“The Catcher in the Rye,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Giver” and even more bestselling novels can be found in Terrace’s library, where senior Mackenzie Kier chooses to spend most of her time.
Kier is known to read books as her favorite way to pass time, and the book she’s recommended in the library is “The Cruel Prince.”
No matter the time of day, she can almost always be found in her favorite place at Terrace, the library, probably finding her next favorite book series or chatting it up with librarians Denise Tripp and Donna Anderson during lunch.
Whether she’s solving equations in Calculus AB or filling her time after school with different extracurriculars before heading home, Kier can always be found with a trusty book by her side.
What started as an avid passion for reading and reveling in beautifully crafted stories. This interest led her to joining the Battle of the Books, and eventually becoming the president in her senior year.
Battle of the Books is a club where book lovers at MTHS gather to read as many compelling books as they can, preparing over the course of the year towards the district-wide end of the year competition.
In Battle of the Books, students from each high school in the Edmonds School District face off with each other to see who will reign supreme for the amount of books they can read, answer tough questions about each of the several novels chosen for each year’s competition, and come out as the year’s champion.
The club can be found in elementary and middle schools as well, beginning in fourth grade and raising the reading level, as well as the number of books read, each year.
Besides reading, Kier has also participated as a member of the Creative Writing Club during the first semester of her senior year, and has previously been in VEX robotics as well as theater at Edmonds Heights. Along with her passion for reading, Kier also enjoys the arts; being featured in the 2019-2020 Edmonds School District calendar and winning the Scholastic Art Award in 2021.
Out of over a dozen classes she has taken throughout her four years of high school, her favorite class was by far the honors geometry class she took in 9th grade with her favorite teacher, Dino Aristides.
“I was actually excited to go to math, which was a first,” Kier said. “Each class was interesting and engaging, and his squirrel drawings were top tier.”
Whether she’s indulging in an old favorite or discovering new stories to get lost in or spending time with her pet dog, Cashew, Kier favors the simple and quiet things in her life to keep her busy.
Due to COVID-19, members of the class of 2022 have spent most of their high school career at home, learning in front of a screen in order to keep themselves and others engaged.
More than a few of these seniors have been ecstatic to return to in-person school, showing that excitement at any time possible.
Although for Kier the most challenging thing about senior year was returning to campus. After almost two years of online school, her final year came with a sense of normalcy as restrictions began to lighten up and in-person school made it return.
“The most challenging thing was readjusting to in-person school and the COVID guidelines changing.” Kier said.
A useful last piece of advice Kier wants to leave behind to the upcoming seniors and however many more to come is that it’s okay for high school to not live up to your expectations.
“People say that these will be the best four years of your life, but it’s okay if they’re not,” she said.
After she graduates, Kier plans on attending Lewis & Clark College, a private college in Portland, Oregon. There, she plans on continuing her studies in art, literature, and music, but is still unsure where her future lies. As she leaves Terrace and moves on to even more greater things, she will leave a memoir as a smart and radiant book lover who always keeps a bright smile on her face, even under the mask.
