Most people start off a new school year thinking about all the activities they will participate in. The clubs, all the new adventures, and the lifelong memories are all contained in a single year. For us seniors, we mostly think about all the “lasts”. The last games, dances, concerts, trips, and classes, all cloud our heads as we journey towards the end of the school year.

In my experience, completing all these lasts has been very difficult. The beginning of the lasts started on the first day of school, as it was my last, first day.  However, this day was exciting because I would never have to stand in line to get my picture taken or stand up in front of the entire class and say three fun facts about myself ever again. Right next to all this excitement was unhappiness. Thinking how this was my last first day of school with all my friends was hard to grasp. I still have not been able to see myself attending school without my best friends by my side.

Being a member of multiple extracurricular activities and clubs has completed my high school experience. Dedicating the last four years to choir, One Act, and the spring musical has helped distract me from stress, and gave me something to look forward to every year.

As for choir, many lasts have already happened. We have already performed three times and like normal, I had very high hopes for each of those, especially since I had finally worked up the courage to audition for a solo. To my surprise, I got the solo. I was ecstatic and over the moon, but of course, it was short lived. Three days before our concert, I lost my voice and got really sick. I was unable to attend the concert, and words cannot describe how disappointed I was. Missing a performance is devastating, but knowing it was my last first concert made it ten times worse.

One Act started in September, and it seemed to end in a blink of an eye. Even though we had nine weeks of practices and a full week of performances, I feel like the season shouldn’t be over yet because it went by so fast. Performance nights were very rough, as I was an emotional wreck. Saying goodbye to my One Act team and my life on stage was heartbreaking. After districts, despite the fact that we had another performance the following week, I did not know what my life would be like now that I won’t have the One Act season to look forward to next year. Once our Westco performance was completed, I broke down crying in my mom’s arms. The time had come to say goodbye to my One Act career. This was the hardest last so far.

Musical season has not started yet, but I know once that is completed, I will need a week off just to cry my sorrows away. While I am trying not to focus on it being another last, my excitement is building up. We were informed the musical this year is going to be The Addams Family, and now I cannot stop thinking about getting through auditions and start performing on stage again.

Senior year is filled with many new milestones, like applying to college, senior chants, and getting the back of the bus on school trips. It is also filled with many emotional “lasts”. Saying goodbye to your clubs and the families within them is the worst part about senior year. Being fully aware that I must say goodbye to it all makes me realize how thankful I am for each of them. I could not have imagined my high school years, especially my senior year, without being apart of them. Thank you AHS!