Four years. High school. Full of ups and downs, of different friends and of different seasons but so much growth. Some wish high school away, but my advice? Embrace it, every second of it.

High school matters. Sure, not everyone peaks in high school but this is the last time you have a routine, and go to class with the same people who you have grown up with for the past 18 years. You have grown into a human who is capable of so much. Don’t wish these four years away.

Now let’s be honest high school is hard, and it’s not everyone’s favorite thing. This is the place where you find your people and you find yourself. Everyone is just as lost as you.

Senior Olivia Dunn said, “Throughout high school we were all just trying to figure it out. Who we were going to be, what we were going to do. I’m still trying to figure it out, and I think high school was a great place to do that.”

High school is a beautiful thing. Right now you are looking toward summer, and who can blame you? But don’t wish your life away to graduation, because that one day ends your childhood, the teachers who have been with you since your freshman year, who fought for you, the friend group that somehow managed to stay together through the years of thick and thins and so much growth.

“High school isn’t forever. It’s four short years of being a kid and becoming an adult. It’s full of lessons and hardships. It’s also full of unforgettable memories and people. You’re never going to have a homecoming dance after this, a prom to dance at. No high school isn’t the end, but it definitely has some irreplaceable things to hold onto,” stated senior Courtney Schneider.

“The past four years, people have come and gone. I grew so much. Years I wouldn’t trade for the world. I loved my RAM bell. Those few minutes every morning for the past four years have been so special. We’ve seen each other grow, and become great. I’m going to miss spending every morning with those people and I am grateful for the opportunities it gave me to call those people friends, even the mornings where everyone was too tired to say a word,” said senior Hannah Latimer.

My whole high school career I looked forward to the day that I would say that I was an adult and I graduated high school, waving goodbye in my cap and gown. Graduation is a little less than two months away and looking back, I remember the football games with my friends cheering on our beloved Rams. The Homecomings and Proms. The routine of seeing your best friend every single day. High school was full of hard and good times. I grew so much from my freshman year to the woman I am today. Because of Ross High School, I am confident I can take on the world, but I can’t help but dwell on those sweet memories that fill the hallways.

Latimer stated, “This is it. That is my advice for all those underclassmen wishing it away. You graduate and your best friend who you have had class with everyday since freshman year moves across the country or your significant other is traveling and studying abroad. That’s the thing about high school, your universe is in high school, there is no more consistency. After high school you are on your own, and I am grateful for the memories of high school and the consistency and people it gave me.”

We were all underclassman waiting for the day to say we finished high school. It still is so exciting but high school is a special thing. Especially Ross High School. To be a Ram is an honor, to grow with the people you went to kindergarten with, to eat lunch at the same time everyday, and to dread doing that geometry homework or that presentation for English. High school isn’t where it ends, it’s just the beginning, but what a sweet beginning it is.

To those who have a couple more years left at RHS, it may seem so far away and you are so excited to move on and get out of this place, but remember this will always be home. Stay a kid for a little while longer, it’s not so bad. Enjoy high school, and make some memories while you’re still a Ram.