As Mrs. Banuelas, Business Teacher, retires this year, she wanted to give Bowie her final goodbye. Just as Mrs. Banuelas wrote her farewell, so did some of her students.

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It is time for me to bid adieu to my Bowie familia,

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be here at Bowie High School.  Bowie has so much history and diverse culture; language, religions, race, sexual orientation and ethnicity.  We have a mixture of everything.  I was very fortunate to be here when a lot of the changes took place.

My first year of teaching, I learned not to judge people by how they look, how they speak or with whom they were associated with.  This lesson prepared me for the rest of my education life.  We are judged every day, but after people get to know us, they decide we (every individual) are human after all.  Every day, for me, has been a learning experience.

I was not only the teacher, but also a student.  Since my first year, I have totally enjoyed every single minute of my 34 years.  The students have been wonderful and the faculty and staff were supportive and accommodating.  If I started to panic about something, I would turn to a fellow teacher and they would calm me down and tell me to relax.  This is what family does.  We help each other out.

I will miss everyone I have come into contact with especially my 2019 and 2020 Business Academy students.

God bless you all y Feliz Navidad,

Anna Bañuelas

Business Education

Bowie High School

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Dear Mrs. Banuelas,

I really thank you for being a part of my life. These past few years were difficult but it was nice to have your guidance. You have been a teacher, mother, counselor, and more importantly a best friend to many of us seniors. You were always there for me no matter what my mood was, and you always made sure I left your room with a little smile on my face. Being with you always made my day a lot better. Also, I know that I made you be disappointed quite a few times, and for that I apologize. Know that we will all miss you very much because you are a big part of our daily lives. Thank you for all the advice that you have given me and for always pushing me to finish my work and go to every class. I will never forget you and I really hope you keep in touch with us.

With much love,

-Lourdes Chico 💗

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To Ms. Bañuelas, 

I can’t find words to express how much your have grown into my life. Seeing us grow from the scared freshmen we were to the full grown seniors, you have been the grandmother, friend, teacher, and counselor to the lunch crew. You have inspired each and everyone of us to keep on pursuing our goals. Hearing the stories you have to tell, and your advice means the world to us. We know we may have complained nightly five percent of the time about our school work/activities, and you were always the counselor we needed to express our frustrations. In all honesty, you have become part of my school day to the point where I don’t feel the same when you are absent. We truly can’t believe you will be leaving us, and doubt we can ever be as comfortable with any teacher as we did with you. I truly appreciate every time you have corrected me, because I know you truly care about me. Despite the fact that you are a Irvin Rocket grad, you will forever be a Bowie Bear at heart. I am so excited for you and your next chapter in your life. Although I am not a doctor yet, I know that it is the best decision for you and your health. I hope to see you soon after treating yourself to the best care you need and so rightfully deserve. I would like to commend you on the work you have done, and applaud you on the impact you have had on thousands of generations of Bowie Bears. We love you and we hope to see you soon. Live your best life and take care of yourself. La queremos! 

-Best, Issac Castorena 

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A Final Farewell,

Dear Mrs. Banuelas,

To begin with I just wanted to say I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for me and my peers. I have had the best time of my four years at Bowie High School within the walls of your classroom. It never mattered where you moved to or what year it was, me and some of my friends always seemed to gravitate to your room at lunch or early in the mornings. I’m thankful for you being my teacher freshman year, if it wasn’t for your class I would have probably gone back to my home school by now, thankfully, that never happened. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with you whether it was something as simple as hello or something as deep as personal problems. Truly you are someone who I trust, and I am saddened by your early departure from Bowie, and we seniors were not able to change your mind to stay at least one more semester. Although, you did let us know ahead of time your departure. If this is a final farewell I ask for one thing, and that is that you and Joe show up at our graduation of 2019. It would make it more meaningful if you attended my graduation, and remember Anna, I’m going to be dressed in white.

-Ivan Corralejo

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Dear Mrs.B,

These past four years were a great experience having an awesome teacher like you. I remember all the trouble we all used to cause our freshman year and how you would block our computers for playing games or watching movies or other things that had nothing to do with school work. You have always been a trust worthy teacher that has helped us always remember our morals. We will forever be thankful for the bond we created with you that will never be forgotten as time goes by and we continue our journeys in a different paths. Also thank you for dealing with everybody’s mood swings and sometimes attitudes as well. You will definitely be missed by all our senior class!

                                                                   With much love,

-Leslie Soto

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Dear Mrs B,

Thank you for all these years. You have been more than just a teacher to us. We wish you the best in your forthcoming years. We hope you come visit and we’ll see you in our graduation. Thank you for making us work harder and encouraging our future dreams. Thank you for the laughable moments. May you continue to find success wherever you may find yourself. It is indeed a great pleasure to share our last year with you. We will miss your kind words and having lunch with you. Thank You.

Sincerely, Esther and Michelle.

Ps. miss i know you will miss me more than anyone :)- Esther

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