It is a modern-day love story.  Two fish, one tank, and one tragic ending that changed the lives of 82 girls.  The memory of Topanga, the cherished mascot of the Class of 2013, will forever be in our hearts as we shed our Convent of the Sacred Heart shells and make our way into the world beyond.

Topanga the goldfish was purchased by senior Jackie Batrus at the beginning of her sophomore year.  For Jackie, it was love at first sight.

“It was just a bond, a connection really,” Jackie said.

This love of Topanga was shared by the entire Class of 2013 who elected Jackie as Student of the Trimester following her contribution to the grade.  While Topanga resided at school during the week in her small tank, she found a home with senior Grace Jorgensen on the weekends.

“I was very close to her, and so was my whole family,” Grace said.  “She was very friendly and playful.  She was also extremely bubbly, no pun intended.”

But as time wore on, Grace grew tired of bringing Topanga home each Friday and dealing with constant water spilling accidents on the bumpy bus ride.   Grace took control of the situation and decided to make her house Topanga’s permanent residence.  While we were all sad to see Topanga go, things were heating up in the love life of this lucky goldfish.

“I set Topanga up with an adorable male goldfish named Corey,” Grace said.  “He was given to me by Ms. Musolino.  He and Topanga got along really well and they both seemed happy living in the same tank.   Clearly, we gave these fish the right names.  Their love was very similar to that of Topanga and Corey, two characters on one of my favorite shows Boy Meets World.”

However, this love was not meant to last.  Topanga died a week before the school year ended, following the death of her beloved Corey.  It truly was a Romeo and Juliet story.  Once Corey died, Grace said she could see a change in Topanga.  She was a shell of herself, no longer the vibrant personality she was upon her arrival to Sacred Heart.  Her grief was obvious in the days leading up to her death.

While Grace insists that she took wonderful care of Topanga, always cleaning her tank and feeding her, Jackie expressed some hard feelings about the loss.

“Grace pretty much robbed me of my fish,” Jackie said.  “Actually, she robbed the whole grade of the fish, and killed it.”

Almost two years later, Grace and Jackie have finally set aside their differences and forgiven each other.  While Topanga is no longer with us, her spirit remains in the Class of 2013.  No matter where we go in our lives, the memory of the beloved Topanga will be forever engraved in our hearts.

 – Devon Hoffman, Opinions Editor