Freshmen
To the Freshmen of 2023, I’m sure this is not at all how you expected your first year of high school to end. While you are missing out on a few things, I just wanted to let you know that there is still so much high school has to offer you and to take every opportunity. I also wanted to encourage you all to finish strong with having to transition to online learning on top of the general high school transition and knowing how rough that can be, but the ways you are learning to overcome this situation and still succeed will only help you in your next few years of high school. To end, as a senior I just wanted to encourage you when everything ends to make the most out of every opportunity you are given. A lot of us seniors, while we were still able to make a lot of great memories, were saving a lot of things for senior year which now we may never get the chance to experience. So during this time, make sure to take the time to check on your friends and reach out to your ignite mentors whenever you need someone to talk to, continue to make memories while reflecting on past memories and to finish the year strong.
Sophomores
To the Sophomores of 2022. From personal experience, I can say that sophomore year is definitely the time in which my friend group and the people that I spent time with a lot changed dramatically. Sophomore year in itself brings a lot of changes as you prepare to become upperclassmen. As you begin to change, you will often notice your friendships change and the people you are drawn to change as well. During this unique time, I encourage you to take the time to not only take the time to work on yourself and notice how you are changing but notice how your friendships are changing as well. Pay attention to the people you are speaking with more during this time and who you have felt more drawn to reach out to. Know that you are not alone and that there are always people there for you to help with whatever you are going through, whether friends, counselors, or upperclassmen, so don’t hesitate to ask for advice!
Junior
To the Juniors of 2021, I can only imagine what you are going through right now in that it feels like your hardest year of high school has only gotten harder. Many of you have started to think about college and have started to focus on test scores, ap tests, and grades, which all seem up in the air right now. I am sure that there are so many of you worried about your future right now and how this whole situation is going to affect the opportunities and chances you’ll have in the future. I just wanted to encourage you all to know that you are not alone in this and that there are millions of juniors in America and all around going through the same situation as a whole. This situation will not weaken your chances of future success, but I believe that they have only increased them. Despite all that is happening, being able to succeed in such times of uncertainty has only made you all stronger and your hard work will be repaid in the end. I just wanted to end by encouraging all of you to finish strong and know that everything works out in the end, so know your teachers, counselors, and seniors are here for you.
Seniors
To the Seniors of 2020, this is not at all how we expected to finish the year and it has been a hard time for a lot of us. Although the events that have unfolded in the past year have taken away a great part of high school that we were all looking forward to, I just want to encourage everyone by reminding us how far we’ve come and how strong we are to be able to keep pushing forward. Throughout quarantine, whether in emails or on social media, all I have seen is the many ways that we as seniors are coming together to encourage and uplift each other whether through supporting each other’s college decisions or going to senior prom together with John Krasinski. While it is hard for us to not see a lot of our friends, right before a lot of us go to different parts of the state for college, this situation can be a blessing disguised in a curse. By being forced to call or facetime with our friends now, we are building habits that might be the very thing that keeps our relationships intact as we all go to different places in college. To end I just wanted to encourage us all to finish our time at high school strong and to continue being there for each other in a time where we may need it most.
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Photo Credit: Jalen Gooch
