Here’s to three years of procrastination and home games. There was always something about the thrill of a fall Friday night. Watching my fellow classmates decorate the white striped battlefield, fighting for a win as if they were fighting for their lives. The sweet feeling of youth and pride overtaking a loud, excited student section. When I think of high school, that is the picture painted in my mind and it will forever hold a special place in my heart as will the people that made high school unforgettable. Thank you to my parents for giving me a shoulder to cry on and for being my biggest cheerleaders. Thank you to my best friend, Cassia,  for always being honest and giving me raw, considerate advice.  Thank you to my english teachers for letting me express my creativity and to my math teachers for letting me express my frustration when I didn’t understand a problem. And to all my other teachers, thank you being apart of my academic journey. To the incoming sophomores, I want you to know that high school is nothing like the movies. Don’t get caught up in the idea that you have to have the most friends or be the coolest to succeed in high school. Instead, focus on making quality friends and staying involved in school activities. Enjoy these years. Even the late nights stressing over an assignment and the feeling of getting your heart broken over someone you thought was the one. All these hardships are what will shape you. High school will test your character and you will decide what makes you, you and who allows you to be you. You will leave high school a totally different person, so don’t waste time trying to be the typical Hollywood, put-together high schooler. Focus on making yourself happy, not others. If you are happy, why would you change? To get an invite to that party? Or so that boy will like you? In the end, when you are standing on that stage, it won’t matter how many people you pleased. The real question is, did you make yourself proud? High school is one of the greatest times of your life, so don’t waste it trying to be cool. In fact, be uncool. Tryout for the tennis team even if you know no one else. Wear that outdated outfit. Dress up for spirit week. These three years fly by. Make the most of them. As Dr. Seuss once said, “Sometimes you will never know the value of the moment until it becomes a memory.”