Class of 2023: How We Are Feeling About The Next 4 Years

The countdown to May 22 has come in full swing with there only being 3 months until the class of 2023 will walk across the stage. With the end coming near, there are a lot of emotions running through both staff and students. With the thought of the end of our public school years closing in and turning to what we will embark on this fall, lots of students and staff had a lot to say.

Kyle Bumgardner is a senior here at Governor Thomas Johnson High School who has committed to the University of Cincinnati for swimming and major in Animal Biology. When asked, “How do you feel about swimming D1 in college?” Bumgardner responded, “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. Ever since I started swimming that was the goal and now that I’m finally here, it feels great.”

]With his school being all the way in southern Ohio, he was also asked “What are you most excited about going to school out of state?” Bumgardner stated, “Getting to meet new people. There’s a lot of new people, especially on the swim team that I’ve been talking with already and they seem like really cool people.”

It is great to talk to a student athlete and see how they are feeling about this new chapter in their life, especially when they are moving states. Student athletes who plan to continue their career in the collegiate world, have to go through the process of recruitment and signing while keeping up with their academics. Along with listening to what students think of graduation, we also asked some of our beloved staff on how they feel about the seniors leaving this school.

Mr. Raymond is a Social Studies teacher here at TJ and has been known to be a heavy influence on the senior class through clubs and activities to bring this group of students together. He was asked, “How do you feel about graduation being only 3 months away?” Mr. Raymond said, “I think it’s a very exciting time for our seniors. But at the same time, our time together is limited so I feel like it’s important to make the most of the remaining 3 months filled with great memories. Personally, I am hoping to be a part of that, but mainly hoping that the next 3 months for seniors can be fun and create lasting memories and legacies for this school.” Raymond has been such an influence on this senior class through clubs like NHS and Patriot Army where he gets to know our class. As an alumni from FCC, Towson, and Hood he knows the feeling of going to school not too far from home.

Finley Curtis is a senior here at TJ and is attending Towson University in the fall and will be majoring in Elementary Education and minor in Deaf Studies. Curtis was asked, “What are you most excited about for staying in state for college?” which she responded, “Saving money for sure. I’m about an hour away at Towson and I’ll still be close to home. I have family close to the school which is really nice. I also have so many FCC credits that will transfer because they are part of the UMD system which is so awesome. Going to Towson for the School of Education and being an elementary education major, #1 in the state gives a lot of hope for finding an amazing job.” 

Towson is located in northern Baltimore and is only a 1 hour drive from us here in Frederick. With this new journey she is about to start, she was also asked “What excites you the most about Towson?” Curtis’s response was, “Just everything really. The atmosphere, it’s closer to the city and has an urban feel to it which I’ve always wanted, you’re only young once, and meeting new people. A big factor is that it does remind me of TJ. There’s so much diversity and that is so important to me, to be able to meet and interact with so many different people. I can’t wait and I can’t believe I made the decision!” It is amazing to hear that she will be flourishing as a Tiger and that she will still have that TJ feel with her!

One of the most influential staff members in this school is our leader, Mrs. Kibler. She has so much to do for the senior class by getting us ready for that day we will walk out of Mount St. Mary’s with a diploma in hand. She was asked “What has been your favorite thing about the class of 2023?” and Kibler responded, “I think the class of 2023 is that next resurgence out of the pandemic and so we are kind of doing some firsts here that we haven’t done before. Senior sunrise was a really cool morning for me and that was the beginning of seeing that we can start new traditions. Even though we’ve had challenges this year, there are new traditions that will hopefully continue to have a legacy. The outdoor powderpuff game and what that did and having an open mind to do it differently, doing it during the school day and making it a huge event that just brought so much pride is another example. There have been a lot of things that this class has been a part of starting and I think that’s what I am most proud of.”

She has done so much for our class since she arrived in 2020 and will continue to do so for these next 3 months. Graduation is a big milestone for all the seniors and it is great to hear from the teachers that have helped us get to this point and students who will continue to do amazing things in this new chapter of their lives.