As I sit here on my computer for the past three hours, I am still struggling to think of a hook (hooks aren’t my thing). I guess we can start with my first day of freshman year. I remember the first two periods which were Spanish and health being very easy and the teachers were really nice (the seniors hadn’t entered the school yet from their parade). I just remember walking the hallways during these first two periods and my 5”2 90 pound body feeling like the big man on campus. Boy was I wrong. These seniors came piling in from the senior parade, and I had never seen such large human beings inside the same school as me. This was an absolute culture shock to me as these kids were double my size. I really hope my friends and I are as intimidating looking to some of these freshmen.
On a serious note, as I look back from my first day of freshman year to my last week of my senior year, there are many things that I would recommend to all students coming and going to and from Westborough High School. One of those things being, building connections with not only your classmates and peers around you but your teachers as well. I unfortunately learned the hard way that if you get on a teacher’s bad side, they can make it rough for you. Fortunately, though, as the years have gone on, I have become closer and closer to my teachers, and I can even look at some of them as friends.
Looking at high school in a more social lens, I am proud to say I walked into high school with ten of my childhood friends that are still my best friends today. Through the years, we built so many unforgettable memories. Whether it was the contagious laughs at the lunch table, our intense arguments or even just getting food with each other after school. It has been an absolute pleasure to have this group of guys in my life, and I will never forget that. I can’t talk about friends without mentioning this year’s Full Court Press crew. I would like to specially shout out Alec, Brady, Jordan, Jack, and Justin for making journalism a joy every single day and making it something to look forward to. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a member of the Full Court Press as it is a great honor that I carry. Having the opportunity to film Full Court Press this year truly is something that I will never forget and has inspired me to think about pursuing this in the future. Whether it was the laughs, arguments (mainly with Justin), the blasphemous comments (also mainly made by Justin) and the themes that we came up with each week, it is truly something that I will never forget. It would be criminal to talk about Full Court Press and not mention some household names. With this being said, I would like to thank Ms. Henderson for countless things, including her incredible kindness, the munchkins each week, most importantly her ability to put up with all of our shenanigans and even just making the show possible. Speaking of making the show possible, I would also like to thank Tim Schwab for editing all of our episodes and also putting up with our ridiculous shenanigans. But most importantly, I would like to thank Ms. Conrad for all she has done. She has given me the opportunity to be on the show and express my true self which is not an opportunity you get quite often in high school. Outside the studio, she has been extremely kind and supportive to me and being super lenient allowing me to have a lot of freedom in this class. So thank you. What I am going to miss most about journalism is irrelevant to Full Court Press itself. It is the small things that really make it hard for me to walk away. The class long arguments on who is the best player in the NBA, the food runs and just the class environment is what I am going to truly miss.
Outside of the classroom, soccer has been a major representation of who I am, and I am going to miss it so much. Ever since I first kicked a soccer ball when I was three years old up until now, soccer has always been my favorite sport. When I focus on my years in high school there are a few regrets I do have with soccer. I wish I didn’t let the little thing bother me and I could play fully confident. For anyone reading this, as someone who has gone through a lifetime of a sport, my one piece of advice is to never let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. Also, never lose confidence. As much as I would kill to have these four years back and relive my soccer days, there is a lot that went right for me. I was on the varsity team for my junior and senior year, and I got pretty solid minutes my junior year but not what I would’ve liked. My senior year on the other hand, I started almost every game and played great minutes. Although the season didn’t go as I would have liked it to go, I still created so many bonds and connections that I will never forget. Soccer has allowed me to meet so many new people and I think that is what I will remember most of anything.
As sappy as this final piece has sounded so far, I am beyond excited for what is to come and the journey ahead of me. I plan on attending UMass Amherst this fall, studying Economics, where I hope to create many more memories.
As I wrap this up, I would like to leave any underclassmen and future Westborough High School students with one final piece of advice. That is to always chase your goals and to believe in yourself. Mistakes are what make you who you are, and you should never hang your head low for something you mistakenly have done. It took me years to finally realize to focus on what is important to me and not what others think around me. For the final time, this has been Jared Silverman signing off.
