Saying goodbye means leaving behind a piece of your past and in a way, a piece of yourself. However, the memories you’ve collected and the lessons you’ve learned along the way will move on with you. And in my four years at Temple City High School, I’ve learned a few things.
First things first, I’ve learned not to procrastinate. How many times has a teacher told us, “I’m giving you a month to do this, even though I know you’ll probably do it the night before”?
Like many of you, I’ve personally found that watching five hours of “30 Rock” when you’re supposed to be studying for an economics test usually doesn’t work in your favor.
Of course, when you don’t procrastinate, you have time for the second thing I’ve learned: using flashcards is a more effective, efficient way of studying. Some of my friends jokingly call me the Flashcard Queen because I make flashcards for almost everything.
But Frau is definitely right about flashcards being useful; today, I have four years worth of German vocabulary cards, literary device flashcards from AP Lang and a year’s worth of AP Art History great works cards.
While flashcards may seem like a waste of time when you’re spending hours making them, if used correctly, they can be grade savers (just ask Ms. Cales). By the way, contact me if you’re interested in buying some… (just kidding, teachers).
Speaking of teachers, my third lesson is to value our hardworking teachers and staff. It’s true, we have staff appreciation week, but we, as students should acknowledge that without our teachers and staff we would be far worse off.
From the custodians who keep our campus clean, to the teachers who work with us daily, to the counselors who write countless letters of recommendations, to the office staff who have our backs, they’ve all made our time in high school unforgettable.
Take Mr. Hoague, who does his best, not always, of course, because that would be an absolute, to make himself available to his students to make up a quiz or work on an essay.
Or Ms. Annas, who deals with the chaos of summer school, Mr. Navarro, who cheerfully prepares transcripts, Ms. Dingley and Ms. Peterson, who unfailingly track our attendance, Mr. Kidd, who is the heart of student activities, Ms. Shaffer and Ms. Egan, without whom our finances would be a mess, and Ms. Mushinskie, who does everything with a smile, to name just a few.
In fact, what I’ve learned is how important it is to get to know all the different people who make TCHS the best.
And finally, the last thing I’ve learned, and maybe the hardest lesson, is that while friendships are imperfect and often full of drama, they bind us forever.
Friendships are rubber bands. They stretch and stretch until they seem ready to break, but then miraculously, they bounce back. People who were friends in grade school rediscover each other in high school, or others who couldn’t stand each other in ninth grade become best friends by senior year.
Or different interests take friends in different directions…for awhile. In spite of all the angst, remember to give your friendships the chance to bounce back before deciding to throw them away, because friends are worth the trouble.
So TCHS, this is what I’m leaving you with: a year’s worth of my opinions through “Real with Rachel,” even if I wasn’t asked for them, a locker that I decorated with stickers because I thought it would be my legacy (only to find that my locker is going to be bulldozed), two seasons anchoring the Ram Report and this advice, which you can choose to take or leave.