My Farewell to Waltham High…

As I approach the last days of my senior year I have really been sitting here and reflecting on my time at Waltham High. My English project is this Senior Portfolio Project. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s a combination of prompts that you answer and put on a google site for you to revisit later. It acts as almost a time capsule, giving you a good window to look back on in the future. So, for my last article I just wanted to give some tips and advice to the younger kids in our school in hopes they can succeed at the highest level.

The first time I came to the high school, it was the last day of summer before freshman year and I had been dreading this moment. It was freshman orientation, and I did not want to go. I thought I was “too cool” to participate in school events, but thanks to my parents I ended up going. I learned the layout of the school, where my classes were, met some new people, and most importantly, got some free pizza out of it. While I was there, we as a freshman class watched a video made from the upperclassmen at the time. The video showed multiple people all basically saying the same message: enjoy your time while it lasts, high school goes very fast.

As a 14 year old teenage boy, I wasn’t really thinking about this at all; instead I was eager to leave the school as soon as possible and enjoy my last day of summer. But now sitting here as a senior, I am realizing that those kids were right. High school flew by and it’s crazy to think that in a few years, I’ll be in the workforce along with millions of other adults working the same 9-5 everyday for 40+ years. Below I have compiled some tips I have learned throughout my years at WHS.

Being a kid in high school is great, and my first tip is to enjoy it while it lasts. Make friends with new people, step out of your comfort zone, try new things, and participate. Don’t be that kid who thinks they are “too cool” to do school events like me. Just go into every day with a positive attitude and look to have fun!

Surround yourself with positive people. I was fortunate enough to find myself a great group of friends who have similar personalities and enjoy doing the same things I do. Find people who will make you a better person and further your character. 

Work hard and have grit. Teachers in high school are very lenient when it comes to assignments, tests, projects, etc, so don’t exploit their good will. By staying on top of your work and trying your hardest, you earn your teacher’s respect and benefit yourself via GPA. This will all add up to when you are a junior/senior and are asking teachers for recommendations and applying to colleges. 

Let bygones be bygones. Don’t have beef with someone just because of something that happened in the past. Life is too short to have huge arguments and fights with kids. Take the higher path and don’t engage in conflict. Doing so can hurt you and the other person’s future and it just isn’t smart. There are only four years of high school:  after that you don’t have to see that person again, and if you truly don’t like someone, just don’t talk to them. There are over 1,000 kids in the building, it is pretty easy to avoid someone who you don’t like.

Be friendly. Being friendly goes a long way in developing relationships, especially those who can benefit you down the road. There is no reason not to be friendly too. By doing this you can make bonds with people you never thought you would make bonds with.

That’s all I really have to say about my high school experience. It has been one heck of a ride and I’ve made some great friends along the way. I close this chapter of my life by thanking everyone for all they have done for me. My friends, family, teachers, classmates: you have all helped me along the way to being the most successful person I could be. Thank you Waltham High, and best of luck to the grades below me, I know you guys will succeed!