As my time at this school comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on the past four years. Freshman year me was so nervous to be entering a big new building full of unfamiliar faces. Senior year me is extremely grateful for the experiences, friendships and difficult situations that I had to learn and grow from.
Every week in my newspaper class, we were assigned to write a journal. At first, this assignment felt like another thing to add to my to-do list, but over time I found myself looking forward to writing in the document and updating my teacher, Evva Starr, on events happening in my life. I am going to tribute the following to my last journal: It doesn’t feel real that I am going to graduate soon.
I have been so excited to move on from this chapter in my life, and be able to have a clean slate with new opportunities. But truthfully, I will miss the comfort of my routine that I have had. I will miss my friends and only being a short drive away from everyone I love. I will miss pulling into parking spot #33 every morning and debating if I should “walk in now” or wait five more minutes. I will miss writing my weekly journals. And oddly, I may even miss going to math. I have a great feeling of bittersweetness. Thank you Mrs. Starr for always being there for me, whether it was letting me vent about the stresses in my life, helping Sophia and I create a calendar or reading my college essay. You have truly made every day better over the past three years that I have been on Common Sense, even if it was simply just smiling at me as I walked into the classroom.
To my freshman self: Everything played out the way it was supposed to. You met some of the best people and made memories that will hold a special place in your heart. You never believed it when people would constantly tell you that high school goes by in a blink of an eye, but it’s true. And P.S., the upperclassmen do not have everything figured out. They are still learning new things everyday. You are right where you’re supposed to be.
As I continue to reflect on my high school experience, I can not emphasize enough the love I have for Common Sense. When I was signing up for classes three years ago, I decided to take newspaper because I needed another elective. My neighbor, who was a senior at the time, told me it would look good on my transcript, so I signed up. I never would’ve imagined that a class would bring this much sense of a community. I am forever grateful to be a part of this program.
I know that high school is only a short chapter in life, but I would not be the person I am today without the school community, and most importantly, newspaper. Peace out Patriots.
