As April unfolds, it marks the swift approach of the end of the school year. While academic pressures rise, so does the anticipation of summer break. The air is thick with the stress of AP exams, but the end of the year also brings a number of exciting events. The festivities of prom are happening this week, with themed spirit days, the Spring pep rally, and House Olympics. Meanwhile, the seniors are at the cusp of a significant milestone all while preparing for graduation and completing cherished traditions such as Senior Chapel. All in all, April has weaved together excitement, anticipation, nostalgia, and the bittersweet feeling of the end of yet another school year.

Brownell Talbot’s reconstruction plan has slowly begun as students and faculty have seen in the past few weeks. The installation of the portable classrooms to be used next year have brought a buzz of questions and emotions about the changes being made. The feature story for April especially highlights one aspect of the reconstruction: the relocation of the lower school playground. For many students, the playground holds a number of memories and values. With interviews, raw opinions, and other bits of information, the feature story brings together the genuine thoughts on the reconstruction plan and how the changes will impact the entirety of the BT community.

The senior wisdom for April speaks on standardized testing, specifically the SAT and ACT. All of the Verbatim podcasts continue their series for the month of April. The Making Sense for Mr. Smith podcast talks about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse which occurred fairly recently. The Raider Rush podcast clashes lacrosse and soccer together and touches on both sports. The Angelic Analysis podcast brought in weird food combos and tried them with Mrs. Rise and Mr. Hamel. The Career Clips podcast interviewed Father Keith this month. Lastly, the Sound Clash podcast brought in Mrs. Straka to speak on pop songs.

April’s publication of Verbatim brings a number of other stories, from a food review to a biography on Bell Hooks to an article on speed running Mandarin Chinese. The Verbatim staff have worked hard this school year to bring content forward and are looking forward to the very last micro-publication in May. Until then, remember to stay in the present moment and soak up the last bits of the school year. Time really does fly by, so make the most of it and cherish the present.