“Although I’m more stressed than ever in my classes, I’ve made so many close friends just this year, and I’m super excited for life after graduation!”
Senior Jordyn Armbrust
4 years, 720 days, all comes down to the last 90.
Winter break has ended, making the early mornings hit much harder than they did in the fall. The parking lot is frosted over in snow, buzzing with cars, and half-asleep students reluctantly going inside.
There’s something different about January, though. It’s the second half of the school year, and senior year doesn’t feel as endless anymore.
Walking through the doors, warmth fills the air as the heater blasts from above. The halls are alive with friends catching up after weeks apart.
Lessons come back fast in classes, but also reminders of deadlines and what is lingering quietly in the background, graduation. Conversations arise about prom plans, senior trips, and excitement already for spring break. The eagerness is mixed with the comfort of everything staying the same, at least for a little while.
Afternoons seem ordinary, but in a way, that feels relieving. The rhythm of being back comes naturally, periods pass and assignments flood in.
The drive home is the same as before, but now it’s full of reflection. Thinking of the things that make high school what it is: stressing about tests with friends, planning to go to football games, trying not to laugh in the back of classes, and cramming homework at the last minute.
Though senior year is halfway over, it isn’t the end yet. There is something special in it being 2025; it’s the last months of high school and first months of college for many. The second half of the year will move fast, but not too fast to cherish.