These are the best days of our lives they say. 700 days, from first day of freshman year to the last day of senior year. Wow, how the time has flown and drug on all at the same time. Over those 700 days, how many laughs you think you have had that made your stomach hurt? How many tears have you cried over the most pointless things that your mom swears won’t matter later on. But the tears still hit the pillow. How many friends have you lost and gained even though you swore you would never change and never lose touch? Let’s reminisce on all of those memories, shall we?
Let’s start this walk down memory lane in the summer of 2013, having sleepovers with your best friends since kindergarten pinky promising you guys will always be best friends and high school will never change you. Did you keep that promise?
Next stop, freshman orientation, the beginning of friendships being made and hearts being broken. I’m sure everyone’s hearts were racing and had sweaty hands. You get your schedule of your classes and kinda figure out where you’re going. Then the first day of high schools rolls around. Yep, about a thousand students in one high school. Nothing to be afraid of or worry about, right? You final get through your first week of high school, it wasn’t “that” bad. Finally, you know your classes and made a few friends in each one so you’re set for the year.
Next milestone, first high school football game, sitting with the high school fan section. Getting to dress up with the Cougar Crazies, throwing baby powder up for every touchdown without getting a detention because Dr. Billiter is the best! Everyone lives for the Friday Night Lights, tailgating and all the rival games.
Getting through your first year of high school wasn’t so bad, you made some new friends, lost some too, but that’s okay. Yeah, you may have got lost a time or two or made a “freshman mistake” but it’s a good story to tell later on, I guess.
Starting the second year of high school, not at the main bottom of the food chain but still kinda there. You are getting the hang of things and its going good. You get to go the more games and events because you know more, baseball games, soccer games and basketball games and you know who the rivals are.
Finally, junior year. The year you get to start driving, have to take the ACT, first year you can go to prom, and the year you have to start getting your crap together. Teachers stress ACT!!! College ready!! But I promise the world won’t stop spinning and the sun will still shine if you don’t get a 25 on the ACT. A test score does not define you as a person, you can be a great person, willing to help anyone, and always first and center for school events but just cannot take tests. Or you could be the kid that can make a 36 on the ACT and not car about anyone except yourself.
Now, to the last 175 days when everything falls in to place. You pick your college, your major and your roommate. Your last Friday night football games with your friends as a cougar, your last district and region basketball games as a cougar, your last prom. Senior trip and Senior skip day, when skipping is actually a good thing. Did that just hit you? This was our last trip around the sun as a cougar, which I guess you could say “once a cougar always a cougar.” But nothing beats the sleepovers to make the tacky t-shirts for the next big game or the late night taco bell runs because you just need a friend. Nothing will ever beat the last 700 days we just lived, all of the laughs, tears, hugs, and heartbreaks. It really was the best days of our lives, I guess they were right. Cougar pride all the time, class of 2017.
Thank you for a great four years!
