Welcome back: from one family to another

Dirty dorm rooms, gross cafeteria food, and forced socialization with government nerds were definitely not a part of the summer I pictured when junior year ended, but once I walked onto Lipscomb’s campus – future Lipscomb students: don’t worry the dorms are nice, and the food is actually really great – and started my week at Volunteer Girls State (VGS), I knew it was going to be a highlight of my year.

As I made friends (who were surprisingly not that nerdy about the government) and got integrated with the program’s daily assemblies, roll calls, times with my city, and even the strange reflection times every night, I formed a family: a family that reminded me of the one I had back home at school.

At that moment, I couldn’t wait to start my senior year because that meant I got to see my Bark family again. When I got through my first three classes Monday, I was finally reunited with the people that I most wanted to see.

Though our family didn’t grow as much as I’d originally hoped it would, I am so excited about our newest additions. With our new staff members Madison Tenney and Cassidy Bailey joining the returning family, I am excited for what the year holds for The Bark. I feel confident in the staff we have because of their determination, hard work, and generally positive attitude despite our limited numbers this semester. The cohesion of this year’s staff will rival any other staff I’ve been a part of in my three years at The Bark, and I know this year will only get better as time goes by.

Change is always expected with the beginning of the year, and this year The Bark is undergoing a minor face-lift. In addition to reviving staff picks, we have added a Bark Instagram account to our social media repertoire. From exciting coverage of Bearden’s top sports moments to the latest in Bearden news and entertainment, we will give each event, club, and organization the attention it deserves, so look out for the variety of stories we will tweet and instagram throughout this year.

As my senior year begins and my Bark family is rejoined, I can’t help but picture my VGS family as well. I see us in each other’s rooms dancing around and singing show tunes. I see us getting dressed up for the VGS Governor’s Inauguration together. I see us coming up with our next city cheer for roll call at the next assembly. I see us creating a city, county, and state government from scratch. I see us bonding in a way I never knew strangers could in a week.

While I was only a part of my VGS family for a week, I get to be a part of my Bark family for one last year, and that is the best feeling because every life-changing moment I go through this year, from graduating from Bearden to getting accepted to college, is going to be shared with the people that made the past three years the best of my life. So, here’s to the final year with my family, let’s make it the best yet.