Ah, high school. The four years of growth, laughter, drama, and memories that will be cherished forever. We often don't appreciate the good things that high school gave us until we've graduated and are in our first semester of college. Here are a few things that are universally loved about high school.
1. Living at home. While our parents did drive us nuts sometimes, living at home with people always looking out for you is one of the best parts of high school. They're always just a few rooms away when you need someone to talk to, and they were always there to lend a hug and a listening ear (they still are now, but school is far away from home).
2. Your group of friends. I don't know about you, but I had awesome friends in high school. We grew up together, and they accepted me for me. I always had someone to go with me for spontaneous donut runs, ice cream splurges, and trips to Target. They had my back and supported me in everything I did. We were inseparable and did everything together. And the best part was that we all went to the same school, and lived within two miles of each other.
3. Football games. My high school is home to the best football program in the state (go Trojans), and the Friday night lights drew in the whole school each weekend in the fall. Football games in college are fun too, but at the state schools it's impossible to know the boys who play on the team like you know your high school team. It was a blast to have themed games because the whole student section would show up dressed in crazy outfits, and we would cheer our boys on altogether. High school football brought everyone together.
4. Shenanigans. From cramming eleven people into my friend Amanda's Rav-4 before school to jam to One Direction to sneaking off campus to buy donuts, we always kept things exciting. You can get away with a lot of things in high school because you typically know the teachers better than you know your professors in college. And because they are more eager to know their students. They'll pretend they don't see your phone out in class, or ignore it when you walk in late with a Sonic drink.
5. Everyone being all together. You don't really realize how much you loved high school until it's over. You miss waving at acquaintances that pass you by in the hallways, living within five miles of all your friends, and doing things as a class. From sporting events to musicals to proms, your class experiences it all together. While you're immersed in it, it's hard to look forward to a time when things are different, so you forget to cherish your class until everyone is in separate places.
Once high school ends everything changes, no matter how hard you try to keep it from changing. People move on to bigger and better things, friends grow apart, and everyone grows up. High school is the final time for everyone to be together, and while it wasn't a piece of cake, it gave us some of the best times of our lives.
