Kyle Kirby is the son of AP Biology teacher, Elizabeth Kirby, he is sweet and kind and always considerate to those around him. Mrs. Kirby’s favorite thing about Kyle “is his hugs! He gives the best hugs of all my kids and always makes my day better.” Something else she will miss about Kyle is “him making [her] coffee. He makes the best coffee and has been doing it for years and years. And I’ll miss my hugs … if I didn’t already say that.”
When I first met Kyle, he was not my bestie. He came off a little uninterested and a little distracted. He is the youngest of four kids and the only boy. “It has its ups-and-downs. It is very easy to be annoying…even when you are not being annoying. So, I definitely learned to be more mature. Also, I learned a lot about just girls in general.” Kyle is not always open to expressing his emotions. However, after you get to know Kyle, there is a true vulnerability and sense of “gentlemen-ness” that he possesses.
Kyle’s favorite thing to do is spend time with his family, and his absolute favorite person is his mom. “Mom’s great. She taught me AP Bio… well, she’s taught me a lot. She can be a little mean sometimes, but she always helps me. She is always there to talk, and she is great to talk to.”
Mrs. Kirby says something everyone should know about Kyle is that “he’s a good boy, loves his Momma… and he really loves science! He also got accused of stealing corn dog nuggets by a cafeteria lady once.” However, senior Wesley Nelson says Kyle’s interesting fact is that “he is really good at Madden.” Mrs. Kirby does agree. Kyle says, though, it is that he “enjoys the opportunity to learn.” In my personal opinion, I think the best thing about Kyle is that he will always tie your shoe for you. (He has done this specifically for me twice now). The overall takeaway is that Kyle is one of the most generous students at THS. Another fun (kind of sad) fact about Kyle is that one time he broke his hand walking his dog.
Kyle spends his mornings at AET (Academy for Engineering and Technology). “AET allows for more advanced classes. It is an engineering program, but you don’t necessarily have to like engineering to go into AET,” Kirby said. In the afternoon, he comes back to THS for his Virtual Virginia class with Mr. Bray and his AP Gov class with Mr. Touart. “Mr. Touart (playful laugh). So much you can say about Mr. Touart. Great person! Actually one of my favorite teachers. He prepares us really well.”
Every day, as I sit waiting for the dreadful slideshow to be pulled up, there enters the light of 4th period class: Kyle. Kyle is like my “bestie-4-the-restie.” I could be sick and dying and Kyle could make me laugh. It is not even that Kyle’s jokes are funny. In fact, most of the time they are so very not funny… but it is distinctly their “not funniness” that makes them so wonderful. Also, Kyle’s jokes will always be “quality jokes.”
When Kyle is not at school, he spends his valuable time working at Bubba’s Ice Cream. “Bubba’s? Great ice cream! At Bubba’s, we actually care about making the ice cream,” Kirby stated, affectionately. Why is it perfect for Kyle to work at an ice cream shop? Because Kyle is sweet yet cold, and he always makes you happy. Even if, at first, he gives you a bit of a brain freeze.
Kyle is an extreme sports enthusiast. “Big fan of sports,” Kirby said. Rather than simply watching sports, Kyle prefers to “study sports and to understand them deeply.” Where will Kyle be in five years? “Kyle works hard, but doesn’t put too much pressure on himself! He loves science and wants to enter the medical field in some capacity. In five years he will at least have earned his bachelor’s and I’m sure he will be working on whatever graduate level program he eventually decides to enter. I’m pushing for PA school!” Mrs. Kirby said.
Kyle is a 6-foot-tall teddy bear and is always there with a fist-bump to brighten the day. Kyle is a “Kyle” of-all-trades: a coffee brewer, for his sweet mother; a sports enthusiast, to fill his free time; an ice cream maker, for the fans; and a history buff, because he has to be. A person cannot know Kyle and not love Kyle, it is simply not possible. When Kyle runs for president, I will vote for Kyle. If you don’t know Kyle, you really need to meet Kyle.
