“Ugh, I can’t do this. I just want to graduate.”
Give me a dollar everytime I said this and I’d be a millionaire. But it is now a reality. I am graduating. I am saying goodbye to this place and many people that were essentially a second home to me. Actually, no. I’m pretty sure I was at school way more times than I was even in my own home.
By the time I’m writing this, my lasts of high school are approaching. My last high school finals, my last AP Government test, my last analysis on Hamlet and what he is trying to convey in his soliloquies (wrap it up bro).
It’s bittersweet, really. One part of me is glad I’m finally leaving. High school left me stressed, wanting to give up, literally crying because I couldn’t figure out a math problem. The other part of me doesn’t want to let go just yet. I have to say bye to the teachers that helped guide me through, say bye to friends I’ve known throughout high school and long before that and come to the fact I won’t see them as often as I do now. We’re growing, becoming adults. Oh my gosh, that’s crazy and scary to think about. I find change terrifying, but this change is just one I have to come to terms with. Yet I will forever be grateful for the experiences that they have brought me.
I’d like to send a thanks to Mrs. Polanco whose classroom was really a comfort to me. Being able to walk into your classroom first thing in the morning and embrace my inner creativity and inner child was like a pick-me-up for the day. Throughout the year I said that I wished this class was at the school way earlier. It is both informative and fun!
Now, Ms. Plascencia. You’re probably thinking (or not), “Woah, this loser wants to mention me?” Well, yes I do! This is my first year having you as a teacher and you’re one of my favorites! You helped me use my thinking skills and think outside the box, helped me see the bigger picture of things that probably didn’t need any analyzing. You are a teacher I could see myself in and relate to. Although the amount of times you talked about graduation made me want to CRY, you were just getting all of us ready for the big day and the reality of it. Alongside that, your classroom and the people in there hold some of my most favorite memories I never want to forget.
I’d also like to give a big thank you to Mr. Barbick. I only had you one year in my sophomore year but I really do think you were the foundation for how I am now, and how far I’ve actually come to be here. You encouraged me to do my best. To strive for more. You told me I shouldn’t be in a regular English class, or any regular class for that matter, and should be in AP my junior year. I never actually listened the first time but you were so persistent on it. I am so glad I listened to you and I am so glad you led me down that path. Sophomore year was really where I was hitting rock bottom and you lightened up the dark room I was just content being in. Plus, your stories were always so interesting!
Now, Mr. Johnson. Walking into your classroom for the first time junior year scared me a bit. I heard stories about you being “mean” and your work being “hard” with many essays. Now that I’ve had you for two years in a row, those people were literally over exaggerating. Sure, I may have complained here and there but it was very simple work with very simple instructions. I am glad I took your class and had you as a teacher. Not only for the dual enrollment credits, but because you’re just a fun teacher. Sometimes you say stuff that is so out of nowhere and weird that it IS funny. To whoever is reading this, I do recommend taking Mr. Johnson’s Honors History and AP Government classes. You won’t regret it, I swear (free advertisement)!
A big thank you to Mr. Norman. One of my favorite teachers of all time! I had your class last year and we obviously didn’t talk but I loved being in your class. Now that this year I am your TA, we talk more. I love that we’re able to talk about random things and laugh here and there. Your classroom is like a safe space for me. Not only that, you’re so admirable as a teacher. You’re very attentive and you do try to help and give advice. You were very attentive to me when I was doing college applications and helping me understand what most other adults weren’t. I am very thankful for that. Trust, I will miss everything about room 604 and your snack cabinet that I joked repeatedly about you needing a lock to keep me out of.
A huge thank you to Mr. Castle. I had you three out of four years in high school. You really enhanced my way of comprehending things written as words and in the outside world. By the end of junior year and coming into your class for the first time as a Clarion student, you deepened my liking for writing. You let me express most of my thoughts through writing. My appreciation for you got so much greater for you this year, and The Clarion as a whole will hold a special place in my heart though being only a first year.
Finally, I’d like to send so much love and thanks to the friends who stayed with me throughout all of this. To the friends who stayed with me throughout elementary, quarantine, the rough patches of our lives, and high school, thank you so much. We saw phases of each other no one else has. We have things between us literally no one else should know. You guys are truly family to me even if you don’t consider me the same. To the friends I met just within these four years, thank you as well. You introduced me to new people and helped me be more out there, out of my comfort zone. You guys all hold such a special place in my heart, I cannot describe it. You all helped me be me.
By the time this issue comes out, I only have 13 days left with my title as “a senior at Selma High.” It’s hard to grasp but I am here even though I was almost positive I was going to drop out. It wasn’t even that serious. I don’t know why I was so dramatic my freshmen year. To whoever reads this, I hope you all the best and enjoy your four years. They really do go by fast.
