It's not uncommon to hear people saying they hated high school or that they don't or won't miss it. College is so much better, and who in their right mind would even miss those days, right? Wrong. High school is the time when you get to have fun and not worry about adult responsibilities yet. When you can be a little reckless, and maybe even get into a little trouble (sorry, mom). Most of all, high school holds so many memories. For me, high school was great, and I do miss it sometimes.
My graduating class was relatively small, but I take pride in saying that I knew every single person I graduated with. I've had the same best friend since kindergarten, and we're still going strong through college. Maybe this is rare, but it's been one hell of a ride so far. As cliche (or basic) as it may be, some of my fondest memories from high school are the dances; I loved prom and homecoming, the football games, and the parties on the weekends. My AP English class was the best, and I'll never forget the bond everyone shared by the end of our two years being in class together. Being in yearbook class was fun; who wouldn't want to choose what pictures go in there for everyone to look back on? My senior year powder puff game where the senior girls played football against the junior girls is one of my best memories. We may have lost, but that was the first time I'd felt such strong adrenaline while doing something athletic. I cared so much about that game. Did it really matter in the long run who won powder puff? Of course not, but in that moment it was the end of the world to lose.
It was the end of the world because in high school we weren't in the "real world" yet, we were in our own little bubbles. Trivial things that probably don't mean much now meant everything to us. But that's not a bad thing; we were teenagers. That was all we knew at the time. Everything "they" say, whoever "they" are, is right. Those four years go by so fast, and before you know it, your entire life is different and you have a new experience, college. (Which is proving to go by quite fast as well.)
High school was full of trial and errors. You had room to make mistakes, maybe make the same mistake again. We were all growing and learning and trying to find ourselves. In my opinion, college really opens your eyes to what your purpose is and who you really are, but high school is a huge stepping stone in that journey.
Some members of the Southgate class of 2013 cheering on our football team at a game held at Wayne State University.
