By: Joe Liebert
High school is ending and obviously, I’m feeling conflicted. These last few weeks have been an odd mix of excitement and nostalgia, and even though I always expected the last days of high school to be a sentimental experience, it has felt less emotional than I thought it would.
Walking through the halls, remembering the countless times I walked from class to class with my friends, the painfully long Mondays, and the excitement of hearing the 1:57 bell every Friday, I kept expecting it to hit me, the fact that this chapter of my life is ending and I’ll be leaving all of this behind. But it hasn’t hit me yet, and at this point, maybe it never will.
On my last full day of school, though, I found myself looking back at all the friends I’ve had throughout the years, all the good times, and even all the bad. Looking around at all the people who have supported me and helped me along for the past thirteen years. I realized that maybe the reason why I didn’t feel as emotional as I thought I would is because I hadn’t processed that I really would be leaving all of this behind.
Though I still need to come to terms with the fact that I’m leaving, I’d like to thank some of the most important people in my life for helping me to get here along the way. First and most importantly, thank you to my mom and dad for always pushing me to be the best I can be and for always making sure I know that I’ll always have your support no matter what I choose to do in life. To all of my teachers, from Mrs. Shaw in kindergarten to Mrs. Perryman in AP English this year, thank you for showing me what it means to be hardworking and for giving me the confidence in my ability to pursue my dreams in college and beyond. And to all of my friends, past and present, thank you for being there for me and for always reminding me about how important it is to look at the bright side and to make life fun no matter what happens.
It’s a bittersweet goodbye, and whether I like it or not, I’m finally leaving this part of my life behind. I’ll have plenty of time to reflect and remiss on the good times I’ve had, but for right now, I’m looking ahead. Good luck to my fellow members of the Class of 2017 – I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish!
