Dear High School Students,

I know this may be cliche to you, but I don’t care. I hope that you read every word of this article. I hope you love high school. I hope you love all of the drama, the sadness, the laughter in the halls, the smell of the locker rooms, the cheers at the football games. I hope you cherish those things. I hope you hold those memories in your hearts forever. I hope you find the good within the bad on your worst days. I hope you find your best friends that you’ll have for life. Again, I know this seems like a huge cliche, but every word is true.

I graduated a year ago. It seems like it was only a month or so ago. It doesn’t feel like one of the best times of my life have been gone for over a year now. It seems so distant to me now. I wished high school away and now I’m already done with my freshman year of college. I know that you hope high school would go by a lot faster. I understand that because I did, too. Here’s the thing: I regret wishing it away. I remember wishing away the marching season because-yes- it took over my life. I never had the chance to be in the student section at football games. I did have the chance to be at EVERY football game though and for that, I’m extremely thankful.

I wished away the winter months, begged for snow days, wished that I didn’t have to ride the bus to school anymore. I came to regret that as well. Whenever I was late to class in the morning, I couldn’t blame it on the bus driver. If I didn’t go home right after school and my parents asked where I was (I was always hanging out in the band room after school with all of my “bandie” friends), I couldn’t blame it on the bus driver picking us up late. I was driving myself to and from school. I beg you not to wish that you have your license. You’ll miss spending the little amounts of time in the car with your mom or dad. You’ll miss the company. You’ll come to hate the responsibility of driving. When you start driving, your parents will tell you to get a job. You’ll push it off as far as you can (I started working at the end of my senior year at a Panera) and then you’ll have to pay for things with the money YOU made. The responsibility starts to crush you, but only a little and you don’t lose your shine. You’ll have to take responsibility to drive you and your friends (or siblings, if you have them) to school, to practices, to games, to work, or basically anywhere else. Please, don’t wish high school away.

To those of you who play sports, don’t wish the season away. Please, please, PLEASE, don’t wish it all away. I know the middle years are hard. Believe me, I was in marching band all four years of high school. I remember my sophomore year, wishing and hoping that it would end sooner. I regret wishing it away. I know that I’d do anything to get it back. I miss the marching and the music. I miss seeing my friends every single day for 4-5 months straight. I miss the passion that I used to have for what I did. Once my senior year came around, I wished that it would never end. Most of the seniors did, but I didn’t. I loved my section. I loved being a squad leader and section head. I loved my positions in the band. I loved what I did. Please don’t wish away your sports season. I beg you, please don’t wish it all away. When the last competition, game, performance, ect. of the season comes around, don’t forget to remember all the memories that were made there.

Your high school is the place that watched you start your freshman year, scared and alone. This place watched you create friendships, enemies, and boyfriends/girlfriends. This place watched you go through breakups, family hardships, broken hearts, and personal struggles. This place watched you become a confident senior, strutting through the halls on your last few months of high school. Make sure to thank your teachers for everything that they’ve done for you. Thank your coaches. Thank your directors. Thank your parents. Thank your friends. Please don’t wish this time of your life away. They truly are some of the best 4 years of your life. If you don’t get anything else out of this article, please remember that high school is only a small portion of your life. Please, I'm begging you. Make those years count.

Sincerely,