To my teachers, friends, and family in Casstown:

I remember being so happy to move on...I was so excited to get away from such a small school where everyone knew everything about one another. I sit back, now living that reality, and wonder why on earth I was so excited to get away from the place I call home. Don't get me wrong, I love where I go to school and I enjoy meeting new people and trying new things, but there are so many things I miss about Miami East:

1. The teachers

I miss each and every one of you. I miss the quirky jokes you all would bring to class and I miss the special bond teachers had with students. Clearly, you wanted us to succeed. It showed in the way you taught classes, the way you always encouraged questions, and also in all the ways you offered help outside of class time when you didn't have to.

2. Cornfields

Seriously, our school is in a cornfield and that is awesome. I miss the minimal traffic and how quiet it all seemed.

3. The bells

Believe it or not, I miss those high pitched bells that signaled the end up class. Sometimes in my college lectures, I find myself waiting for that bell. Sadly, it never comes.

4. Same daily routine

I miss having every class, everyday. In college, you may have a different schedule everyday. This makes it easy to forget about assignments and even easier to procrastinate than in high school. I never thought I could find it easier to procrastinate, but here I am!

5. Two hour delays

Okay, let's face it. Miami East gives a lot of delays. It's not our fault the fog is dense or that literally none of our roads get cleaned off in the winter. Delays and cancellations are something I grew accustom to. I miss waking up and checking Twitter to see if Mr. Gentis had tweeted "we will be operating on a 2 hour delay".

6. School spirit

It's not that we don't have school spirit, but Miami East had the BEST school spirit. You could count on 90% of the student body to be wearing shades of blue and white on Friday's before football or basketball games. I miss cheering in the student section and knowing every single word of the fight song.

7. Family

I miss the community at Miami East. If something were to happen with a teacher or student, you better believe every single person was going to support them. I have seen miracles happen in the walls of Miami East more than once. We truly are a family.

8. Janitors

Les and fam, not only do I miss hearing your name announced 17 times a day, everyday, but I miss having you around. Your goal was to make the school look sparkling clean and to put a smile on everyone's face. I can assure you, you do a fantastic job. Thank you.

9. School dances

Cheesy? I know! I don't care. School dances at Miami East were great and they hold some of my fondest memories. I'm going to miss spending way to much money on a dress, nails, and hair, but I'm going to miss dancing with my friends even more. Don't take this for granted!

10. Sports and clubs

I miss all the sports teams I was on at Miami East and all of the clubs I was involved in over my four years. I do, however, love watching all of them grow and I'm so thankful to have been apart of all of them.

11. Being a Viking

Being a Falcon is cool, but being a Viking is something to be proud of. You hear it all the time, "the Viking way", we truly are special. We are special people, from a special school.

You may not realize it now, Vikings, but one day you will miss Miami East High School. Enjoy every second and cherish your time at such a wonderful place. There is a reason all of the college kids and alumni come back...it's because the people of Casstown and Miami East are truly amazing.