It was just yesterday that I took my first steps through the doors of Prairie Ridge… wait, wasn’t it? Wow, these years have flown! Looking back, there have been exciting, sad, embarrassing, funny, and altogether unforgettable moments that have contributed to this crazy ride called high school. Congratulations Class of 2012, we’ve made it!

My best decision in high school by far was getting involved in extracurriculars. I was in NHS, SNHS, newspaper, band, math team, I tried yearbook for a little while, I even had a go at soccer freshman year. Trying new things was never something I have been great at, but I was determined to make high school a time to eventually step out of my comfort zone. Most of my good friends now I had met in some after school activity, and these relationships have made my high school career that much more meaningful. As a senior, I feel I have emerged a more open and well rounded person because of the activities in which I have participated.

“High school is the best four years of your life,” some may say. Wow, I sure hope not! Yes, our time here at PR has been a time of growth, a time to have fun and develop relationships that will last, a time where it’s still moderately acceptable to be called a kid. But what lies ahead is the start of a beginning that I’m not afraid to grab hold of. Going away to college doesn’t have to mean dropping everything and leaving your old life; it’s an extension, a fresh perspective of the world. So many opportunities are in front of us, and we can’t be unwilling to put ourselves out there. After all, high school and college is really just a drop in the bucket of the rest of our lives. Before I know it, I will be receiving my college diploma, looking for my first apartment, interviewing for my first job. It’s not sad, scary, or intimidating to think of these steps coming up in my life; it’s exciting. And I’m not afraid.