Four Years Have Come and Gone

VIEWPOINT

Spend the last days of high school appreciating the little things

By Shelbie Proudfoot, Current Staff

Seniors, on Saturday we attended our last school dance: our senior prom. The night was absolutely magical, but now the dresses have been hung in closets, the rental tuxes have been returned, and an exciting yet bittersweet realization has become ever-present in my mind—we graduate in 20 days.

That is it. 20 days. As I sit looking at that number, I cannot believe that four years have come and gone so quickly.

I can still remember my first day of high school, walking into the old auditorium with the screen lit up with big gold letters saying, “Welcome Class of 2017.” I remember seeing that year and thinking about how far off 2017 is and that I’m going to be here for what feels like forever.

Man, was I wrong.

Between all of the football games, school dances, and just my normal day-to-day schedule, I have watched my high school years go by in what seems like a blink of an eye.

Even though these years have gone faster than I would like to think about, so many memories have been made, and so many events and changes throughout my high school career have made me who I am. These four years have molded me into the soon-to-be graduate I am today, and so I would like to say thank you to high school.

Thank you for allowing me to make friends, and also lose them. It sounds sad, but they were just people who were not meant to stick around, and that is okay. Thank you for giving me years of amazing learning experiences with teachers who clearly have a passion for what they do and how they do it. Any other educational experiences I have going forward have some big shoes to fill. Thank you for teaching me how to survive a riot. Thank you for countless laughs, and sometimes, constant tears. Sometimes the stress was hard to take, but it always worked out how it needed to, and hey, it most likely prepared me for college and even life beyond college.

Any other educational experiences I have going forward have some big shoes to fill.

Most importantly, thank you for the little things that went unnoticed, or maybe still go unnoticed in the lives of high schoolers.

Maybe it was the kid in the hallway who picked up a book for somebody who dropped their stuff, or the freshman who went to their first homecoming football game and had an amazing time.

The custodial staff who work countless hours to keep our school clean, the beautiful murals on our walls painted by talented West Bend High School students or alumni, and even that lovely egg smell the school seems to have for about a week every once in a while.

While Friday night lights and prom make any student’s time at West Bend High Schools memorable, it is in these little things that our high school experiences become truly unique.

So seniors, what do we do to make these last 20 days together count?

Take in these little things, because soon they will no longer be ours to notice.

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