BY: GRACE S.
Hello. I hope you are doing well. My name is Grace. If you are reading this, that means I am officially done with high school. I loved high school. It was a splendid time filled with splendid people. There were a few rough patches I encountered though. Some small hiccups that have sandpapered me into the person I am today. If there is one thing I would like to do, it’s help people not run into these same faux pas. These are things I wish somebody had told me during my four years.
Anyone can be your friend. In high school, what grade you are in doesn’t matter when it comes to making friends. In total, this means you have seven years worth of potential friends. Make friends on your sports teams. Make friends in your geometry class. Make friends in jazz band. Younger. Older. Same grade. Different grade. Boy. Girl. Neither. Popular. Not popular. Anyone can be your friend. I promise you they are out there. And if your current friends aren’t treating you the way a friend should treat you, go find some news ones. You deserve better than to have bad friends. To have a friend, sometimes all you have to do is be a friend.
Sometimes “trying your best” won’t earn you first place--and that’s okay. It’s so hard to believe when you are feeling down on yourself, but trying your best is more important than being the best. If those two things happen to be the same, then that’s great. That’s something to be proud of. One day they might not be. And it’s okay. Making artwork you’re proud of or writing something you feel moved by or having fun on the court is ten bajillion times more important than getting first place. Trying your best is rewarding. Having fun is rewarding. Those are two things to strive for, not necessarily being the best.
Don’t take a single thing for granted. Coming from someone in the class of 2020, who lost the last two months of their senior year to CoronaVirus, there are so many precious memories you are going to miss once you don’t have them anymore. The feeling of relief after you turn in a test. Making faces to your friend across the room and getting called out by a teacher. Cheesy tot day. Seeing your best friend in the hallway in between classes and turning around to walk in the opposite direction to talk to them for just a second. The feeling of leaving school on a Friday. Even the things I hated when they were happening are now memories I look back on and laugh about.
Some parts of high school suck. I don’t know anyone who didn’t have a rough time at some point or another. And those “rough times” can last a week or they can last a year. They will eventually end. Even when the rough times are happening, there are still good things happening as well. They might be difficult to see, but they are there. Cookies. Favorite songs. Friends. Those weird S’mores things from the auditoria. Teachers will always be there to listen to you. The teachers at West Jeff are some of the most understanding and extraordinary people I’ve ever met. They will be there to help you through. (I can’t tell you the amount of times I have cried in Miss Henry’s room.)
If you have the opportunity to be kind, always take it. Always. Always. Always. I don’t know when people started thinking this way, but being mean isn’t cool. It’s not edgy, it’s not quirky. It’s just mean. Don’t talk behind peoples’ backs. They always hear about it somehow. Don’t say mean things to peoples’ fronts. Especially if you are doing it to try to look cool in front of a group of people. It’s not worth it. I hate to tell you this, but if you are only cool because you are mean to people and you “tell it like it is”, then you’re not cool. You’re just a jerk. Just be kind. Give compliments to people. Help strangers out. Talk to someone you don’t know in the lunch line. There is no better choice than the choice to be kind.
If you’re not happy with the path you’ve chosen, you can change its direction. At some point during my junior year, I found myself profoundly unhappy. I felt as though I was living my life as a version of Grace everybody else wanted to see. I had become a parody of myself. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is choose your own happiness. If it ever comes down to it, always choose yourself. Being selfish isn’t a bad thing. It’s a preservative thing. It’s never too late to choose a new path. Don’t feel stuck being somebody you don’t want to be.
The love you experience in high school is real love, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. It’s so dumb to think that because you are young, your love is invalid. Please do not listen to the old and the bitter when they say you are too young to do anything, but especially when it comes to loving someone. Don’t let them cheapen the love you have in your heart or that someone is giving you. With that being said, it’s okay if you don’t date anybody in high school. There is no age you need to have your first relationship by. You’re not falling behind and you’re not less cool than others because of it.
Always show appreciation for teachers and staff that help you along the way. There are people at this high school that want to see you succeed. They are in your corner cheering you on no matter what. They will have a bigger impact on you than you will ever realize. Please take time out of your day to thank them. Shoot them a quick email or tell them in person the next time you see them. Teachers, staff, faculty, and coaches have dedicated their time to make your high school experience what it is. Let them know often how much they mean to you.
You are going to change throughout high school. From your style, to what Bath and Body Works perfume you use, to the words that you use, to who your friends are, to what you want to do with your life, to what you are passionate about. It’s all going to change. A million times over. And that change might feel scary. But once it happens it’s not. I promise. Sometimes, we hold on so tightly to who we feel like we need to be, we forget to be who we actually are. Change is inevitable. And it can really be a good thing. The person you are when you leave high school is not going to be the same person you are when you enter high school. And that’s okay.
I am no means an expert in anything. I don’t know much. But one thing I’ve noticed is that the relationships you form (with other people and yourself) are the most important things you have. Take care of them. Treasure them. And try to have fun. Go thank a teacher, or make a friend, or be nice to somebody. Have a great day. Take care of yourself. Thank you for your time.
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