For the seniors: This is it
Twenty-three school days. That is it. That's what left of the year for every Gridley High School senior. After 2,317 days of school, 13 years and a whole bunch of homework, 23 days doesn't sound so bad. And, of course, seniors always have the benefit of a few glamorous activities preceding our farewells to one another before the rest of our lives begin.
Saturday marked a glorious date for the seniors, as well as the rest of the student body, as the GHS prom took place at the Chico Event Center in downtown Chico. This formal event was the last one that seniors would have the chance to attend, making it one of the most epic nights all of us will ever remember.
The prom's theme, "A Moment Like This," signified that the seniors only have 23 days left together of our high school careers, so we should really make the little moments last and count for something.
Class President Teryn Mathews and class rep Shelby Hammons presented a slide show of pictures at the end of the night, ranging from football freshmen year to senior homecoming. As the seniors watched the memories pass us by on the screen, it finally hit us: This is really it; this is just the beginning of the rest of our lives.
Aside from prom being a great success for all who attended, one of the final occasions that we've always looked forward to enjoying is the senior farewell rally coming up on June 3. While every GHS student attends this rally each year, the spotlight is only situated on the seniors.
The rally consists of a slide show displaying baby pictures and memories of the past, individual seniors recognizing specific teachers for all their hard work and announcements of the colleges that each student will attend. The rally is, by far, one of the best that GHS presents, and finally this year, the Class of 2010 are the honored guests.
Following the rally, on the horizon now for the seniors at GHS is our senior picnic/trip to Sunsplash on June 10. And although the class officers always wished we could take our senior class somewhere extravagant like Hawaii, Sunsplash is the one place where the seniors can play laser tag, enjoy a water park, ride go-karts, hang out and all be together for one of the last times ever.
Ultimately, after our sunburns at Sunsplash set in, graduation day will be here, family will arrive, our names will be called and the finality of it all won't hit us until we cross that stage. But until then, 23 days is the only thing that stands between us and receiving our diplomas. Well, that, and finals.
Amber McIntire is a senior at Gridley High School. Her column appears about every sixth week in Education.
