I didn't know Bryce very well. Since his passing, I have often thought about sharing my memory of him, but didn't feel it was my place. But, I do think of Bryce often, and everyone who had the privilege to interact with him should remind the world of how blessed it was to know him.
I was in Bryce's homeroom, with Ms.Baumeister, for all four years of high school and in Ms.B's English class with him for our senior year. Our homeroom really was a family, Ms.B created that feeling, no matter who we were friends with or what classes we took, in homeroom everyday we were there for each other. From the beginning, and it is the thing I remember most about Bryce, I absolutely marveled at his intelligence. I remember sitting, listening to him talk about absolutely anything, and hanging onto every word. I remember thinking after any time he spoke, that I was sure he was going to lead the world when we were older, changing everyone and everything. Making discoveries and innovations that we never could've imagined. He only ever furthered this image I had of him. In senior year English, we did a unit on existentialism and at the end, we had to create a project related to the idea. It could be absolutely anything, and that was what made it difficult! I will never forget, when it was time for Bryce to present his project, he went up to the whiteboard and announced that he had created a mathematical formula for existentialism. If you couldn't already guess, I was absolutely floored, as was our entire class. Everyone erupted into conversation and questions, asking Bryce to explain it and how in the world he created such a thing. And as he told us about his equation and answered our questions, the room was silent, everyone leaning in and hooked onto what Bryce was saying. Everyone was speechless at such genius.
When we began committing to college, Ms.B had us decorate her door with where we were going. I remember looking at Bryce's name proudly written over Northeastern University, and of course, I paused to think about how amazing that was, but how fitting, and how much he would go on to do there, how he would change that place and those people as he had at Warde. Most recently, Warde Class of 2018 had our 5 year high school reunion on November 25th. It was really nice, everyone was happy to be together and proud of each other. About halfway into the event, I was looking around the room, taking it all in, feeling grateful to have gone to school with all of these people, when Bryce popped into my mind. I took a minute for myself to let him know I was thinking of him, that he was missed by those he might not even have realized would miss him, and that I was so grateful to have crossed paths with him, to have had the chance to experience his greatness. Bryce was brilliant, kind, thoughtful, inspirational, open to the world, authentic, and well beyond his years. I think of him often. I hope he is at peace. I hope he knows the immense impact he left on this world. I hope he knows I am eternally grateful to have known him. I know he is somewhere, making another world and more people better than they were before.
