I met Ellen on the first day of my senior year. We hit it off instantly, chatting about butterflies and how she couldn’t be more excited to start Kindergarten. With her blonde hair and a sweet smile, I can’t help but picture myself thirteen years ago, talking to my own senior buddy. For a moment I think about all that stands between the two milestones. What does my buddy have to look forward to if she’s fortunate enough to stay at Greensboro Day School from Kindergarten to twelfth grade? Not to scare her off, but frankly, a ton of work. Ellen will learn cursive in third grade, survive the Oregon Trail in fifth grade, memorize Africa’s countries in seventh, and dissect a frog in eleventh. She’ll read from colossal textbooks, debate current events, and develop a lens to look critically at the world around her. Hopefully she’ll go to every varsity basketball game, play a sport a season, and think of puny posters to ask her friends to TWIRP. In summary, should Ellen become a lifer, she will learn what it means to be a Bengal. In high school, you’re told every day is a great day to be a Bengal. It’s easy to take it for granted, since I’ve been one for thirteen years. It’s hard to appreciate classes with twelve kids in them, led by teachers who actually care about your well-being, when it’s all you’ve ever known. A community built on an honor code, one that is actually followed, begins to feel like the status quo. Of course now, at the end of my time as a Bengal, I realize how much I’m going to miss all the aspects of Greensboro Day School I once took for granted. My parents always say education is the only gift they can give me that no one can ever take away. Putting three kids through thirteen years of private school each is a testimony to this belief. Their sacrifice has allowed me access to the best education, and therefore opened a myriad of doors for the next chapter of my life. I will be attending Emory University in the fall, and am well aware that without my parents commitment to my education, I wouldn’t be the student or the person I am today. The University’s slogan, cor prudentis possidebit scientiam: the wise heart seeks knowledge, reflects the values my parents and GDS instilled in me. I continuously seek knowledge, to further my understanding of the world around me, thanks to my parents’ unwavering support. Although education is a gift, it must be earned. GDS has taught me the value of hard intellectual work, how to buckle down and understand the components of cellular respiration or the causes of the War of 1812. At the end of my thirteenth year at Greensboro Day School, I owe my parents and teachers a tremendous debt. Thank you to every teacher and staff member who has guided my sisters and me throughout our time at GDS; you’ve taught me what it means to be a Bengal. I’m incredibly blessed to be a lifer, one of those kids who knows the Alma Mater by heart and will forever enthusiastically stomp my feet at the right moments. LIFER REFLECTION: WHITNEY FORBIS ’17 Whitney ’17 with senior buddy, Morgan Stroud ’05 During Senior Night, Whitney ’17 was recognized for her contributions to the Volleyball team. Whitney ’17 with her parents Miriam and Patrick, and younger sister, Logan ’19 during the Senior Art Show. GDS Magazine | 21