Noting the ‘lasts’ of my high school years

Four huge events have filled my last few weeks at Lawrence Woodmere Academy (LWA). As graduation on June 10 creeps closer, being a senior at LWA feels similar to walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

I performed in my last high school concert on May 21. The concert was much better than I’d anticipated, but my perception may have been altered by all the emotion. The moment I stepped into Hessel Hall, I could feel the apprehension from every senior in the building. It’s a feeling that arises as you begin to acknowledge your “lasts.”

Classmate Christopher Liebenberg said that it would be the last time we listened to band teacher Alexander Altieri introduce our songs. Another classmate said that it would be the last time our parents were “bribed” with those “famous LWA cookies.” Coming home that night, I remember feeling that my year had finally come to an end. Of course, there was more to come.

The following night was Senior Dinner. I had already picked out my dress and shoes accordingly, but being a girl is time-consuming. I arrived home from school with almost four hours of preparation time and was still 10 minutes late. Once we sat to dine together as a class, there was no escaping the endless emotional speeches from both students and faculty. Many of my favorite speeches came from the international students who stressed that they had not only grown in terms of their English but had made lifelong friendships. It was a beautiful evening but I had little time to reflect when I returned home.

The very next day, I presented my Student Technology and Research project during a 15- to 20-minute presentation that every senior must give successfully in order to graduate. It is meant to showcase the importance of the community service project students completed during their Upper School years.

This is also required to be a group project. I partnered with Brittney McFarlane, one of my best friends, as well as a diligent and capable student. We focused our community service on improving community health on a wide scale, from the undeveloped mind to the impoverished. Upon completing our presentation Brittney and I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing full well that we’d done an outstanding job. We smiled at each other, and in that moment I could not help but think of us as the dynamic duo.

To end an incredible week, Friday was Field Day. At LWA, seniors always win simply because they were seniors. This year, with a brand new administration, we seniors were going to have to earn that top spot. We dominated, coming in first in all but one event. As one sophomore put it, “You’re the first senior class to win Field Day that actually won Field Day.”

It was a fantastic week full of senior emotion and adrenaline. I won’t say that my year has come to a close because that never seems to be accurate. I’ll simply say that my main focus for the rest of the school year is on prom and graduation.