Four Years Later: A Senior Editorial

Well, here we are, the end of an era.

High school was quite a time, to say the least. As I sit in my fifth-period journalism class for the last time, I reminisce on four years gone by in a matter of seconds.

It is nearly impossible to sum up so many memories into one editorial (to be honest this one editorial has taken longer than any other story to write, because it’s hard to reminisce on times past and type through the feels) so I’ll do my best.

From the seemingly endless number of hours spent in a range of classrooms, to the football games with blue- and gold-colored faces, or the hundreds of lunches spent laughing with the best of friends, the days of high school are coming to an end, and as I prepare for the next chapter of my life it makes me realize just how important high school is.

Let me put something into perspective: When I came to Santa Fe High School almost four years ago, I was a scrawny, not so tall, shy and terrified freshman who, honestly, did not want to be there.

I was a small kid who was scared of the world and the people in it. I would rather sit alone or in silence playing video games on my old iPod Touch than to have any real human interaction, and I really did not care about what happened around me.

However, as the years went by, I began to blossom.

Now, as I prepare to leave for good, I can safely say I blossomed into an extremely extroverted person (sometimes to a fault), a confident person who is self-assured of my own ability and standing, and someone who is not scared of the future, or the people the future has in it.

So, to all the underclassmen or incoming freshmen, if you’re scared of the school and the people in it: Don’t be. Open yourself up to the world, and make mistakes, and make some of the greatest memories you’ll ever have. Because, after all, you only go to high school once.

When you enter this school, from day one, begin to think about the mark you want to leave on this place. Not a mark like an obscene joke on a bathroom wall, but a mark of achievement and passion.

I am so happy I learned to be open to the things around me throughout high school because if I hadn’t, I would have missed out on some of the best learning opportunities and relationships of my entire life.

I was joking with some friends the other day about how old we have all gotten but in reality, it’s no joke. Yes, it’s cliché, but it’s true. It seems like just yesterday was Freshman Jumpstart Day, it seems like yesterday was my first day of journalism, and it seems like yesterday I was taking my midterm finals of my freshman year, in geometry or whatever I took that year.

On May 25, I will say goodbye to some of the friends and teachers whom I have developed the deepest relationships with, I will say goodbye to the halls that I walked an endless number of times, the classrooms that filled my week with joy and boredom, and to the place that has occupied my life in the biggest ways possible.

I will continue the trend of being clichéd and end my high school career with a thank you.

Thank you to all my amazing friends who have become family over these four years. The memories we made together will stay with me forever.

BarBar, thank you for inspiring me to do so much more.

Santa Fe High School, and all the people I love so dearly in it, thank you for giving me all of your friendship, education, Do Nows, memories, and love for four years.

And with that, four years culminate. Thank you, all.

Aidan, out.