Any time a teacher gives an option for a project, it is a sure thing that I am not picking the oral presentation option. Normally, I’m a man of few words, but when given the opportunity to freely write about my time at Northwood, there’s no shortage of words to describe my experience. Frankly, “goodbye” isn’t one of them—just a casual “see you later” or “here’s to the future.”

Since 2017, every year has been marked by many ends and many more beginnings. Unsurprisingly, freshman year was the start of it all. That was the year of restlessness, relaxedness and everything in between. Lunches were spent conversing with the few friends from the summer Health course and making the daily commute to the gym bathrooms because it was the only bathroom I knew how to get to. The casual stroll to class wasn’t as advertised; I think sprint is a better word. Honestly, back in the day, even Usain Bolt couldn’t compete in the class-to-class sprint against me. Jokes aside, planner beside me, I hurriedly tried to piece together the labyrinth of buildings, but more often than not, I was still tardy. However, over time, as I met the friends who made campus feel like home and the teachers who redefined learning, the first two and a half years were filled with the overwhelming feelings of euphoria. It seemed to be so separate from the thought of high school ending that the Coulombic Force of Attraction between the two feelings was about zero. Thanks Mr. Monge…

But then came along second semester junior year, when the world grounded to a halt. The supposed three-week pandemic exploded to be a year-long saga that culminated in more variations of learning than I ever thought possible—Emergency Distance Learning, Hybrid Learning, Distanced Learning, Asynchronous Learning, Synchronous Learning, the list goes on. Everything seemed to have “Zoom” in front of it, and it has led to a rather bittersweet finale to our experience here. Although nothing can compensate for the memories we could’ve gained in a traditional high school setting, the thoughts of the future seem gratifying, exciting and more or less relieving. It’ll be a joyous occasion when masks aren’t needed for society to function, but until then, it’s time to make the most of what we’ve got. 

With all the sappy anecdotes out of the way, here’s a quick ode to some of the people that have contributed to my time here. After all, I am an immature senior, who has had his fair share of screw-ups, so I don’t have any real wisdom to impart. Not to mention, that’s for the “big-brain” people and nothing about that screams me. 

To the teachers, a massive thank you for everything. Even though each groan at another presentation or head shake after reading another project rubric makes it seem like the exact opposite, words can’t describe how thankful we are to have you as guides. To my parents, thank you for your endless support and for allowing me to make the 30 minute commute to and from Northwood for the first two and a half years of high school. Last, but certainly far from the least, is thank you to all my friends that I’ve met over these years. All my Flight Reacts’ references and quirky sense of humor definitely get old, but each laugh makes all the difference. 

That was a mouthful to say the least. With that, I conclude. Thank you for all the memories T-Wolves. It’s my time to be a freshman again.