Final hoorah

“Just wait until you’re a senior,” they said.

“You can take easy classes and blow off your last year” they said.

I’m sitting here a week before Labor Day practically up to my knees in AP assignments, college applications, ACT prep, work, and last minute to-dos. Needless to say, I’m waiting for the “easy” part of senior year to show up and school hasn’t even started yet.

Although a relaxing class schedule sounds enviable, it’s not going to help me in the long run. For anyone considering dropping their hard classes for a lighter load- think about it. Which is going to look better to your “reach” colleges? Option one: you worked your butt off the first three years but opted for classes with the least amount of homework and stress for your fourth and final year. Option two: you’ve pulled your weight thus far, but just to show colleges or post-secondary school programs you’re as much of a hardworking, responsible student you say you are, you take an AP course or an honors class to finish strong. Yeah, option two might not sound as fun, but it looks impressive on those college applications everyone’s been talking about and working on since freshman year.

But don’t let that raise your heart rate too much. This is your senior year. Aside from the homework, sports, and extracurriculars that will take up your time, do as much as you can in your final days as a buccaneer. Go out with friends. Attend the football games despite the dropping temperatures and the falling rain (or snow). Go to those dances you’ve been calling “lame” since you first saw them on the school calendar. Meet new people, even if you are confident you and your friends are true #squadgoals. Get involved around the community or in after school clubs. Do all that you can and all that you want to do.

May 26 will come sooner than you think. We will be wearing our blue and gold caps and gowns in front of and next to the people who have been there with us and for us since September 2012. In those moments, you should want to reflect on this year in particular and feel like you wrapped up high school the way you wanted to.

There will be time for everything, but keep in mind, there’s never enough time. Make your senior year count. This is your final hoorah in the halls of Grand Haven High. Make it worthwhile.