Dear Juniors,
You're practically done with this year. Senioritis is already starting to kick in, even though you are not even a senior yet. Between all the tests, quizzes and annoying homework, you cannot stop yourself from thinking of much except for the anticipated celebrations of the coming year. Soon, you'll see all the senior prom pictures, senior apparel, and graduation pictures. Everything will slowly begin to change for you. SAT scores will suddenly become way more relevant. "Where are you going to college?" will become everyone's favorite question to ask. Your GPA will matter more than ever, and you might even learn the actual definition of stress. Don't let this distract you from enjoying the time you have left in high school. Don't take any moment for granted.
As cliché as it sounds, you are going to miss everything about high school. The football games, the excitement when class is canceled because of an assembly, the group chat's late night gossip sessions, the relationship drama, and even the crazy teacher who yells so much the class actually laughs will all become memories instead of reality in the near future. It will all come to an end faster than you think. You'll miss having your right-hand friend sit on the other end of the classroom because the teacher is tired of you two being "a distraction to everyone else's education." You'll miss your favorite teacher and their low-key special treatment towards you. Your coach's intense belief in you and your club's enthusiasm when everything is going as planned will be something that you will look back on later in life.
Whether or not you decide to go to college, the memories you make outside of high school do not compare to the agonizing four years you have spent with the same people in the same classrooms. Seriously though, the real world is ridiculously huge. It's exciting, but it's not fifteen-year-old high schooler waiting for their "glo-up" type of exciting. Appreciate how unnoticeably great high school is before you're a small fish in a big pond all over again. Starting fresh will feel fulfilling. Give yourself a pat on the back because soon enough, you will be done with high school, and moving onto the next phase in your life. Sometime after planning prom-posals or partying because SATs are finally over, you will realize that this is not the end, but simply a new beginning. All your hard work will begin to pay off!
