The four years you spend in high school are filled with constant change. Classes change every semester and become harder, but one of the things you can choose are the people you surround yourself with.
Senior year has been full of mixed emotions, from wanting to be done with school and going out on our own to feeling nostalgic over the four years that flew by. We’ve struggled through applying to colleges and scholarships together and all of the stress that comes with senior year. But we also learned how to make the most of the time we had together. Going through senior year with one of your best friends makes it so much better and having someone to feel all the emotions makes it feel less lonely. From going to the movies to going thrifting, we’ve done everything we can just to hang out, even if it’s just 15 minutes in the senior lot before school.
We first met in our freshman year in our Blue Ridge Virginia Governors School World History class, which was definitely a challenge since our class was small and we had to learn together. Governor’s School was a big bonding moment since we were experiencing high school differently than our peers, taking different classes and working on big projects.
Sophomore year, we had more classes together, including BRVGS AP Bio, Personal Finance, Drivers Ed, and Newspaper. We celebrated getting our driver’s licenses together and being Newspaper State Champions. We bonded over competing in varsity sports and attended prom together that year.
Our junior year was when we branched out. We still had classes together, and although we saw each other less, our friendship grew stronger. We hung out more outside of school and learned to lean on each other for support. As we transitioned to upperclassmen, we got a glimpse of how our friendship would be when we got to college and couldn’t rely on seeing each other everyday in class.
When we look back on high school, we won’t remember all the late-night studying, bad grades, and stress. We’ll remember our friends and all of the memories we made along the way. All of the laughs, sleepovers, and sentimental moments will be what we reminisce on the most. During senior year, we’ve made so many memories, from the first day of school, to homecoming week, all the way to the end of the year senior events. High school isn’t all about academics and preparing for the future. It’s a chance to make lifelong friends and sentimental moments.
With graduation approaching we’ve started to relax and be less uptight about school and started to be in the moment more. As we transition into the next chapter of our lives, with both of us attending UVA, we will make new memories and friends and have different experiences. While our lives may take different paths and we won’t see each other everyday like in high school, we will still make time for each other.
We’ve learned to cherish the hard things we used to complain about like sports taking up all our time while managing hard classes. We are grateful for being able to be a part of those teams and having those opportunities and will miss the packed schedule from doing what we love.
We feel a mix of nostalgia, excitement, and sadness as we prepare to leave LCHS. It’s always difficult to leave a place that’s been a constant. Although there will be so many new changes after May 15, it is something that we have been preparing for all through high school. Graduation doesn’t mean leaving friends behind, but supporting them as they move forward.
