Dear Kennedy,
It’s been two years since I last walked through your hallways, and it has been five years since I was a freshman. A lot has changed since then; I have changed since then. As an incoming freshman, I had heard the rumors. I had been told that I would be mixing with another part of town. I had been told that I would probably lose a lot of my friends from middle school. I had been told that our high school was depicted as “jappy.” Although, a lot of these rumors became true, I learned a lot from you.
I learned how to navigate three floors of a building within five minutes. I learned how to quickly spin my locker combination in under 20 seconds. I learned how to trick the gym teachers into thinking I changed for gym class. I also learned how to be a student. Believe it or not, but our teachers in middle school were right. High school is a lot different from middle school, just like how college is a lot different from high school. Even today I am still learning the ins and outs of college. I knew how tough it was going to be and I knew how much work had to be done.
Last night at dinner, my father asked me if you prepared me for college. My first response was “No, I got my first D on a paper.” The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that high school did prepare me for college. I did learn how to study and how to use my resources when I needed help. I think that due to the fact that college is on a much larger scale, I forgot how to ask for help. In high school, help was always around the corner, literally. My classes ranged from 14 to 24 students and I was very close with many of my teachers. Thank you, for allowing me to make friendships with teachers whom were there to help me at any time.
Each year, my confidence level rose as I walked through your hallways. By senior year, I had felt my most confident. I knew how the system worked by then and I was prepared to tackle any task given. With college, every task is more daunting than ever. Time and time again, I think back to how simple and easy high school was. Then I remember that at many points in high school, I found my tasks daunting. My first AP class, for example, used to make my body tense up every time I walked into that classroom. The guidance counselors that you provided eased a lot of that tension. I tell people that the only reason I would ever visit is to see my guidance counselor. He helped me through every rough patch I encountered. Yes, I know that college is supposed to make one more independent, but there was comfort in knowing that someone had my back on everything I did or wanted to pursue.
As I grew older each year, my friend group contracted and expanded. I tried to hold onto so many friendships that desperately needed to be let go. After all was said and done, and we graduated, I realized that my best friends were right in front of me. My group of friends is small but they are my support system and I wouldn’t change them for the world. I met a lot of fake people in those classrooms, but those four years with kids like that are only temporary. I have learned to value the real and genuine friendships right in front of me. I can go through my adult years knowing which people I connect with and which people I do not. I have learned that not everyone can be your friend, but you can at least try. I am now eager to make many friendships in college and beyond.
Kennedy, you are not a perfect school. You have your flaws, just like the students who fill your hallways do. I wanted to escape your hallways and classrooms for so long that I forgot to actually enjoy my time there. Now I realize how much you and my hometown means to me. I think about you often and the good times that I had: from getting accepted into colleges, to spirit week and homecoming, class night, driving into town for lunch each day, and to being a part of a student body that was as enthusiastic and crazy as ours was. Thank you for introducing me to my best friends and for showing me who my true friends are. I may not send my children to you, but I will always have a place for you in my heart.
Sincerely,
RBW, Class of 2014
