My first memory of high school started before freshman year: my Class of 2024 Vice President campaign video. I remember going to the high school to film this video on a hot summer day instead of a traditional speech because of Covid. I looked around at the entire campus, overwhelmed with the opportunities that lie ahead and unaware of the lasting memories I would make.

I filmed a Charli D’Amelio-esque dance scene (I was a freshman, I’m sorry) on the same field where I played my varsity soccer games as an upperclassman. I journeyed to the front of the school to film a closing scene, where I would enter and exit every day of my freshman and sophomore years. Then, I walked to my brother’s car in the upper parking lot, where I would spend mornings and afternoons having endless conversations with friends. I didn’t travel within the walls of the school that day, but the things that happened inside those walls are what I’ll miss the most.

During high school, I strengthened past friendships and forged new ones. Some of my fondest connections were formed within journalism. A special shoutout to AJ, Nick, Max, and Alec for making journalism a class I looked forward to every day. While shouting out this crew, it would be impossible not to mention the greatest, most eye-opening, most impressive piece of true and honest journalism: Full Court Press. Filming Full Court Press this past year will be something I will remember for the rest of my life. The banter, laughs, arguments, and passion exhibited for a show about recreational basketball were unmatched and definitely something I will think back to from my “glory days.” It would be a cardinal sin not to give thanks to the brains of the whole show, Mrs. Henderson. Thank you for your infectious kindness, unrelenting patience, and, of course, seemingly endless amounts of Munchkins. Journalism offered me a time away from the stresses of high school and gave me a place to be my authentic self. I have Mrs. Stoker and Ms. Conrad to thank for fostering this impactful environment, which I have yet to experience in any class in high school and, most likely, in the rest of my life. Journalism may have just been a class, but the lessons about effective communication I learned will stretch longer than any fact from another course.

Outside of journalism, my most memorable times were spent on the soccer field and basketball court. I remember spending summer days at Mewhiney Field with friends just as much as the soccer games themselves. Soccer is to thank for some of my closest friendships and for a couple of gut-wrenching losses in the playoffs. 

While I do have great memories from soccer, my years in basketball at the high school were the most impactful. I grew up spending almost as much time in Fisher Gym as I did my own house (yes, I was one of those annoying kids running around at the games with a basketball, and I don’t regret it). Rangers basketball was a large part of my early childhood, and its impact seeped into high school. Over my four years in the program, Coach Willar helped me regain confidence in my abilities on the court, which I lost on the middle school team. I learned how to stay competitive and have fun while doing so. More importantly, I learned how to give myself realistic expectations, not one’s demanding perfection. The lessons that Rangers basketball taught me are integral to my life now, and the memories will be impossible to forget.

I think I’ve made it clear how much I’ll miss journalism and sports, but it’s the small things that hit me the hardest when I think back on high school. I’m going to miss spontaneous food adventures (sorry Ms. Conrad), laughing at pointless jokes at lunch tables, and simply seeing friends in the hall. While I reminisce on high school, I look forward to what’s ahead. I plan to attend the University of Michigan this fall, majoring in Statistics and Economics, and I hope to create even more lasting memories.

For any underclassmen reading this, I would like to leave you with one piece of advice I learned a little late in high school: don’t be too hard on yourself. My one regret of high school is putting too much pressure on myself academically and athletically. I spent my years not allowing myself to make mistakes, which caused a ton of unnecessary stress that became unhealthy. I wish I realized that goals and ambitions are important, but unrealistic ones can make things worse. So next time you feel pressure because of unrealistic expectations, remember that “everyone makes mistakes, that’s why pencils have erasers.”