By Laura K. Manduca,Monmouth Academy

This is it. One of the most important years of my entire life is finally here. I am at the beginning of my senior year in high school and it is filled with a whirlwind of emotions. Excitement, sentimentality, and a hint of sadness would name only a few.

Over the summer, I was ecstatic that I had at last reached my long awaited senior year. I felt as though it could not come fast enough. Then I got back to school and people were talking about senior photos, yearbooks, and graduation day. The statement that hit me the most profoundly was when a teacher told my class that this year was going to be filled with a series of lasts for us. That was truly a depressing way to put it. I felt as if we were all dying when our senior year was presented to us in that manner. However, my friends and I laughed it off and we went about our day.

As the first couple of weeks progressed, I could not help but observe the underclassmen in the hallways. I was flooded with so many memories of being in the same exact position as many of the underclassmen at some point in time. I noticed the freshmen wandering through the halls scared, confused, and sometimes lost. I fondly recalled how I had once been so shy that I was joined at the hip with my best friend. Times have definitely changed. Even though we remain close, we are not afraid to branch out and do our own activities. The sophomores and juniors have all appeared in these passing weeks to be much the same way that I was. They have all gained confidence from when they were freshmen. They know what is going on and they feel like veterans. However, for many of them the reality has not hit that their senior year will creep up on them rather quickly. They feel safe because they are in the middle of their high school careers.

As a senior, my perspective of the school has changed. I feel old. This is the first year that the freshmen have ever seemed like kids to me. On top of my high school work, my mind is constantly thinking about college plans and all of the paperwork that I have to fill out. It can be quite stressful and I have to remind myself to relax. I am constantly telling myself that it is okay if I have some time to myself to alleviate stress.

I have grown so much as a person throughout high school. I am no longer the scared, shy freshman that I used to be. The bits of information that I have obtained in my classes will stay with me throughout my life. It is as if all of this knowledge has slowly seeped into my brain, and I have not even realized that I was learning anything. I know that all of the things that I have learned have helped me to grow. In the words of John Ruskin, “Education is the leading of human souls to what is best, and making what is best out of them.”