The Class Of 2019
David Andrews
David Andrews
In high school, the one thing that every student looks forward to most is senior year. In their eyes, being a senior means everything. It means that you’re no longer a child, and the only thing standing between you and adulthood is graduation. Seniors are the ones who run the school. Seniors are the ones with jobs and actually have lives outside of school. Seniors are the ones with cars and Chick-fil-a in the mornings. Seniors are the ones who everybody looks up to.
Growing up, all we ever dream of is becoming seniors and, somehow, we get this notion that senior year is just this big party when it’s really the exact opposite and probably one of the biggest stages of your life as you become young adults. Even, well known Hillgrove senior, Anaya Gibbs, said senior year has been her hardest year so far and that, ironically, “this is the least amount of work I’ve ever had in high school.” Senior year teaches you many soft skills that you will probably end up using for the rest of your life. Skills like communicating, teamwork, time management and networking all derive from high school, and senior year is where they are really put to the test. This is why most adults look back at their senior year as one of the best moments of their lives because that is where they got their first taste of freedom.
Senior year is the bridge between your childhood and your young adult life and whether you choose to cross it, or not, is completely your decision. For many students, senior year acts as sort of a test, preparing you for the real world and showing you what real independence taste like. Unlike in all the other years, where everything got handed to you on a silver platter, you actually have to fill out those applications and apply for those scholarships yourself, and, believe it or not, it only gets harder from there. As an adult you have to be able to handle juggling multiple things at once, and senior year prepares you for that in many ways. All you have to do is want to do it. Many times we see students fall victim to laziness and complacency because, at a young age, we are taught that whenever you fall there will always be someone there to help you back up, but that’s not the case. In college, when you start failing statistics, your parents can not just email your professor saying “how can my child improve their grade.” You have to take the initiative and do it yourself. You have to earn what you get and in order to earn it you have to want it, and I can guarantee you that the Class of 2019 wants it more than anyone.
Over the years we have spent with one another we have become more than just classmates. We have become a family. A family with a bond stronger than steel itself, a bond stronger than a world class weight lifter, a bond so strong that it can not be broken, at least without a fight, because in the class of 2019 we all share one common goal, and that is to be the best we can be at anything we do. We have made friendships that will probably last lifetimes. We have set goals for ourselves so high no man could fall from that distance and survive. Our class is special, and there will not be another like it for years to come. Hillgrove seniors Ryan Castlin, Claire Russell, Ansley Thompson and Chloe Brookin all said that the one thing they will miss most about high school is the bonds they have formed with so many of the other students throughout their years, not only at Hillgrove, but school in general. Friendships that lasted years are now coming to an end, but the bond will always be there because we will always share that same Hillgrove blood that drives us to be the best we can be.
So far, this year has been very exciting and jammed packed with fun, despite of all the stress and anxiety it has caused. It has been a great experience that we will most likely remember for the rest of our lives, not just because this year is our first year being somewhat independent or our last year with all the people we grew up with. It is because this year has been full of surprises with more to come. We are a team. We are a family. We are the class of 2019.
Growing up, all we ever dream of is becoming seniors and, somehow, we get this notion that senior year is just this big party when it’s really the exact opposite and probably one of the biggest stages of your life as you become young adults. Even, well known Hillgrove senior, Anaya Gibbs, said senior year has been her hardest year so far and that, ironically, “this is the least amount of work I’ve ever had in high school.” Senior year teaches you many soft skills that you will probably end up using for the rest of your life. Skills like communicating, teamwork, time management and networking all derive from high school, and senior year is where they are really put to the test. This is why most adults look back at their senior year as one of the best moments of their lives because that is where they got their first taste of freedom.
Senior year is the bridge between your childhood and your young adult life and whether you choose to cross it, or not, is completely your decision. For many students, senior year acts as sort of a test, preparing you for the real world and showing you what real independence taste like. Unlike in all the other years, where everything got handed to you on a silver platter, you actually have to fill out those applications and apply for those scholarships yourself, and, believe it or not, it only gets harder from there. As an adult you have to be able to handle juggling multiple things at once, and senior year prepares you for that in many ways. All you have to do is want to do it. Many times we see students fall victim to laziness and complacency because, at a young age, we are taught that whenever you fall there will always be someone there to help you back up, but that’s not the case. In college, when you start failing statistics, your parents can not just email your professor saying “how can my child improve their grade.” You have to take the initiative and do it yourself. You have to earn what you get and in order to earn it you have to want it, and I can guarantee you that the Class of 2019 wants it more than anyone.
Over the years we have spent with one another we have become more than just classmates. We have become a family. A family with a bond stronger than steel itself, a bond stronger than a world class weight lifter, a bond so strong that it can not be broken, at least without a fight, because in the class of 2019 we all share one common goal, and that is to be the best we can be at anything we do. We have made friendships that will probably last lifetimes. We have set goals for ourselves so high no man could fall from that distance and survive. Our class is special, and there will not be another like it for years to come. Hillgrove seniors Ryan Castlin, Claire Russell, Ansley Thompson and Chloe Brookin all said that the one thing they will miss most about high school is the bonds they have formed with so many of the other students throughout their years, not only at Hillgrove, but school in general. Friendships that lasted years are now coming to an end, but the bond will always be there because we will always share that same Hillgrove blood that drives us to be the best we can be.
So far, this year has been very exciting and jammed packed with fun, despite of all the stress and anxiety it has caused. It has been a great experience that we will most likely remember for the rest of our lives, not just because this year is our first year being somewhat independent or our last year with all the people we grew up with. It is because this year has been full of surprises with more to come. We are a team. We are a family. We are the class of 2019.