It started with an opinion piece about whether or not cheerleading was a sport. (It was, it is, and it always will be, by the way.)

It was an incredibly intelligent, thoughtful opinion piece that I decided to share via social media. The response was a little less than enthusiastic: “Why didn’t you write about [XYZ]?” “Why do you always ignore [XYZ]?”

You came into class a little shaken and a lot frustrated but resolute. You stood by what you wrote.

That’s when I knew I had a real journalist.

What followed was two-and-half years of opinion pieces, news stories, feature stories and interviews with Mr. Dawkins that started scary and ended up happily, all of them on time, all of them well-written.

Between deadlines, there were jokes, laughter and smiles — occasionally a little drama, too.

As a teacher, I cherish the relationships that I have developed with my students, particularly the relationships developed with my newspaper staff members, and I cherished each of these stories and snide comments as well.

So it’s no surprise that when you told me you were dropping the class for your final semester that I was some combination of angry, hurt and surprised. I have made some kind of peace with it, of course, but certainly, those three emotions pop up at times, sometimes individually, sometimes all at once.

Forgive me if they’re occasionally visible.

Kinzie, I am grateful for all that you’ve done for me, for this staff and for this school. I’ve wrestled with how to write this and what to say, and I have decided to simply build this around the two words that come to mind most frequently when I think about these last few years: thank you.

Thank you for making me laugh amidst some of the craziness that often makes me want to scream.

Thank you for working hard on everything you’ve turned in.

Thank you for conquering your fear of talking to Mr. Dawkins and working with him to provide important insight on important issues.

Thank you for taking your education seriously, even if you occasionally take it a little too seriously.

Thank you for listening to my advice on college and trusting that I truly do have your best interest in mind.

Thank you for being my editor.

Thank you for being my colleague.

Thank you for being like my daughter.

Thank you for being my friend.

I’ll see you at Wofford.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Kinzie Sellars