The Glue of FHS: it is not a person, it is not a building, it is not a mascot. We are not bonded by any single belief nor administrator, as great as our administrators are. Rather, it is a collective spirit shared by all those who understand and respect what it means to be a Fredericksburg Battlin’ Billie. The true glue, what has held us together through the wild and unpredictable times of the last three school years, is the small moments.
This binding force is felt each and every time we walk the halls. This is the energy of the student section on a Friday night. This is the depth of every word of our alma mater. The beauty of our school is not reflected in our worn facilities or old textbooks, it’s the culture of being a Billie. Originally, my perspective of the “Glue of FHS” was a certain few teachers or administrators that have made my time here that much better. But I quickly realized that everyone around me has had such a different experience. The glue of Fredericksburg High School is not any single person, it is not an event or club or sport, it is not even the bald head of Joey G.
Though the people like Mrs. Speer, Coach Smith, Mr. Guthrie and Coach Weirich have profoundly impacted me, I am not too ignorant to think it has been the same for all one thousand-plus of us that attend Fredericksburg High School. Yet, what remains the same throughout each of us, are the little things that make each freshman ecstatic to finally be here and each senior sad to leave.
The liveliness of Fredericksburg High School is found in the immensity of opportunities available for students such as me. From the Pride of the Texas Hill Country marching band to the legendary state tennis team to the many UIL competitors and every club in between, FHS students consistently represent our school with dignity and enthusiasm. Late nights riding home on the bus, may it be from basketball or soccer or Red Hotts, those memories will stick with us far beyond the day we toss our caps in the air. Wierich’s high fives bring us together. Battles for the spirit stick bring us together. The small smirk we all have on our faces as we describe our mascot to strangers- as silly as it may be, we are proud- that brings us together.
This year’s graduating class will now have our third year of high school affected by Covid-19, but through this we have been able to capture the essence of just how great our school is. The surface doesn’t always reflect just how many working parts are happening behind the scenes. While it is easy to grumble about getting up for school in the morning, we must slow down and realize how lucky we are to have this opportunity at all. The members of our community, school board and campus come together to give us the ability to gain our education in person despite the tribulations of this pandemic. When the world or the country suggests otherwise, our school has provided us with a learning experience anyway. When the noise of life and the vast craziness of our planet resounds, we have FHS to lean on. That holds us together.
While all of the above points remain undeniably true, certainly the strongest force bringing us together are the people and faces of our community and our campus. As you drive through our town and see the many red and white flags of the Rockin’ F or Billie head, one is reminded of the support of our whole town, standing with us and having our backs. The people of Fredericksburg who provide workers in the concessions, Billies.Live for all our sports, and those who pack the stands for One Act plays, Choir concerts and FNL Football games fill members of our school with appreciation and zest. We all feel the love and loyalty of our local community, and it truly holds us together.
So, the glue of Fredericksburg High School, it is far more than our teachers or our leaders. The glue of us is us. We are what makes FHS so full of life. We are the ones that make these four years of our stories worthy of remembrance. We are the glue that binds our education to our friendships to our lives. We are the glue that holds the walls of a school together despite adversity and with a smile on our faces. Forever, I am grateful for the ones who make us, us. And as each class prepares to one day leave these years in our past, it is the small moments that keep us here in heart. The Glue of FHS prevails over time; I already reminisce over these days as I am living them. For small moments such as these, we are held together. From the singing of our fight song at Fish Camp to Project Graduation for the seniors, we are held together.