A day in the life of a high school senior is not like any other day. Waking up might be the worst part; it’s like waking up a sloth – frustrating and intolerable.
Now, many people may believe senioritis is just a joke and not an actual disease. I and 299 other kids in Durango can tell you senioritis is so very real. Why do teachers feel the need to give us homework? It’s not like we’re going to do it. Well, most of us anyway. Senior year is a whirlwind of emotions, from bittersweet to bitterness.
As those high school seniors walk down the halls, underclassmen glare and juniors bleed envy because they all know those seniors are almost done with high school and have a future waiting for them. I have never in my life been so ready for something; once graduation day comes, each person in that high school will be moving to a different place. Whether it’s juniors moving up to seniors or teachers moving to a different position, change is always taken for granted but is something that happens whether we like it or not.
Fear is the worst part about change. Not knowing what will happen next is what keeps everyone on the edge of his or her seat. College is going to be an exciting chapter of my life, and I know I am more than ready to leave – but it’s the not knowing what my first college experience is going to be like that keeps me wanting more. None of us know exactly how tomorrow will pan out, and that makes it more exciting than ever to be moving on from one thing to another.
My four years at Durango High School have been something to be proud of, I think. As I participated in volleyball, I also joined multiple clubs, from El Diablo to Interact, a high school club based off Rotary. I have come to the realization I would not be the person I am today without any of the things I have done in high school. Each failed test or missing homework assignment made me better in the fact that I have much more to learn, and college will make me learn not to have anything failed or missing.
The anticipation of graduation, summer and college has each high school senior giddy. I know I will be jumping for joy once that last final is over and done with. My friends and I have sat and chatted all about our schools, but we won’t know what any of it will be like until we are there, experiencing it firsthand. Our first college party to our first college cram session will be a new and hopefully well-waited experience. We know not to make the perfect idea of college into our heads because that idea is going to be nothing like the real deal.
High school is not over until those official diplomas – not the faux ones they give us at graduation, but the real ones – are in our hands. I will be sad to say goodbye to high school and Durango, but that butterfly feeling of starting my life does not compare to the sadness that I will face.
Senior year should be the peak of the high school experience. Not only is it fun, but the people in your class seem closer to you because they have all been under the senioritis spell and know what each other is going through.
The downfall of it all is, of course, saying goodbye – but only to start something fresh and electrifying. I wouldn’t want my high school career any other way; with bumps and bruises throughout the years, I still feel more than confident to precede onto the next chapter in my life.
A “goodbye” is nothing but a “see you later.” That might be extremely cheesy but so extremely true, especially for all the adolescents graduating this year.
Not only has high school been one amazing ride, but it also taught me that even the smallest setbacks could turn into the biggest triumphs.
Cheers, Class of 2014; it’s been a remarkable four years.
Mikayla Montoya is photo editor at El Diablo, the Durango High School student newspaper. Her parents are Stacie and Frank Montoya of Durango.
