Never before, never again

There comes a time in everyone's life when the beginning of a new chapter lies before them — when opportunities are overwhelming and the vastness of the world scares everything out of them. For seniors everywhere, this is that time. It's a time when huge decisions must be made, boxes must be checked and goodbyes must be said.

The last four years in high school seem to all smash together into one giant, crazy, amazing memory, a memory that none of us can forget and never will want to. At Gridley High School, these memories include the homecoming rallies and floats, the G.I.B.T. basketball games, the lunches with friends, the Friday night football games, the homework we sometimes did, the Disneyland trips, the streets we painted, the spirit days we dressed up for, the friends we've made and, of course, the teachers and people who got us here today. The class of 2010 has done it all: We've faced everything together, and these beautiful memories are slowly coming to a halt.

But, as always, the seniors have their last couple of "hoorahs" planned.

On Sunday, the seniors and their families crowded into the Gridley Community Center for the annual baccalaureate ceremony. This service is a rite of passage for those who attend, sending them off into the world and blessing them with good luck.

Teryn Mathews, senior class president, and myself, as vice president, presented a slide show of the seniors' pictures growing up throughout the years.

Baccalaureate marks the beginning of the last week of high school for the seniors, the start of finals on Tuesday, and the kicking off of the best week seniors will ever remember.

After finals on Wednesday, the seniors gathered on the GHS football field, also known as "The Boneyard," to watch the sunset. At the beginning of the year, right before the first day of school, the seniors likewise assembled on the football field to watch the sunrise to mark the start of our last year together.

Now, as we finished our last day of school on Wednesday, we gathered once again to watch the sunset fall, thus completing the cycle. This tradition, started by the class of 2010, will forever be remembered, as our motto is: "Never Before, Never Again."

After playing at Sunsplash today, the enormity of graduation will hit us — but not until tonight will we say our last goodbyes. The Sober Grad Night event marks the end of the senior class being together, all of us, for one last time. The night should be one for everyone to remember.

So, after 180 days of our senior year, two sets of finals, projects galore and colleges begging for our decision, the year is done, the time has come and we're almost home free. To the class of 2010: "Never Before, Never Again."

Amber McIntire is a senior at Gridley High School. This is her final column for the Education section.