The high school zone

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into…The high school zone.

Only enterable once every lifetime, the high school zone is a melting pot of seemingly different, yet intriguingly similar young people. The high school zone, divided by pods and hallways that somehow mesh together under one roof, can only be judged from the inside. It’s full of different types of kids; ones with differing backgrounds and personal agendas, or some with no agenda at all. It’s a place where it’s okay to have fun, while still making a mistake or two along the way. Most importantly, it’s a place where time is short. So why not make it sweet?

Many who enter don’t realize how lucky they are to be there. Take an underclassman student, for example, doing his math homework at his family’s dining room table. The student glances down at his math book and sees endless lines of numbers and symbols, none of which he understands. His vision goes blurry, and his head feels like it got hit by a train. He groans as he thinks to himself  ‘This is ruining my f***ing life.’ But is it really? Once out of the HSZ, you’re likely to face more prominent challenges, like finding a career or buying a house. If you put your school-related stresses in perspective, they are miniscule compared to problems that people face in the real world.

In the high school zone, they usually give you a second chance. In other words, if you face-punch that ugly bully who won’t leave you alone in english class, you might still get to come back to school within a week or two. In the outside world, punching someone like a coworker could result in legal charges and the termination of your job. Many of us take our second chances for granted in high school, thinking that we will have them forever.

In the high school zone, it’s acceptable to act like a kid (within reasonable boundaries…Your teacher probably doesn’t want to change your dirty diaper). Why? Well, because you are one. Coming of age isn’t meant to take place overnight, and until you’re 18 and out the door, you can be a kid. The real world zone, however, may not include as many people who will be amused by your childish behavior.

Four years may seem like a long time, however, statistically, it will probably only be about five percent of your life. Five percent of your life to grow, learn, enjoy the end of your childhood, and prepare you for whatever is next. So why not make your way to the next football game to cheer for the Bucs? You don’t have many chances left, anyway. Why not ask that cute girl that makes you nervous to the next dance? You won’t go to the same school forever. And why not calm down over that bad grade you got on your math test? It’s just one grade, and it doesn’t define your academic career.

“High school is closer to the core of the American experience than anything I can think of,” wrote writer Kurt Vonnegut. Whether you’re dreading graduation or can’t wait for it, your short time in the high school zone is almost over. Never again will you be this young and this free. You’ve already entered into this strange, special dimension. Now it’s up to you to live out your numbered days inside of it as best as you can.