From the highly-anticipated opening of the "Greenway" during lunch to the gym being jam-packed and full of students shouting at the top of their lungs to watching Mr. Berg run around dressed as the opposing team's mascot during our pep rally; if you were a Washington High School Panther, this brings back many memories. Let us take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

Before I get to the main focus of this article, let me make one thing crystal clear: high school was not a walk in the park. I refuse to portray it as this stress-free getaway, full of smiles and endless happiness. High school was undoubtedly bittersweet to say the very least. That is truly the best way to describe it.

One thing is for certain, and that is once you became a Panther, you were always a Panther. Do not get me wrong, there were plenty of fights, drama and your typical "he said, she said" going on, but we were a family. No, not all of us were friends and not all of us got along, but we defended the name of Washington High School with great pride. Many negative remarks were often made toward our high school, and whenever that happened, we all stood our ground as one (with Mr. McCullough leading us, of course).

Freshman year was definitely terrifying, and I am sure I am not the only one who can attest to that statement. I remember being warned to beware of the seniors because they were out for prey. I had no idea what to expect walking through those front doors on the first day of high school. All I knew was that I was steering clear of the "senior hallway" as much as I possibly could.

However, I do not remember even being acknowledged by a single upperclassman. Those threats were clearly just some sort of scare tactic to stay out of their way. It worked. Sophomore and junior year were both kind of a blur for me, personally.

Senior year, however, was definitely one to remember. Why? I faced many hardships, shed many tears and faithfully wanted to give up at some point during every week of school. I had no choice but to grow up, though.

I had the support I needed from faculty members, and I was well-equipped for that fast-approaching transition to college. I honestly never felt alone in high school. I had teachers, coaches and other staff encouraging me to follow my dreams and open my eyes to see my true potential. That is just one of many characteristics of Washington High School that I absolutely adored.

There is no doubt that Washington had some of the most devoted teachers in the entire South Bend Community School Corporation. They worked hard to be a motivation to their students and taught their hearts out.

During my time as a Panther, I discovered strengths of mine that I never knew existed. For example, I have always enjoyed writing, but I never considered it to be a serious pastime. High school (senior year, to be exact) is when I came to the conclusion that writing was something I had been destined to do. I owe a great deal of this to my English teacher, Mr. Nowicki. He played a significant role in my decision to pursue my passion for writing.

Most people dreaded writing their senior paper, but I was one of few who were overly excited when that time came around. Mr. Nowicki was never afraid to point out minor technicalities I needed to correct, and he always made an effort to remind me of my strong suits. Once he reads this, I am certain that I will get an email from him, scolding me about my overuse of the word "I."

Mrs. Lustik, Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Glaser, Mrs. Arnold, Mrs. Rollins and Mrs. Black (whom we often referred to as "momma") all led and taught the members of the Medical Magnet Program, and, although there were many stressful moments for all involved, I can say I am grateful to have been apart of their close-knit family, as well. We were literally their "kids," and they let that be known every single day. I know all of my fellow Medical Magnet students remember getting on that bus and heading to clinicals every week. I don't know about you, but I loved wearing those green scrubs.

Washington High School was well-known for our athletics. Gehrig Dieter and David Perkins were just two of the most popular athletes who graduated from Washington High School during my time there. Everyone knew who they were, and if you didn't - well, that was just impossible.

Those Friday night basketball and football games were always full of students showing their love and support. Most of us never missed a home game. I know I tried my best not to. Our class of 2014 possessed a prodigious amount of talent, both on and off the court.

Even though high school wasn't the best time of my life, there are quite a few things I do miss. Talks with Coach Tony (one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life), "Girlfriends" meetings, our dress code (I had to add a little sarcasm), watching everyone smile from ear to ear whenever they got their hands on a bag of Flamin' Hots, stressing out over preparing for one of Ms. Vukovitz's tests and Marsha and Mr. Braylock patrolling the hallways are some memories that instantly come to mind.

Moral of the story: being a Panther is something worth taking a great deal of pride in. I, for one, will always be one at heart.