not. I liked movies and I wanted to have a fun elective that wasn't Spanish. For a long time during that school year, I would watch movies in film or shoot projects we had to make and dream of being a director, or someone who worked in the film industry. My high point was helping costume design, direct, and edit a group project in which we recreated the opening Bohemian Rhapsody scene from Wayne's World, Frame-for-Frame too. Our teacher loved it so much I remember him showing it ecstatically to the class, with an added side-by-side comparison to see how faithful our recreation was (very faithful, not to brag too hard).

As I entered high school, particularly debate, I decided to toss aside silly aspirations as a director or someone in that field in favor of something else: being the politics kid. Gross, I know. Being only about politics is a bad way to form a personality, speaking from personal experience. However, twi good things happened over the last two ears that took me away from the track of a wannabe career politician:

1. I read some Marx and Engels. Fully recommend, it'll change your life. Now I see the error of my neoliberal, pro-capital apologist ways. No, I am not a Communist don't freak out and call whatever the British equivalent to the CIA is on me. I'm personally more of a demsoc, as it's a view I feel really gives me a clear path towards bettering the word and the lives of those outside of just myself.

2. Media Studies. Tstok really sparked that flame in me again. I want to be creative. I want to edit, I want to be behind a camera and shoot projects and films and tell stories about people, by people, for people. Maybe I can marry politics and film and do some documentaries as I plan on doing right now with my life, and I will work to make that vision a reality. In short, Tstok you're amazing. The world needs people and educators like you everywhere, everyday. Thank you, for being a life-changer, an educator, and one amazing quasi-friend.

So this is goodbye Cypress Bay. Thank you for four stellar years. This has been Gus Lanz, and for one last time...

Go Lightning.