In thirteen days we will walk onto campus one last time. Caps in hand, gowns draped over arms, walking through those iron front gates one more time, trying not to let the heavy doors slam behind us. We will sit in a row of our peers, people we never met, people we played sports with, studied with, complained about homework with, and ate lunch with. Then it will be time and one by one we will walk across that stage. Shake Mr. Serrano’s hand. Throw the cap. And that will be it, the four year chapter of our life will come to a close.

To say that these past four years have been a whirlwind of emotions is an understatement. 

Our freshman year, the Red for Ed walkouts made it so school was off for two weeks straight. 

Our sophomore year, bats infiltrated the school, causing teachers to have to move their classroom or become professional bat handlers. We quickly became desensitized to the look of the security guard carrying a bag filled with bats. 

Our junior year, a global pandemic struck, making it so our spring break suddenly stretched out to combine with summer break. Everything was online: classwork, AP tests, zoom calls. Even our own newspaper suddenly transitioned to solely be online. Masks became a new normal, quarantine was a new lifestyle, and even going to a grocery store was an adventure in itself. 

Our senior year started off online, where we only knew our classmates by their google classroom icons. We then had to face a transition from online back to in-person, where masks covered every face in the halls, arrows marked the pathway to each class, and social distancing was an excuse to stay away from anyone you mildly disliked (see? benefits). 

Yet, throughout every hardship that was launched at the senior class of 2021, we have made it to the finish line, even if we did not escape entirely unscathed. 

Now we have a multitude of stories to share as we grow older and high school becomes a distant memory.