EVER since I was a freshman I have looked forward to becoming a senior. Seniors looked like they had it all. They're finally the upperclassmen and they rule the school! They've made the "big time" and to be a senior is the best because it means that in less than a year, you'll be graduating. Oh, what I would've given to jump straight from ninth grade to 12th. Attention freshmen:
Don’t rushAs a freshman, I felt like such a little kid; my classmates and I were considered the "babies" of the school.
When sophomore year rolled around, no one really paid much attention to us, and I felt like I was just stuck in the middle.
Becoming a junior meant that I was only one year away from entering the grade level I had waited an eternity for, although I was just getting the hang of being in high school.
Then one day, finally, I was officially a SENIOR and I couldn't wait to start the new school year. All my other high school years didn't matter, because I was going to make this one the best.
But now that my little dream has become a reality, I don't want it anymore. As a senior, there are two words that describe my everyday life: busy and stressed. Between work, church, extra-curricular activities, trying to have a social life, worrying about college and keeping up my grades, it seems like there are never enough hours in a day.
The two biggest worries in my life are college and grades. It has always been a dream to go to a mainland college and eventually have a successful career. So since school started, I've been consumed with studying and filling out one application form after another.
I only finished my college applications recently, and that's not even the half of it. I have about 20 scholarship applications waiting to be filled out, which also require me to write essays and seek out recommendations. What happened to "having a life" being a senior? It doesn't seem like much of a life to me.
I just realized that half of my senior year is over and it's gone by quicker than any other year in my high school career. It always seems that the most cherished times you want to savor are the ones that slip away before you know it.
Part of me still has that feeling of wanting to graduate already and get all the school work and hassle out of the way. But most of me sees that high school has been so much fun, filled with so many memories, and I'm not ready to let this period in my life go just yet.
It makes me really sad to think that this was my last Homecoming, Winter Ball, Christmas with my friends and soon it will be my last prom.
I'm even more depressed by the thought that my friends and I won't be seeing each other as often after June as we have been these past years. Everyone says, "We won't let things change! We're going to keep in touch!" but in actuality, I know we all move on and our paths all lead to different destinations.
For those who are ninth-graders now, the years leading up to 12th grade are ones to treasure and it's true when people say, "Your high school years are the best ones of your life."
You can never go back to being in high school again and it's your last chance to have fun before you enter the real world.
I think of how much I anticipated being a senior four years ago and it makes me laugh. Isn't it ironic that I dread it now?
I regret so much that I wasted so much time wanting to get OUT of high school. I should have made more memories because all I want to do now is stay IN high school.
I would give anything to start all over as a freshman. But all I can do now is enjoy the little time I have left until that long-awaited-but-now-ill-fated graduation day.
Senior Trisha Shinsato has really
learned to love Castle High.Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives. Speak up by fax at 523-8509; by answering machine at 525-8666; snail mail at P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802; or e-mail, features@starbulletin.com