Sheppard Sneaks out of Lakeland

2,236 miles. 

33 hours. 

Leaving a childhood city can be hard for anyone. Going somewhere across the US can be much worse. 

Timothy Sheppard, a junior at Lakeland High School, will be departing from Rathdrum, Idaho, on January 14 and moving to Vidor, Texas. 

Not only is Sheppard moving, but he is moving smack dab in the middle of the year. 

Grades, social life, and general educational stability can be affected by the dramatic change in where an individual lives and goes to school. 

Timothy Sheppard will be going to Vidor High School. He is nervous about being different and a sudden new kid at his new school, but not worried about his grades. To end his education at
Lakeland, he has the honor of taking all of his finals a week early. 

The move, in general, is the best option for his family at the moment because Sheppard’s dad will have better business opportunities in Texas. They also have multiple family members in Texas that the move will bring them closer to. 

Sheppard is feeling 50-50 about the move. He is happy about some things, like just being in a new place after spending his whole life in Idaho but sad about leaving friends and family in Rathdrum. 

As he departs, Sheppard has nothing to say to LHS except, “See ya.” 

Not only will the individual that is moving be affected, but the friends they leave will too. 

Jace Cooksey, a junior at LHS, is one of Tim’s good friends here in Rathdrum, and his friend leaving has become hard to process. He will miss the entertainment that Tim provides during classes they have together. The two have been playing baseball together for multiple years now for the LHS baseball team, he is a key part of the team, and the season will feel the burden of his absence as a pitcher. He hopes to visit him at some point when he gets the chance. 

The news of him leaving was sudden and short notice, leaving Cooksey in shock. When he found out, all he could do was sit for a minute in silence, reminiscing. 

“I’ll just miss him in general—our conversations. Just every aspect of having a friend like Tim,” Cooksey says. 

Jace and all of LHS will be deeply affected by the departure of a deer friend like Tim. 

Everyone in the office will miss him and feel the effects of his absence. They will miss his daily ask for snacks and smirky comments as he walks by the office throughout the day. 

Goodbye, Tim. 

He will be missed.