It's the End of Public Schooling as I Know It

This is it.  This is my last blog post.  It feels like just yesterday I was writing about Tender is the Night and John Oliver for the first time.  I wish I could say how absolutely perfect and amazing senior year was but that would be a lie.  This was the most stressful year of high school yet.  If I am being really honest, freshman year was actually the easiest year.

But as cliché as it may sound, easy years do not push you to grow as a person.  Did I love getting easy straight As freshman year?  Sure.  But the challenging AP class sophomore year with all juniors and seniors pushed me to work harder than I ever had in a class before.  I was not used to struggling in school.  It had always been fairly easy.  My first AP class pushed me to my limits, but it is the most memorable class I have ever taken.  I learned not only a lot of the subject material, but I learned how to struggle through difficult material and collaborate with others.  My final project that I had to create and carry out on my own was so hard, but I will always be proud of my thirty page final report.

So as this week comes to a close, and the only assignment between me and graduation is my Catcher in the Rye take home test, I am feeling glad that Senior year is over but grateful for the past thirteen years of formative public education.

Let the Fun Begin

This is my second to last blog post, and I am finally enjoying the end of Senior year.  It has been a crazy busy year, but everything is finally starting to slow down.  AP exams are over and all the celebratory events are starting.

Last night we had a Girl Scout ceremony, and it was so nice.  I was almost in tears.  I have been a Girl Scout for 13 years, and I cannot believe I am now an adult member.  It does not feel that long ago I was a Daisy scout making keychains and eating snacks in a giant troop of 17 girls.  Our troop, while only 4 girls, is the only troop in our grade in town that survived all 13 years.  I am extremely proud of my troop and all we have accomplished.

Tonight is the school ceremony for NHS and Century Club which I will also be attending, and able to enjoy, since I have very little homework.  Last year when I attended I could not enjoy the ceremony because I had an AP exam the next day.

In the coming weeks, there will be other exciting Senior “stuff” like the last day of school/BBQ, the boat cruise and all night party, the baccalaureate and ice cream party, class day, and of course graduation itself.  My family has also planned a graduation party that I am very excited about.  We will be renting a bouncy house because nothing says mature like a good old-fashioned bouncy house!

After four years (I would argue thirteen years) of hard work, it is nice to be able to celebrate all we as a class have accomplished and experienced.  I am looking forward to the future, but I am going to savor every moment as a Senior before I am back to being a lowly Freshman!

The End As We Know It

I have been so busy that it just dawned on me that senior year is almost over.  We have less than 20 days until we are done with our K-12 education forever.  I cannot believe how fast the time went.  It does not feel that long ago that I was in 3rd grade, nevermind freshman year.

On the other hand it seems so strange that all the activities and events for the Seniors are now for us.  After watching class officers and teachers plan signature Senior events for years, I cannot believe I will now be attending these events.

Everyone keeps asking if I’m enjoying my Senior year, and while I’m excited now for all of these end of the year events, it has honestly been one of the most crazy and stressful years ever.  Between college stuff, a heavy senior year course load, and my scramble to finish up my Girl Scout Gold Award in addition to a million other activities and Senior year stuff, I have had no rest.

Today I took my first AP Exam.  I cannot believe I am totally finished with Calculus for the year.  I have no idea how I did on the exam, but there is no point worrying about it because the scores do not come out until July.

I have two more AP Exams and then work I need to do for my Gold Award.  Once I finish all of my AP Exams and my Gold Award, I think I will finally be able to relax for a little bit until college starts up in the fall.