The time has finally come for the class of 2004; after all of
the classes, teachers, and tests, graduation is finally here.
The time has finally come for the class of 2004; after all of the classes, teachers, and tests, graduation is finally here.
Getting to this point has not been a walk in the park. In these past four years there have been many events that I will never forget but things that have made me the person I am today and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
I think back on my promotion from sixth grade and eighth grade and I remember how scary it was to start another chapter in my book of life and go onto a different school. But you do have to move on into those next chapters no matter how scary it may seem.
High school may seem scary to some people but here is some advice to help the new incoming freshmen settle in and make their high school years the best they can be:
• First of all remember you get out of high school what you put in. Don’t just sit around waiting for something to happen, get involved in activities around school. Get involved in a sport or a club. It is a great way to meet new people and make new friends. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there a little to make new friends but it is so worth it in the end. It is great to keep friends you have had forever but try to make some new ones to broaden your scope on the world and open your eyes to different things.
• Become friendly with the staff – especially your academic coordinator. Don’t keep them distant from you. Talk to them when you need help with something. They are there for the students and they want to help. Academic coordinators will be the ones to help make sure you are on the right track with the right classes so that you walk across that stage at the end of your senior year and know that you are a high school graduate. Gilroy High School has a great staff; I am so glad that I had the experience to work with many of them.
• Gilroy High School is not a scary place like many people said it was when I was going to start high school. I have gone to school there for four years and have never once felt unsafe. Don’t listen to rumors. Our school is very safe and protected by a great group of people.
• Gilroy High School has so many things to be proud of. We have people placing in state competitions in many sports, we have a nationally award winning newspaper and yearbook, we have an award winning choir, band, and color guard, and finally we have the best group of students I could have ever shared my high school years with.
I want to thank everyone at Gilroy High School for how they have touched my life in so many different ways. There are countless staff and students that never get recognized for great things that they do at the school every day. I want to thank all of those people that go unrecognized; you will always be in my heart.
Graduation is a milestone and an ending of one of the many chapters of our lives. Most of the class of 2004 has been together since junior high and some have been together since elementary school. We have watched each other grow up and mature into fine adults who are ready to go out and face the world.
Most of us will go onto college, the work force, or the military, but no matter what path we choose in life we will always have each other to fall back on if we need something. We will always have one thing in common and that is that we are all Gilroy High School alumni and we should be very proud of that.
This will be my last column. It has been a pleasure writing for all of you. I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did.
