I am a third-year senior in crew, meaning all three years of my high school career, I have been on the Davis High Stage Crew. Through triumphs and tribulations, I have grown tremendously as a person. As my time here at Davis High comes to a close, I am forced to revisit these changes, though many will say that I have had a love-hate relationship with crew, they do not know just how important this community is to me. The following is an ode to leaving seniors, continuing juniors, and incoming sophomores. 

I feel sorry to everyone who had to know me through my time in crew my sophomore year, dealing with me must have been brutal. I was cocky and utterly insufferable; I will be the first one to own up to this fact. Though I had joined late and was at the bottom of the hierarchy, I wanted respect; safe to say I was quickly humbled. I have no one else to blame for my oust and my ultimate leave during the second semester of my sophomore year. I would like to thank those who put up with me, this is looking to you Jessie and Azuki.  

My word of advice for sophomores is just, buckle down and take the punches. Stage Crew works on a hierarchical system, you need to find your way in and sometimes the best way to do that, is take what is given to you. I have watched my peers throughout the years succeed this way and it does not look like it is going to change any time soon. The intense work loads are a form of love language in crew; they represent the fact we trust you to do something, it might feel like a punishment, but it is not, even cleaning is not a punishment. Respect those who came before you and look at everything with a glass half full perspective and you will find your in and make it to your junior year. 

Like my sophomore year, I joined Stage Crew late in my junior year. I felt like an estranged uncle. All the sophomores did not know who I was, only a few juniors tolerated me, and all the seniors still saw me as sophomore me. I learned quickly to stay out of other people’s ways and find my own. My own way just so happened to be in House Crew once again. I did not mind cleaning, and I was better with people than technical stuff, meaning I was better off in the foyer. It was only when I started showing up at the same time as Run Crew to set up, that I found my niche and slowly started to become welcomed back into the group. 

To all juniors, I beg of you to find your niche. The benefit of having such a prosperous and abundant Stage Crew is that we have so many different hands-on deck, each with a unique talent that can be utilized. Everyone in crew brings a set of skills with them to crew, special only to them. Whether those skills be customer service, cleaning, technical, creative, endurance, or anything else, it is useful in crew. When you find your niche and stick to it, you become respected because there is a silent agreement of respect others that we all acknowledge we could not do each others’ jobs as well as we can do ours. 

Now as I see myself as a senior, I feel the need to spread my wings and fly but at the same time, not leave the nest. This entire year I have been so excited to graduate but I’ve also been keeping in ind the legacy I leave behind. I worked so hard to improve House Crew and rapport between veteran crew and new members and I am nervous to see what will hold and what will fall. House Crew has been my passion project for three years in the making, this is my true legacy. I am so glad to say I can comfortably leave it in the hands of K.D., my trusted Assistant House Manager, keep fighting the good fight. After my experience in my sophomore year, I have been trying to be an olive branch for every new face in crew, it is daunting to be a stranger in crew, and I never want anyone to be as alone as I was my first year. As graduation is just beyond the bend, I pray that I made a lasting impact some how. 

For my seniors. Do not give crew more of your time than it already demands of us, rest your body, rest your mind, and rest your soul. Your body will ache, I know mine does. Not a day goes by where I do not feel a twinge in my back or joints because I have not taken the proper time to rest and heal from the countless injuries I have gotten from crew. I tell you to rest your mind, this extracurricular will take everything from you, even your sleep and smarts, if you let it. I urge you to rest your soul, your joy, your personality, your knowledge, your you, will be drained from you if you do not tread lightly. Crew is a beautiful thing, and it can bring out the best of us, but it can also bring out the worst if you do not take a step back every so often. 

Crew shone a light on the pieces of me that I kept hidden, some for better or worse. Heed this letter to heart. Sophomores, ebb and flow with the tide of crew, you will be swept in soon enough. Juniors, find, know, and practice what you are good at, that is what makes you a key cog in the whole function of crew. Seniors, you have worked so hard to get where you are at, do not ruin your chances by not prioritizing yourself over crew. Find your people, find your skill, and find yourself.  

Thank you, Stage Crew. 

Signed, 

Winifred Bell.