I used to think I was old.
Then I grew up.
A curious thing, high school is. We walk through the doors on our first day of Freshman year thinking we are still so cool because we were just in middle school and 8th graders are the best thing to happen to the world and then all of the sudden, something happens; the world becomes big. The world becomes something that we as students start to experience as people. We come to realize that the friends we have are the brothers we love, the sisters we love, the family we love. Time and distance will separate us all but our memory will always maintain the bond.
What we learn in high school is so much more than just chemistry and Shakespeare and whatever the inverse tangent of 30 degrees is; we learn to live. My teachers, each of you have taught me that getting the grade is not the goal, but how you get the grade. You have taught me that success is not a measure of wealth or GPA or rank, but a measure of what you did with the time you had. My friends, you have taught me that we all have our differences, but that is what makes us fun. More than that, you have gotten me to actually stick my head outside every once in a while. Finally, I have learned that life will kick you in the teeth, pull your hair, flick your nose, and then laugh about it; but you always can get back up. Life is fun, so roll with the punches and keep the motor running.
Looking back on my time at Prairie Ridge, that phrase is one of the first that comes to my mind: life is fun. I can be serious all I want and talk about the important life lessons that I have gained, but none of those lessons mean anything if you cannot have fun with the life that you are learning from. Did I perhaps do some stupid things like brand myself? Maybe other stupid things like burn a pine tree to recreate the Challenger for a history project? Possibly come to school too many times with not enough clothing on? Of course! If asked if I regret it, not a chance. The summers I have spent with my friends out on the lake or at the park or at our houses or wherever we may be have resulted in some of the most memorable moments in my life. People talk about trying to find true happiness in life and how it seems so hopeless, but I can earnestly say that the pieces of my life spent with my friends are the purest happiness I need; the purest that life has to offer. These memories are who I am, and who I am could not be any happier.
So it is with a tear in my eye of bittersweet bliss that I say this: thanks for the memories, everyone.