Everyone told me that I would miss high school after I left, and for months I denied even the possibility of that happening. I was so thankful to be out of there and to be moving towards bigger things. Now I am second semester freshman at Wells College, and the more I think about my graduating class of 2015, the more I think about how they impacted my life. See, growing up in a small county and seeing the same faces every day for about 18 years isn’t that exciting, but it’s what we made of it that matters.
When I walked through the doors on my first day of high school, I didn’t think that anything would change. My freshman year was just as dismal as anybody else's. I had some great friends and we got in a lot of trouble, but what else is there to do in Small Town, USA? I worked at the same amazing job every summer, had my first real boyfriend (and breakup), did the same couple of sports, and did my best in school. Every freshman was just trying to get through the day and I was no different.
My sophomore year, things sped up a little. During the annual Watkins Glen High School Spirit Week and Color War, my class took first place, which we would do for the next two years. My varsity cheerleading career was going great, winning several competitions, and I was getting more and more involved in my school. The Class of 2015 was nothing to mess with; us little sophomores knew our place in this school and we were destined for the top. The end of the year rolls around and the senior class graduates.
There was one individual that stood out among all. He was the biggest fighter Watkins Glen ever knew and it wasn’t long after graduating that he passed away. This left a huge hole in our community and saddened me deeply, even having not known him personally. We came together to honor his life and since then, I haven’t stopped wearing my green “Defense for Devon” bracelet. This was the first of many tragedies.
My junior and senior year seem like such a blur. More community members were lost; a classmate’s dad, a classmate’s mom, and my little brother and sister’s father. There was so much sadness to be felt but no matter what was going on, my class was always so strong. We continued to fill the bleachers at football and basketball games. We would rush the court to congratulate our friends after winning some of the most important games played in our home gym. We filled the auditorium with song and dance and the field house with cheers and chants. This was a community--a family; we were in it together.
So I stood there, in my cap and gown, listening to my entire graduating class sing the National Anthem and I was elated. We had all been through so much together and yet there we stood, shining through it all. We had reached the end and were going our separate ways. We were leaving, but we will always be together. My class taught me how to deal with some of life’s biggest challenges that not every teenager has experienced. I am forever grateful for what my time at WGHS has made me to be. Everything I learned there is still with me today and I will value it forever. So thank you, Watkins Glen Class of 2015, for everything I was, everything I am, and everything I will be. I will forever be a Watkins Glen Seneca.
