My Final Confession 

By Walker Kesler 

With my graduation from Battle Ground Academy fast approaching, I have taken some time to reflect on my experience at BGA, and I have decided that I can remain silent no longer on the great secret I have kept since I first arrived on campus. 

I am not really the son of William F. Kesler, BGA Head of School. 

I know many of you are probably shocked to hear this information and probably have many questions, so I will now spend the rest of this article explaining how this lie came to be created and sustained. 

I arrived in Franklin in 2014 and began my BGA career in the 3rd grade. That same year, Mr. Kesler also arrived in Franklin and became our Head of School. So, in a quite improbable coincidence, Mr. Kesler and I both arrived the same year, we both had the same last name, and we both looked pretty similar to each other. If you are wondering how I kept such a large lie going for so long, it was merely because I did not have to actively lie. One of the most common things I heard talking to people early in my BGA career was “Oh, you must be Mr. Kesler’s son,” and it was easier to go along with the misunderstanding than explain myself.

I, of course, would not have been able to keep this lie going for so long without the help of Mr. Kesler. We both came to the agreement that he would be willing to acknowledge me as his son and allowed me to park in his driveway if I helped out around his house across the street from the school. 

Of course, there were tough aspects of this secret. One was finding close confidants. I could not make it appear to my close friends that Mr. Kesler was my father as he did not allow me to host them at his house. Therefore, I had to pick my friends based on their ability to keep a secret, and my best friends based on who would be willing to help perpetuate the lie. Another problem I had with this lie was dealing with my actual parents. They were not happy at first that I was going around telling everyone I had different parents, but once they realized that my lie allowed them not to go to any school events (which they have never been fans of), they became supportive.

Finally, I want to discuss the why. Why did I go through all this trouble? I have already said that it was easier to lie than to correct people, but eventually, the work I was putting into this for so long wasn’t worth it without a more important reason. I think, at the end of the day, I liked being compared to someone. It’s a well known fact that everyone wants to be remembered not for their own accomplishments but the accomplishments of those that came before them. It was nice not being known as a theater guy or the guy on the quiz bowl team. I instead was Mr. Kesler’s son by default, and I enjoyed not having to build up what people thought of me entirely from scratch. 

I apologize if anyone felt hurt from this deceit, and I am relieved to be clear of  the lies I have spread to the BGA community. I just hope that when I leave here for college, I can survive an environment where no one knows anything about me or my family.