Dear Junior Class,

Can you believe it’s already almost been a full three years? I bet most of you are looking back at junior high and laughing about the people you used to be. Now it’s almost time to be seniors.

Junior year was by far my favorite year of high school. You’re no longer looked down upon as the obnoxious underclassmen. You have made your mark, maybe you’ve even made a name for yourself by becoming a section leader, a captain of a varsity team, maybe even having won an award or placing in a speech and debate competition. And if you haven’t yet, then so what? What do you think that senior year is for?!

Starting these next two months, everything is going to happen at supersonic speed. You’re going to have spring break, then (hopefully) prom, then online AP tests (How weird is that?), finals and summer break. From there, nothing slows down. You will be followed by SATs or ACTs, what seems like a million college applications, finals, acceptance/rejection letters and…well… you get the picture. 

So here’s my advice. Find time to slow down and don’t take yourself too seriously. This is your last real year of childhood. Crazy right? Sorry, realizing how depressing this sounds, let me lighten the mood.

My biggest and best piece of advice for you is to go to everything you can. Go to both proms (assuming there will be two), go to formal, football games, rallies, dance competitions and every spring sport game or meet you can. Once it’s all over, there’s no going back. But rather than dwell on the fact that it’s going to end, celebrate the fact that you still have it all. And yes, this whole situation with the quarantine may make it hard right now, but be grateful you still have a year to end victoriously, whereas all of us seniors have reluctantly come closer to the end faster than we were preparing for. 

There are so many people in your grade that you still don’t know. So try to start building relationships with all of them because you are going to love what it feels like when you recognize smiling faces across the entire campus. 

Of course every teacher is going to tell you not to slack off because senior year is the year of consistency and you have to keep growing as a student and keep up your grades and attendance. And I 100% agree. But at the same time, there’s so much more to senior year than that.

You guys are going to be the role models, the ones all the youngers look up to. But don’t take your intimidating nature for granted. Do something with it! Talk to the freshies, make them excited to be like you one day. Keep the soon-to-be juniors in their place or they will grow up a little too quickly. But if you keep this one next thing in mind, you will love who you are senior year.

Whoever you think you are or wherever you feel you belong, be the version of you that someone out there is going to look at and think “Someday, I want to be just like them.” 

This doesn’t mean be the most popular senior, the unapproachable, untouchable one that everyone is afraid to look at. It means be proud of who you’ve become after four years here, whoever that may be. Things are still going to change in all parts of your life, but hold on to the good memories and try to move past the bad ones. 

Hopefully you haven’t spent all your time here waiting to leave because your last year here goes by way too fast- take it from someone who knows. This is the year to start crossing off the bucket list. Hopefully you’ve learned from the classes above you and leave something for those below. Good luck juniors! You’re almost there. 

Sincerely,

Stefani Woll

Class of 2020