“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” For many, that is how we will remember high school. All of the seniors have been through the cliches: the football games, prom, spirit weeks, and an endless amount of togetherness; eight hours a day, five days a week, nine months of the year for the past three years. Everyone comes into senior year with preexisting ideas of what senior year will be. The ‘unofficial’ senior lot, front row at sporting events, lots of off periods,  and the overall social-centered year we all dream of. “I was ready to be on top and not have to worry about anyone thinking ‘well she can’t do that she’s a junior,’” said Megan Jamison.

Last firsts are a senior year essential. There is nothing weirder than getting to high school registration and telling yourself you are going to get here early next year to beat the fee line only to realize you will never have another high school registration. This concept of last firsts is a little disorienting and maybe a little bitter sweet. For the seniors on sports teams, in clubs, or in theatre, the last first game, the last first show, or the last first competition are all a big wake up call that this is it. Everyone has their most meaningful last first for most it is the sporting events. For Jamison “From an athlete’s perspective I would say the last first home softball game was pretty big. It was really exciting to realize that this was the last first that I was going to be able to step on this field and say I’m finally a senior.” And of course there are also last firsts we are all waiting for. “Waking up early for school or something that you dread going to,” is something Mitch Hoog and many can agree on.

Of course we all have second semester left with graduation in May, but it will be here sooner than we think. In the last three years there have been some highs and some lows, but what would we do if we could do it over? “Freshman year I had blonde hair so I would definitely pick that to redo,” said Megan Jamison. Similarly Mitch Hoog agreed, “I think it would be, being an underclassman. When you’re a freshman you rush until you get your license, you rush to those little things, I wish I let it all happen.” Although freshman year was the one we wanted to be done with, there are no do overs so be sure to treasure the moment your senior year.  

Of course as much as everyone wants to believe that senior year is the easy year of high school, seniors are slowly realizing there is a whole lot more to senior year than sporting events and off periods. Jamison has learned first hand that leadership is part of the job as a senior, “With softball it’s a completely different animal, I have to be a captain so I was looking forward to senior year and I was looking forward to choose what we wear to school and what uniforms we wear and how we want to run the program.” We set the norms and standards for how the class of 2020 envisions their senior year. Then there is also the after high school planning. What are you going to do with your life? Hoog is one of the fortunate seniors this year who has a plan that isn’t the ‘go with the flow’ post secondary plan “I’ll be signed with an LA agency and also New York and Miami for acting and modeling” and for others college is the dream Jamison sees herself in college next year, “I really want to sign somewhere to play college softball so that’s my biggest hope right now. I have a few colleges looking at me and you know I want it to be fun, I don’t want to be stressed out.” What’s important is loving the small things and knowing that the world is ready for the class of 2017.