I came from Chagrin Falls, a small town with a small school district and a small graduating class of only 168. The district had one elementary, one intermediate, one middle and one high school. To say the least, we were an intimate group.
Cliques were formed and secrets were kept, and we floated from friend group to friend group. Some people changed more than others, no doubt. But reflecting on our growth into young men and women, we shared a common experience. We all went through the trip to D.C. and the bittersweet of senior year, and more importantly we did it together. This fact will always stain my memories of school with fondness because, to quote one of the greatest movies of all-time, we were “all in this together,” from the first steps we took in Gurney Elementary to the ones across the field on Graduation day.
But now we’re poised to part. Gone will soon be the secrets, the cliques, the camaraderie that we shared for nearly our entire lives. And along with some of those things that fade out of our lives will be the individuals who never reappear in them.
Sometimes when we leave an experience our minds flood with plans of reunion, optimism to deny the fact that it has truly come to an end. High school, or simply school, for me, is no different. I recall a day soon after graduation when I looked through by yearbook reminiscently, making a list of people I wanted to see before I left for college. That list was long — I mean, over 100 people. Now that I leave tomorrow, I can maybe say I saw half of the people on the list, if not, less than that.
Am I disappointed with this number? In a way, yes — our common experience is at a fork in the road, and no longer can we say we made the same memories. Yet part of me is really OK with that. Growing up is a lot about accepting change. It’s about believing the fact that I was only close with so many people in school because I saw their faces in the hallways everyday. It’s about embracing the notion that I will have to neglect some of the friends I loved because it made way for better things. And the feeling will be mutual in many cases; I may lose friends with the people I thought I was closer to.
So to the 68 people that weren’t on my list, the 50 that I never got to see, and the many others with whom I probably exchanged a final goodbye, I wish you nothing but success. We have endured fights, resolutions, loves, agonies, and the abomination of puberty together. I will cherish forever the nights we spent partying together, the times when we laughed our a**es off in class, and everything in between. Maybe it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies for all 12 years of my education with you, but regardless, our common experience has shaped who I am today, and that is something I can be proud of. So many of you impacted me in ways I will never comprehend, and I truly owe it to all of you, even those who I part with on bad terms, for helping me learn everything I have learned about myself. With you I have spread my roots, but it’s time to extend my branches. Thank you all for the memories, and if I really never see you again, have a great life.
