"As We Finish Out Our Year"--Intro to Buccaneer Best of the Best Issue

The following is the introductory article to the RBR Buccaneer student newspaper's "Best of the Best" June Issue. It is written by graduating senior and RBR Arts editor Bella Gerard.  Please view the entire issue at

 http://www.rbrhs.org/buccaneer/tb.aspx."

As a member of the graduating class that has also only been a member of the Red Bank Regional family for two years, I feel that I hold a very honest outlook on what RBR is like. I was a transfer student when I entered the halls of RBR on the first day of my junior year, overcoming the obstacles of being in a new place for the sake of getting an education I felt I could not get elsewhere, and now that I am living out the final days of my senior year, I reflect on my time hear appreciatively. Whether everyone attending realizes it or not, RBR is a very special, extremely unique school, one-of-a-kind in its make and model –RBR has broken the mold in a very, very good way.

Here at RBR, attention is paid to every individual in order to give each student the best opportunities possible. Those who like sports participate on our various successful teams, those who prefer the arts thrive in our Visual and Performing Arts Academy. There is an entire hallway dedicated solely to our technology classrooms, and honor societies for almost every subject and language imaginable. There are few schools so inclusive to all of their students, and RBR’s specialized tracks are part of what make it the successful school it is.

The other part of its success, of course, comes by way of our Buc Pride. RBR has no mandatory uniform, but observe the cafeteria, the pit, and the commons at lunchtime and one is bound to see numerous students sporting maroon goods from the Buc Stop. Whether it be in the school memorabilia they wear or not, the students’ love of our school is always seen in their attitudes. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and strong community, each piece different and yet one in that we are all trying to make RBR the best it can be, and in turn better ourselves with what we learn here.

The class of 2013 is a special one, full of people bound for greatness – many of which have already begun to achieve it. However, the 13 of our year has given us no luck, and we have endured much pain in our senior year, most prominently the loss of two of our beloved members, Riyadh’na Farrow and Albert Martin. It is the senior class’s intention to carry on the love and promise shown by our two fallen members in everything we do as we exit the doors of RBR and move onwards with our futures.

In conclusion, I can definitely say that RBR has changed me as a person, and I would be surprised to find a member of my graduating class that could say otherwise. My only hope as I continue with both my education and the rest of my life is to again come in contact with a place so open and opportunistic, while still being able to stay in touch with the one I have already found. RBR is truly a home for many of its students, and leaving it on June 21st will for many be harder than leaving their actual homes for college in the fall. However, all we must do is make sure to take the lessons we have learned with us, and we will be able to hold onto our Buc Pride for years to come.