Senior Swan Songs: “Here’s to Never Growing Up”

May of 2013, only a short four years ago, we were little 8th graders who thought we knew everything while getting ready for the next chapter of our life- high school. We were getting ready to graduate 8th grade, and a very popular anthem at the time was Avril Lavigne’s song “Here’s To Never Growing Up,” a song that we lived by while making the scary yet exciting transition from 8th grade to high school. I remember walking into Deerfield High School on the first day, seeing all the Seniors while looking at them and thinking, “they are so old!” Now here we are, seniors, about to be freshman again, and I can’t help but feel like the same small 8th grader from four years ago.

As freshmen in DHS we were a little scared, but we were also really excited for what was ahead. There was something in us that let us know that the next 4 years could be some of the best times of our lives, although they were also going to be some of the most difficult. From finals, projects, tests, tryouts, auditions, break-ups, friend drama, family drama, and more, we can confidently say over the past 4 years, our grade went through all of it together. As time went on, we made mistakes and memories. We found out who our real friends are. We learned that teachers were there to help us and not hurt us- taking some of us longer than others to learn that. Each teacher in this school built into each one of us, through our poorly written “night before” papers, to our 49/50 math test scores in which we argued for the 100 percent. Teachers were there for us and are a major reason why we are on our way to being adults. On the same note, let’s not forget the coaches we teased with and laughed with, but who also made us run laps when we were 5 minutes late- we love you. Our high school sports experience would not have been the same without you. Although we may have often complained at practice, we wouldn’t have traded that time for the world.

The unlikely friendships made in our extracurricular activities are friendships that made high school that much more worth it because you were able to break out of the bubble of your friend group. In our extracurriculars, we all had our own little family that we would look forward to catch up with after school every day during season. For me, my family was the cross country team. My favorite memories of high school happened with all of XC girls, from joking around with each other, to heart to heart conversations, and ultimately being there for each other every day, ready to run and complain but secretly love it. I can’t forget to mention another family I was a part of in R-Hall, choir. Choir is the most unique class at Deerfield High School because it brings everyone together over the 4 years you are involved in the class. It is a rare elective because it is consistent with the people and teachers throughout your entire high school experience, and you get to see each other grow over the 4 years, which I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of.

Coming to Deerfield High School freshman year from my private school in Northfield I knew no one because no one from my middle school went to DHS. However, in these past 4 years, I have made friendships that feel as though we have known each other forever. This school went from being a scary building with a ton of strangers, to a home filled with all my friends. I know for a fact that I am not the only one who has experienced this change. Over the years, we have attempted to grow up as fast as possible to get out of high school, and finally to college. Now that we are here at the end of our high school careers, I can’t help but wonder, where did all the time go? A school that I had been so eager to take off from, I now am sad to leave. As stressful as high school was, it had so many amazing memories and moments that looking back now made all the stress and strife worth it. We are now at the end, and now what we want to do is rewind and slow down. Juniors, take it in, every late night study session, every last minute plan, every family dinner. We seniors are now back in the same place we were 4 years ago, fearing the future, yet looking forward to it, but still not wanting to grow up. Deerfield High School Class of 2017, here’s to the ups and downs, good times and bad, here’s to never growing up.