Well, we finally made it. Our fourth and final year of high school is upon us, and as strange as it sounds to say, we are officially seniors. This year seemed unreal during 9th Grade, but suddenly, it has gone from the distant future to the immediate present to remind us that college is just one year down the road.

Many students are in the habit of wishing school away, as it can be overwhelming or unpleasant to confront the mountain of work that is required to be successful throughout the year. While that may be what feels appropriate at the moment, try to remember that this is probably the last year you will ever be able to call yourself a high schooler.

Time doesn’t move backwards, and that means that should everything go according to plan, you’ll never be a member of the Laguna student body again. So, rather than looking to the future in desperation for our next summer break, make an effort to appreciate everything you love about our school in the moment.

Give this year your all in every way you can: watch Laguna sports games, be attentive during assemblies and appreciate everything our hardworking teachers have to say, because, chances are, no college campus will be able to match the tight-knit feeling of Laguna’s community.

No lecture hall will be able to provide the level of personalization that is found in a small classroom, and it is highly unlikely that we as students will ever experience such a close relationship with our teachers when there are hundreds of other students around us hoping to learn from them as well.

It’s far too easy to think that our time in high school, and indeed, sometimes our entire childhoods, are going to stretch on for our entire lives. It’s the only role we really have been able to experience in life up to this point. Regardless, though, it is far from infinite, and moreover, it is scarily close to coming to an end.

Many of us have been with more or less the same kids for at least all of our high school years, and some of us have been Laguna students for as far back as elementary school. There is no doubt that college will mark a huge shift in our lives, and with just one more year before it is upon us, it is crucial to make the most of every moment we have left.

As anxious as some of us are to become more independent and start leading our own lives, which is certainly something that college facilitates, it’s probable that we will at one point or another find ourselves missing the community and friends we have made during our years at Laguna. Remember, though, it’s not quite over yet, so we do still have some time to enjoy everything that Laguna has to offer throughout the course of our Senior year.

I am by no means trying to put down the college experience. It is certainly something to look forward to, and it will open up doors to countless new opportunities that we would never have access to if we didn’t go. However, I do encourage this year’s senior class to try our hardest to remain present in the moment, through all the challenges and hardships this year may throw at us. By the end of the year, when our time at Laguna is officially over, we will be very glad we did.

– Ian Brown