Leaving high school is one of the most bittersweet experiences. On one hand, I am excited to see what the future has in store for me, but on the other hand, I can’t possibly imagine my life away from everybody I know and love. I am currently writing this realizing it is my last week of high school. Although our situation is not ideal, I refuse to end high school feeling like I missed out on a senior year. Instead I cherish all the amazing things I did get to experience thanks to Grayslake North. 

When I started high school, it seemed that all the adults in my life warned me of the same thing. High school is short; it goes by in a blink of an eye. Make sure you have fun but learn as much as you can. And like any freshman would, I shrugged off all their warnings. I would be lying if I said I don’t regret anything and that I lived my high school life to the fullest. Because I didn’t. But that’s not what high school is about. To me high school was full of trial and error, learning from my mistakes, and growing into the person I want to become. 

My sophomore year I came into journalism not knowing what to expect. I came in oblivious to all the events North does for their students. Reaching out to the staff and students to talk about what they do at school made me realize something. Writing the news was not what made journalism class important to me, it was getting the opportunity to reach out to the people I never would have without the class. Interviewing people I didn’t know very well is what made me a better conversationalist and taught me how to get out of my shell. More than that, I met so many amazing hardworking people in that class that showed me how much we can get done with teamwork. And for that I thank everybody in journalism for making that class my favorite. And a special thank you to Gracie, Rhiannon, Maggie, and Mrs. Smith for the countless laughs, helping me when I needed it, and for making the hours editing layouts worth it. 

I admit that I am writing my senior goodbye a little later than I was supposed to, but writing my goodbye is admitting that I am officially done. Whenever I thought about what to write I would come up blank. How am I supposed to write what North meant to me when I don’t really know myself? What I do know for certain is that North gave me some of the best experiences and taught me some of the most valuable lessons. I learned that high school can be full of drama, but only if you let it. You always have a choice to be a part of the never ending high school rumors. But if you take a step back and surround yourself with the people you love and trust, you can flourish. One of the hardest lessons I learned was knowing who to surround myself with because the sad truth is you can’t be friends with every single person. But once you do find those people, those friends you know you’ll know forever, you can make some of the best memories and stop worrying about what everyone else is thinking.

It’s true what they say, people do change in high school, but it’s up to you if it’s a positive or negative change. I know that mine was a positive change. I know that high school has made me grow into the person I am today. I know that without journalism, athletic training, all my brilliant teachers, and my amazing friends, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So for that I say thank you. Thank you for an epic high school experience I’ll never forget.