Wow. How are these four years already coming to an end? It feels almost like I was just a nervous eighth grader coming out of covid into freshman year. Lost, confused and overwhelmed in a large school. I moved the summer before freshman year and did not know a single soul. Now, a senior, I am captain of my soccer team, Editor-in-Chief of my yearbook staff and I brought my dream of a school dance to reality for the whole school.
Saying that high school didn’t have that much of an impact on me would have been a lie. I am not going to say that it was all sunshine and rainbows, because that would definitely be a lie, but these four years brought me friends, leadership opportunities and taught me many lessons that will carry me far beyond high school.
Freshman year, I rekindled my desire to play soccer again. Returning at year seven of playing, I tried out and made the team. I played jv and a few varsity games, and ultimately progressed to starting varsity my sophomore year. From the fall, to early spring you could pretty much find me on a soccer field every day after school. I continued playing because of my teammates. They brought me so many laughs, smiles and the best memories. Switching regions my junior year, my team continued progressing and winning region games. This season ended the most successful out of all four years. We fell one game short of playoffs, taking the region champion to penalty kicks. Last year we lost 5 to nothing, so the improvement was drastic. The season was not perfect performance-wise, but this season brought me the best memories and I would not have wanted any other group of girls to share my senior season with. I will miss every single one of them so much.
Yearbook was an activity I added to my junior year. Looking for exciting and fun activities I could do during the school day, I applied and joined the staff. I quickly latched onto the style of the class, taking pictures and designing pages for a product the whole school could enjoy. I worked to help my team navigate our spreads each week and earned the title of Editor-in-Chief for my senior year. After we completed the yearbook in march, we began planning for the next year. By the fall of my senior year the design and logistics were planned and executed. This book is everything I wanted and more. The pictures, design, writing and layout truly encompass North. I am so proud of what we accomplished. Yearbook also helped me discover my passion for photography. I enjoy taking pictures, I love to capture the special moments in someone’s life that they can hold on to and reminisce on.
Throughout the four years at North I knew something was missing. After Christmas break until the spring there was very little for students to involve themselves in. Few activities and not many social events for students. I wanted to change that. Over the summer I drafted my idea, and then throughout the fall met with all administration to get my ideas approved. I organized a committee with the help of Mrs. Mundy and Mrs. Huffman and with the help of the committee we put on the most beautiful Sadie Hawkins Dance. It was a retro/throwback themed event to commemorate the school’s thirtieth anniversary and we had stunning decorations elevating the floor. A fully decorated dessert bar enticed students and we hosted the most incredible DJ, who worked with the Atlanta Braves and is verified on Instagram. He treated the crowd to a laser light show, cold sparks display and mashups of songs. It truly was a night I will never forget and an experience that I will cherish.
Finally, Raider Wire. I am involved in a few other clubs at this school, clearly I love to keep busy, but Raider Wire was another one of the most important. I was interested in pursuing journalism at the beginning of the year, and this class was the perfect avenue to explore the field. The creativity I was able to cultivate and the freedom to write on whatever my heart desired was what made it most appealing. The flexibility of the class had me trying various writing styles, and towards the end of the year I found my groove. Between the categories of opinion, news, sports and features, I enjoyed opinion the most and that became my category. I wrote on many topics, one of my favorites was sharing my opinion on Thanksgiving. If you are curious, be sure to check it out. This class brought out my creative side, and it was comforting having the opportunity to dive into any topic of my choice. This class will be one I miss.
Four years later, I feel so different. I learned so much over the course of high school. Some concrete topics like solving for x, or writing a Q1 essay, but also life lessons that I will carry beyond high school. I made so many incredible friends, pushed my comfort zone, found various things I’m passionate about and made the sweetest memories. Looking back on the four years at North, I would not change much. Every experience developed me more as a person in some way, even if they were uncomfortable or uneasy at first. When I was told that high school would go by fast I really didn’t believe them, but it did. I’m sad to move on, and as of right now not feeling too ready, but I’m so thankful for my time at North.
