The end of the year is upon us, and it is hard to believe that it’s all coming to an end. The highs and lows of four years of high school feel clumped together, like it just started yesterday. But those challenges and obstacles high school provided just ended up making me a stronger person. It makes me reminisce about all the memories and friends I’ve made along the way. I am forever grateful for all the people who impacted my life through thick and thin as I wandered through high school. To think that these people I’ve made connections with throughout the years that I might not see again sounds depressing. And to think that I am going to walk those hallways, leave those doors, and drive out of the parking lot for the final time… it doesn’t feel real. 

Freshman year seemed like a blur. We just came back to school in person for the first time since the middle of seventh grade. In school during lockdown, it was hard to focus on schoolwork because my Xbox was calling my name, so I didn’t know if I was necessarily prepared for the next level. All of my past teachers said, “Well, in high school…” or “in high school, that won’t fly.” Was I ready? Masks covered faces, and as not the most extroverted person in the world, it was harder to socialize and make friends because I sometimes didn’t even know what some people looked like. When I would see someone towards the end of freshman year or sophomore year, it would be like a masked singer revealing, stunned to see who they are. We created images of what we thought people looked like, but our minds could have completely tricked us into believing imagination over reality. It got better towards the end of the year when school was less strict on masks, and we were closer than ever to “back to normal.” The workload was more than what I was used to, but I was ready for it. I tried my best not to let my grades slip, and stayed up to the standards I set for since grade school, getting all A’s and B’s. I played baseball freshman year with a lot of people I grew up playing with. Overall, it was pretty fun and had a lot of laughs with that team, even though I didn’t get some of the opportunities I wanted. Freshman year wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I was ready to jump right into sophomore year. 

My sophomore year was my least favorite year of high school. For the first time, I got my first C. Semester one of my Honors Algebra Trig II class. I would wait until the last minute to do the homework and not review that much, leading to a bad test grade, so I should have seen that coming. Second semester, I tried to drop that class, but there were no classes with a seat open that didn’t involve me completely reworking my schedule. I ended up sticking it out, and with better study habits, I got a B and was satisfied with that. Although I did wind up changing my math class for junior year, to not worry about math. The worst part of the year was getting cut from the baseball team. Instead of four teams, they bumped it down to three teams because of the cost, and I was a victim of it. I remember getting home and just staring into darkness, feeling empty, not thinking about anything. I became a manager for the freshman/sophomore team with a friend, and at least it kept me still surrounded by the game I loved. 

I was nervous going into my Junior year because of all the “Junior year was the worst year of high school” talk. The transition from O’Plaine to Almond was nice, as I like the Almond building way more than O’Plaine. Everything is nicer and more organized, in my opinion. Being in a new environment must’ve helped because my grades were a lot better. I didn’t have a lot of friends in a lot of my classes and didn’t talk much, but my grades said it was a blessing in disguise. I achieved my highest GPA in high school and was proud of my work. I started to look further into the future and found out that I wanted to be involved with sports when I grew up. I love to write and the media surrounding the sports industry, so I knew I wanted to be a journalist, especially after taking Mr. G’s journalism class. After working to get better through the baseball off-season, I cracked the roster, and my work paid off. But it was short-lived. During open gyms and tryouts, my right shoulder would hurt whenever I would pitch the ball, but I knew if I backed out, I would get cut. I pushed through the pain, but it got increasingly worse. After making the team the first time I pitched, I couldn’t keep going. My shoulder hurt so bad, and I stopped throwing for two weeks. It never fully healed for around a month, and because of it, I got put at first base, a position I’ve never played before. It was pretty rough getting my first reps at the position in-game, but I’d like to think that through practicing, I got better throughout the season. I only pitched twice in the game, and looked good in both outings. I’d hope to pitch more, but I was just glad to be on the team. As one of the only seniors on the team, I didn’t know if I was going to fit in with the group, but that was the opposite. They called me LV or Snowy, referring to my gamertag on Xbox. Those were some of the best memories I’ve had playing for a team that I can remember. 

Senior year was finally the year, and it finally felt like I was almost home free. The clock was ticking down, and decision time with college felt closer than ever. I originally liked Mizzou when I was researching and touring schools, then Indiana. But Iowa State is the college I am destined for. Ever since I toured the campus, I knew I wanted to be a Cyclone. That’s where I’ll be continuing my schooling, trying to earn a major in Sports Media and Communication. As for the year itself, it’s been a blast. I feel like I’ve made the most friends this year, and classes have been the most fun they’ve ever been. Even though senioritis kicked in, I powered through and finished off strong. As for baseball, I decided not to try out because I don’t have the same feeling for the game that I did a couple of years ago. I was content working for the Gurnee Park District as a counselor during the week instead. The phrase “Save the best for last” definitely applies to high school, as this was my most enjoyable year of high school. 

I am extremely thankful for my high school experience. Growing up, I always thought that high school was going to be dreadful with mountains of homework every night. But that wasn’t the case, and it changed who I am through the years. In a few months, I’ll be wishing I had come back in August for another year with the same group of friends doing nonsense for five days a week. Sadly, it’s coming to an end, but there is college to look forward to. Thanks for reading my reflection, and GO CYCLONES!