At some point, you have to take the walk across the stage, leaving high school behind for bigger and better achievements. Looking back, high school can be filled with ups and downs. From pep rallies to lunches filled with loud chatter and laughing or crying, high school shapes you and prepares you for the real world or college, depending on the path you choose.

Being a high school graduate, I tend to find myself looking back on my high school years that were filled with happy and sad memories. The memories that I cherished then and will cherish for the rest of my life. Marching band, soccer games, cheering loudly at football and basketball games and getting hyped when my class won the spirit stick. Here are just ten reasons why I'm proud to call myself an alumni of Spring Hill High School of Spring Hill, Kansas.

1. "It's great to be a Bronco," and "Make it a great day, or not, the choice is yours," were two phrases commonly used in the hallways

It wasn't uncommon to walk down the hallway and hear a student or even a teacher utter one or both of those lines. It also wasn't an uncommon act if the principal while I was in high school came over the intercom for a "brief" message that ended in one of these lines. It was comforting knowing that I went to a high school that was so filled with positivity and pride and that those lines where used on a regular basis.

2. Football and basketball games had the best kind of music

Let's be honest for a second, I'm not just saying this because I was one of those band kids, I'm saying this because SHHS's band was the best. The music played was constantly upbeat and fun to listen to. On top of that, the band kept striving to learn new music, competed hard at competitions, and continues to do so, and their effort shows.

3. There's always a fun story to tell when it comes to the parking lot

A car that is, literally, on fire, or honking competitions are not uncommon when it comes to the busy parking lot of SHHS. Although the traffic is unbearable, it is nice to sit back and laugh, while riding shot gun, at the scene in the parking lot.

4. Music in the halls during finals week

Finals week was potentially the most stressful things at high school (spoiler: it gets worse in college). During the week of finals though, SHHS staff find a way to lower the stress levels by playing a catchy tune while students head to yet another final of the day. It's always fun when you know the song and you catch yourself singing along or you pass someone else who is getting really into the song.

5. The Student Publications photographs EVERYTHING

You don't want to be in the yearbook? Well, that is unfortunate, because SPUB aims to include as many people in the yearbook as possible. An innocent bystander who just happens to be eating ice cream at the Fall Festival, will be photographed by a photographer from SPUB who they didn't even realize had been standing in front of them the entire time. Your sunglasses might just be the featured item on a yearbook spread. You just never know, when it comes to them.

6. Prom in our lunchroom

While other high schools are going all out for prom and renting out huge facilities, SHHS likes to keep it real and prom is enjoyed by many in our lunchroom. It is probably the best transformation. Seeing our little lunchroom transformed into a beautiful dancing area. It also saves on money which means we can have one of the best after proms in the area.

7. You call any group you are apart of family

I had three families at school: my band family, my SPUB family, and my soccer family. Going to a smaller high school, bonding with teammates was common. I knew everyone on the soccer team, in the band, and in SPUB. They where all my friends and I would do anything to help them succeed in life, something that everyone who was apart of any group felt.

8. You knew everyone in your class... and a lot of the other classes

Another reason going to a small high school was great was because you ended up knowing almost everyone, and, if you didn't, by the time you graduated, you would know them. In my case, I knew everyone, from those who graduated three years before me, all the way down to the eighth graders who would soon be freshmen after I left, and everyone, basically, knew who I was.

9. The teachers knew who you were

Teachers also tended to pick up fast on who you were. Names were learned within a week of classes beginning, and many teachers could remember students they had three or four years ago. It was pretty common to hear the words "I remember that student."

10. The class competition was something everyone took seriously

By class competition, I mean points where taken during spirit weeks, pep rallies, throughout the year via surveys, attendance, and grades. Everyone aimed to do their best, show up for school, participate in spirit days, and be the loudest at pep rallies, because, at the end of the year, the class with the most points would go to Worlds of Fun instead of having to go to classes. That competition was the one thing many people took seriously in high school, even those who lacked school spirit wanted the day off of classes, while everyone else had to show up and learn something.

I may be a sophomore in college but my heart will always be where the Bronco statue stands tall. I will forever be a Bronco and will forever be proud to use the line "It's great to be a Bronco." So, make it a great day, or not, the choice is yours.