Ciao, Kat Comer!

As the school year comes to an end, everyone is getting ready to bid farewell to the seniors graduating in May. These Bengals have had their high school experience marred by COVID, since their sophomore year was cut in half and their junior year was fully online. However, the Class of 2022 will always be known for their resilience, and one senior in particular stands out.

Whether you know her or not, Kat Comer has had a bigger impact on Blake than most. She’s been on the softball team for three years and is now a captain, and has also been in Journalism for three years and is now an Editor-in-Chief of The Blake Beat!

According to Journalism teacher Mr. O’Toole, Kat “is a very capable [editor]. She works well with other students and [is good at] relaying [my] expectations [to the class]. She is very personable, and she loves working with young writers and opening up to them.”

This exceptionalism isn’t just limited to Journalism. Softball Coach Petersen states that “she threw 156 pitches in her first complete high school game in almost two years because of injury.” Kat has been a crucial player, and this year, she’s helping the younger players during both games and practices. 

“Kat’s different [than most people I know because] she’s so optimistic,” freshman Charlotte Richesson admits. “Whenever we’re down she can bring us right back up.” Kat also helped Charlotte with bunting, and with “[making] me feel more confident in myself.”

Kat’s impact has been felt by students in Journalism as well. Section Editor Mandy Sanidad calls Kat “the backbone of our class and our publication” and adds that she “[steps] up as a leader consistently.”

Co-Editor-in-Chief Sofia Norberte admits that they’re “glad that I got to spend … three years in [Journalism] working with Kat and getting to know her more and more and seeing how amazing of a person she is. #IHeartYouKat.”

Norberte adds, “[she’s also an] editor for a [County]-wide [lit ‘zine].” This literary magazine, “The Amplifier,” is a student-led collaboration between Blake, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and Einstein, and the latest edition is about student violence. Here’s the link to the MCPS email version, and the link to the non-MCPS email version.

“She is an incredibly successful student with a 4.0 GPA, 4.74 weighted, [who has taken] nine AP classes and [has] passed every AP exam [she’s] taken,” Section Editor Indira Kar praises. “She is going to … UPenn next year, [and] that’s an [Ivy League college]!!”

Kar continues, “she … was the [Life Section Editor] last year, [and] is … kind and understanding of other people’s needs.” 

Kat’s presence on The Blake Beat has changed the publication for the better.

“She and our [Editors] have opened up our website to any type of news,” adds Mr. O’Toole. “[Specifically, she’s shown me that you can turn] opinions into cogent pieces.”

So, how will Kat’s departure change The Blake Beat?

“A company takes after its CEO, and you see that in a ton of pieces. [However,] one good thing about Journalism is that [it’s based on peoples’ willingness] to step up, and we have a solid group [right now],” lauds Mr. O’Toole.

Kat’s positive energy isn’t just limited to school-related activities. “Being an editor and getting to know Kat outside of a journalism context is definitely my favorite,” says Sanidad. “Knowing her small opinions on unimportant things and learning more about her has been so so fun because she’s just an amazing person and a wonderful friend.”

The Editors have a group chat together where they talk about things that are not related to Journalism as well. Sanidad adds that he loves “seeing her reactions to everything and anything stupid.”

“[I] especially [love] her dedication to insisting [Opinions] is the best section,” admits Norberte.

“Kat is a huge loss,” admits Mr. O’Toole. “We don’t [really] make a big deal about her ability to really edit pieces [and make them the] best version of themselves.”

It is safe to say that Kat’s departure and energy will leave a mark on Blake forever. But, she will go far and do great things, knowing that she puts her all into everything she does. Kat, thank you for all of the effort you put into our website. We will miss you dearly!