Moving Forward and Moving on

Moving+Forward+and+Moving+on

Audrey Miller, Staff Writer

With the year coming to a close, seniors are going to be leaving. Underclassmen will be left without the seniors to face their next step in high school.

Coming in as the ‘new kids,’ freshman year could be considered one of the most socially challenging for many students. Current freshman, Jacqueline Berks reflects on the start of year. “Beginning of the year me was set in taking the opportunities I got, but I also was constantly worried that I wasn’t good enough for them,” Berks said.

After her freshman year, Berks wants to share what she thought made freshman year fun and exciting for new students joining the halls of GP. “My biggest advice to incoming freshmen is take opportunities and do things you normally wouldn’t think about doing because you may find you actually really enjoy it,” Berks said.

As the year ends, freshmen are starting to know their way around the school. In a few months, they’ll return to school as sophomores, no longer the ‘new kids’. “It’s gonna be nice to have been around longer and know what I’m doing,” Eleanor Schindele said.

With the year coming to a close, sophomores will soon become juniors. Junior year is commonly filled with higher-level classes, SATs, ACTs, and a whole lot less sleep with the increase in homework. “I think for most people [junior year is difficult,]” Junior Maura Hyatt said.

The challenge is daunting for most people, including soon-to be junior, Tem Forbes, yet they keep themselves in the optimistic mindset. “I do believe that it’s going to be hard, but I know that I’ve got this” Forbes said.

Continuing on from junior year, the class of 2024 are preparing for their last and final year of high school. Senior year is perceived as a laid back year. Senioritis is peaking and classes are getting easier, yet it’s your last year at the school, and after that, it’s life. College, universities, and jobs. For upcoming senior, Hyatt, this is not laid back.  “It’s very stressful. Thinking about what college I want to go to and what major I want to be, it’s all just a lot,” Hyatt said.

Life moves quick, and high school is just a small portion of it, stress is high, but the memories made here are something to learn from and cherish. From freshman to senior, it may seem like a long journey to get there, but the year is ending, and everyone is moving forward. “Now at the end of the school year, I can’t stress enough how happy I am that I took the opportunities presented to me because I learned that I can do them.” Berks said.