It's the beginning of the end at YCHS

And so it begins, the beginning of the end. It is over now: sleeping in until after 1 in the afternoon only to get up, use the bathroom, get some food and repeat. Unless you are one of the fortunate few who found a job this summer — in your case, we laugh at you. It is still, however, the beginning of the countdown to the day when we will once again enjoy the summer's heat. It is the beginning of school.

Within 24 hours, everyone knew the schedule of their classmates. Why? Because of the great communicators such as Facebook, texting and old-fashioned phone calls. Yes, a few were disappointed when they found out Mr. Berg, the ceramics teacher, was no longer at Yuba City High School. Yet some were happy when they got the coveted VIP letter in the mail that meant they could avoid the long lines of registration and the hassles of that day.

The first days went along as expected. Our teachers laid down the law. And this is how it was received: seniors — ignored it; juniors — feigned interest; sophomores — listened with half an ear; and freshman — gave their undivided attention. One thing all upper-classmen enjoyed was watching the freshmen try to open their new lockers.

"Thought it was intimidating, but really awesome," was how Liz Williams, a sophomore, responded to the first week of school.

"Too many freshmen," is the general response of most seniors, such as Alex Raddler and Sam Ratihn. But to a certain freshman, Jesse Seifkes, "It was embarrassing!" She denied any further comment.

Cierra Crandall, a junior, has said it best, though: "It felt the same as last year. Summer seemed to just be a really long weekend, but I'm glad to see my friends again."

When asked about goals for her students, art teacher Pamela Nowak said, "This year, I want students to feel confident doing art and to have fun while they learn the elements and princples of art. Really, you'd be suprised how many teenagers are afraid of art and think they'll fail."

These next few words are not from a textbook, some thousand-year-old dead philosopher or a president past his time. They are from me, a fellow student. Some people believe the things that mean the most are relevant and by people their own age.

To the seniors: This is our final year at Yuba City High School. The years have been good, but one more still lingers. So in our final year, may we soar as high as ever and make our senior year grand!

To the juniors: This will be straightforward and simple — junior year is the hardest. But if you work as hard as you can and don't slack off, it will be super. And that goes for all the sophomores and freshmen out there, too.

We are Honkers, and we will fly.

Tucker Walden is a senior at Yuba City High School. His column appears every sixth week in Education.