A blank Word document stares you down,
or binge-eating an entire gallon of triple
The Featheralist dedicates this special senior
you. It’s been waiting for a while now. If you
how freaking cool Arya Stark is. Whatever
of 2019 for four blissful years of insights,
existence.
and love. We hope that our seniors will cherish
cursor blinking impatiently. It’s waiting for could just type something already, that would be great-and-very-much-appreciated-please-and-thank-you, it grumbles.
You are at a loss for what to write. You blank
on how to move forward. You forget why you were writing in the first place.
Meet the infamous leech, writer’s block. It grips your ankles and plants your feet in
quicksand, erasing every budding thought before you can mold it into a viable idea. It seizes you in unexpected moments—when
you’re in the middle of writing an on-demand essay for class, a description for your resume, or a caption for your social media post.
Graduating
high
school
is
something
similar. How many of us actually know
exactly what we’re going to do with our lives,
how we’re going to spend our remaining years on this colossal dirt sphere? Yes, by now, most of us have figured out our imme-
diate next step: join the workforce, enlist in
the military, attend college, or, like, do pretty much anything to keep moving forward. But
what about the intimidating, impending
unknown beyond that? What about: the Future?
Writer’s block. Artist’s block. Everyone’s block.
The tricky thing about writer’s block is that
you can’t exactly avoid it. You can pretend it’s not bothering you; you can immerse
yourself in mindless tasks like scrolling
through social media, playing video games,
fudge ice cream at 2 am while crying over keeps
you
distracted
from
your
own
issue to the Class of 2019. We thank the Class laughter, banter, smiles, friendships, bonds, the thousands of memories they have forged
But when you return to reality, your writer’s
during their two million minutes in the Nest,
been waiting for a while now.
thirty years, or even a century from now. On
Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde was wise in
and graphic designers, we would like to say:
point in our lives, however, can be described
Congratulations, Class of 2019!
imitates the creation of art. The struggle in
And thank you to our amazing staff:
brushstrokes is akin to the struggle in
Siham Bougour, ‘19 - Graphic Design Nerissa Yiu, ‘19 - Graphic Design
block is still there. It’s waiting for you. It’s
saying “Life imitates art.” This particular
more specifically: the progression of life filling a paper with words or a canvas with figuring out what step to make, what path to take, what trail to leave behind.
We all are at a loss for what to write. We all
are blanking on how to move forward. We all sometimes forget why we’re writing in the first place.
There is one way to defeat writer’s block: by facing it head-on. Sit down and type. Just
dump whatever thoughts you have, no matter how random or tangential, onto the paper. Trust that by the end, you will have
and smile fondly upon them twenty years, behalf of The Featheralist’s writers, artists,
Julia Du, ‘20 - Graphic Design
Esther Jin, ‘21 - Graphic Design Angela Chen, ‘19 - Writing Andrea Baek, ‘22 - Writing Cynthia Wang, ‘21 - Art
Nora Mousa, ‘20 - Writing Isabel Shih, ‘19 - Writing Ellie Feng, ‘20 - Writing
Ayesha Aslam-Mir, ‘20 - Writing
Phoenix Dimagiba, ‘20 - Writing Skyler Wu, ‘20 - Writing
created something that is perhaps not
Cover photos by Adam Khan , '20
undoubtedly your own. I mean, I started this
And incredible advisers:
that I literally had to write about writer’s
Mr. Thomas Swanson
beautiful and definitely not perfect, but cheesy essay with a writer’s block so intense
block. You will be fine. You will find direction
Dr. Trent Hall
cherish and, in turn, be cherished by. And
We would also like to thank the Rotary
way.
incredibly generous support.
and purpose in life. You will meet people you you will have learned so much along the
So, you know, get writing.
Club of Rancho Bernardo for their
FROM THE SENIORS
TO THE SENIORS
Hayden Traina My advice for underclassmen would be to not take yourself too seriously. While grades in school are important, it’s good to remember to have fun and go outside of your comfort zone because high school doesn’t last forever!!
Ayesha Aslam-Mir ‘20 Making it this far is incredible. The bounds to your life beyond are unlimited. Know that your life has no limits, and indeed with adulthood you have freedom to individually develop and defy expectations. Do not restrict yourself; rather, build yourself. I bid farewell to you role models and mentors, and wish that life go in a positive direction. dy/dx>0
Edgar Mercado Del Norte made me feel more welcome than any other school I've been to. This is where I actually felt like I could be myself. Anna Sriphet I’m so glad I tried so many things before graduating. I performed with the marching band, struggled through APs, played solos for Jazz B, went to every dance, and teched for My Fair Lady. They say high school is the best time of your life. I’m glad I made the most of it while it lasted. Hercules Hall At first I was in my turtle shell, but as I heard about choir and other experiences, I started to budge out of my shell and become a new person with some good friends. Marcus Williams Don’t let people get in the way of your dreams because life is like a runaway train and you are the conductor you either let them on the train...or you hit ‘em. Ash Polis You might find your passion when you’re ten years old, or you might find your passion ten days before graduation. Or even after that. But once you do, everything feels worth it, so don’t give up. Your purpose exists, you just need to stick around until you find it! Ella Levinson My advice for anyone at Del Norte is to never compare yourself to peers, it will save you a lot of stress!! Just believe in your abilities and don’t fear doing what you love :) It is so important to remember we are all individual human beings who are meant to live different lives. Still, even though we are not the same, we should support one another regardless.
Class of 2019: the seniors. Seniors will probably always be the second most infamous of classes (after the puny freshmen, of course), notorious for their senioritis, but my memories with 12th graders aren’t just lackluster conversations and dull interactions. My memories capture the fleeting moments of youth: 17-going-on-18, the last year of childhood and the first year of adulthood, a period of self-discovery and an opportunity for both academic and personal growth. I had the honor of experiencing some of these most difficult, most beautiful, moments with the seniors around me. And to all the 12th graders in my life, to the seniors on my rugby team, bringing me under their wing, helping me learn and grow as a player, and eventually becoming some of the people I most look up to—my sisters. To the seniors on my dive team who would sit with me on the pool deck, complaining about the weather and the temperature of the pool,
Nico Cereghini I loved being at Del Norte, being involved definitely made my time more fun and social. Taking it easy senior year has made life so much better, and lets you relax now that you have decided on colleges. Senioritis could develop, but there’s no need to go heads down through senior year. Elisa Ritter My experience at Del Norte was truly inspiring! Del Norte is an incredible high school that offers east student the opportunity to grow and try new things. I got the chance to try new sports, take interesting classes, and most importantly build strong friendships. The staff at Del Norte is truly so supportive and each teacher at Del Norte has impacted me in so many ways. I am so grateful to come to school and be on such a beautiful campus. Del Norte is so diverse and offers a tremendous amount of clubs. I love being a Nighthawk and will miss being at Del Norte, but will cherish each moment I experienced. I will always remember the memories I made and will forever be a Nighthawk! Amber Widjaja don’t procrastinate on college apps or else you will be so stressed to the point where it’s unhealthy. if you’re ever stressed during the process, take a break and remember to enjoy your last year of high school. also college decisions are so wack. my friend only got accepted into ucla and got rejected/waitlisted by every other school he applied to. you will end up where you’re meant to be !! don’t forget to enjoy yourself and continue to strengthen your already amazing friendships and enjoy the time you have now before you leave for college and everyone’s kinda far away from each other :( Anonymous "sen•ior•i•tis (n) - It's not that I have fewer responsibilities, I've simply ceased to care" It'll all work out eventually, so stress less and enjoy the time you have here with friends and family, cause pretty soon you'll be out in the real world encountering real world problems.
who’d cheer me on when I finally tried something I was scared of. To the seniors who would wave at tiny (freshman) me during passing period. To my club president who always had faith in what I could accomplish. But more specifically, to Isabella, who I had the hardest time approaching but got close to the fastest, to Lillian, who put up with me every Wednesdays and Thursdays through every win and loss, cheering me on and cheering me up. To Artem, who always waves back, even when the teacher is talking, who sends me cat videos to share a little bit of happiness. To Ryan, who always seems so excited to see me in the halls, pausing to greet me during even the busiest of passing periods. To Rosie, whose tenacity and strength inspire me to be a better person. To Morgan, Sarah, Amber, Alyssa, Sydney, Hanna, Amalie, Braydon, and so many others.
Vivian Khieu ‘20 Good luck to everyone graduating, you all have bright futures ahead of you! Marisa Carelli ‘21 Congratulations class of 2019! You’ve made it! Best wishes to all of you in college and beyond! And Emma, congrats on your commitment to UCSD!! You got this! Ellie Feng ‘20 First of all, congratulations on graduating! At this point, you can now look back on your entire high school journey. You're probably wondering how you survived 4 years filled with stress and sleep-deprivation, but please also remember that excitement and laughter have accompanied you along the way. As you leave the nest in pursuit of a bright future, always remember to concentrate on the positives in life: friends, family, good food, passions/hobbies, cute animals, amazing TV shows, and anything else that makes you happy :) Brandon Wang ‘20 There are so many amazing people in the class of 2019! I'll miss you all so much <3 Angelyn Huang ‘22 Good job. You survived high school. Don't die in college. Daisy Ye ‘20 I feel incredibly fortunate that I got to know some of you these past years. I've found lovely and unique people in all of you, and I wish you a bright future. I hope your college experience is, um, great, and that your posture is getting better and better. Congratulations on making it through high school, and know I support you guys all the way. I'll miss you guys. Now go and be fabulous :)
This is for you and for all of those beautiful moments you’ve gifted me. I wish you the best, forever and always. May your future bring you happiness and growth, and may your endless perseverance and hard work let you soar to the heights of your potential. May your tenacity and determination inspire others just as they inspired me, and may the high school you left behind be proud of the person you’ll become. And 20 years in the future, though you may not remember that little freshman girl you knew back in high school, know that that little girl will cherish the memories you’ve given her for the rest of her life. Your impact, made in perhaps the smallest, most candid of ways, will stay with her, with me, forever. Thank you. Andrea Baek, Class of 2022
T use wa ou
Most Popular Colleges UC San Diego (30) UC Los Angeles (15) Miramar College (13) Arizona State Univ. (13) Palomar College (12)
Future Plans 57.9%
In-state College
39.3%
Out-of-state College
0.7%
International
0.7%
Military
0.7%
Gap Year
Top Majors 52.6%
STEM
24.0%
Arts and Humanities
8.7%
Legend Disclaimer The data and statistics used for this college map was volunteered by 284 out of 517 students of the senior class.
Undecided
International Locations
0 1-5
Quebec, Canada Cape Town, South Africa
6-10 11-20 21-30 30+
The Featheralist would like to thank the following seniors for their commitment to military service:
Hannah Kang - Naval Reserves Jill Meihls - Marine Corps
Tom Swanson While aspirations and goals are great, keep your mind open to the changes life will throw your way and be willing to adapt plans - the results might be better than what you originally had in mind. Courtney Craig You've worked so hard these 4 years. Enjoy what is to come! You've earned the right to relax and enjoy your Summer before taking on the world. As you grow, remember that challenge is what keeps life interesting. Try to enjoy the ride, surround yourself with good people, make wise choices, be selfish when necessary, and selfless when you can. All the best to you all. You will be missed here at The Nest! Katie Thompson Congrats to our AVID Seniors! We are so proud of what you did these past four years in AVID. You deserve all the best. Joel Bernabeo This year marks the first group of students that I have seen start and now finish at Del Norte. You all will be the first group that I have the pleasure of both welcoming and bidding farewell through the teacher tunnel. It has been a long time since many of you thought I was a senior skating on the stadium track during your freshmen opening ceremony. To see many of you grow up over these four years has truly been an honor, and I am beyond excited to see what you go forth and achieve. Each one of you have contributed to what it is that makes a Nighthawk a Nighthawk, whether you realize it or not. Keep in mind that even a small impact creates a ripple, and strive to keep those ripples expanding in a positive direction. I want each of you to think of something that seemed impossible all those years ago, when you were nervous little freshmen. Then I want you to realize that many of the things you were anxious to do became second nature. Keep this reflection in life and carry it to each new challenge that faces you. Stephanie DeYoung Seniors, I was in your shoes 20 years ago and I am so excited for you to experience the next chapter of your lives! For those of you I have had the pleasure of teaching, it has been an absolute honor and I will be sad to see my first official class of students graduate. Thank you for sharing your talents and enthusiasm with me. For those of you I may not have known, I see the amazing things you all do on campus and I know great things are in your future. To all of you - if you are a performer, break all of the legs and and even if you are not, break all of the boundaries. To borrow from my favorite Irish blessing: May the road rise to meet you and may the wind always be at your back. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you!
Kevin Keller Truly enjoyed the class of 2019! Great group of kids and I wish you all the best in the years ahead. Stay involved and informed and don't forget to vote! Julia Cheskaty Humans are connected more than we are distinct individuals. Look out for one another, look for the commonalities, and learn how to communicate with people who don't have the same viewpoints. Jennifer Conlon If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim, If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same:. If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools; . . . If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! (Rudyard Kipling)