It felt like just yesterday I was being handed my schedule as I scrambled to study for my first day of school quizzes. Junior year has passed us by so quickly, and I wanted to reflect on the past months and how they have altered my life.

I started off the new school year by quitting the sport I played for eight years, leaving behind the irreplaceable bond I made with my teammates, also known as my second family. Not only did I find a connection between players around me, but this sport was the one thing that was always in my life. I turned to newspaper, leaving my sixth-period sport for a zero period class. This change was scary, but eventually, I was overcome with joy in this new class, creating new friendships, and taking on new roles that altered how I viewed my school. Writing my first article and taking part in my first podcast, I felt my love for writing develop that only few share.

Partaking in my first AP classes was a terrifying way to start my junior year, but I eventually developed the skills I needed to succeed in my classes. Although my precalculus skills may be shaky and my ability to write an essay in 40 minutes is barely attainable, I spent hours trying my best to succeed, not only to get into my dream college but to prove to myself that I was capable of doing so. 

Ashley Holman (11) is one of the many juniors who are placed under stress throughout this difficult year. Not only is Holman enrolled in four advanced placement or honors classes, but she is also on the Varsity Song team. Although she is stressed about her future, Holman continues to balance out academics, sports, and friendships by accepting both her successes and failures. She states, “Junior year is a difficult year for almost everyone. The key is to find a balance between school and fun.”

Change is inevitable, and many students, including myself, have discovered change during our junior year. We now spent more time focusing on AP classes, endless hours of SAT prep, and dreaming of our perfect college. The reality that we would soon have to leave the warm embrace of highschool and enter the cold reality of the real world or college hit us and we can not help but worry about the future. We watched the 2020 seniors choose their futures right in front of us, exciting us for our future at college. Athletes signing to play the sport they love, senior screaming as they received the acceptance letters they awaited for their lives and the undeniable sadness of leaving the place they had built their life around for the past four years.

Although the stress of junior year had overtaken our class, we did not let this take away from having as much fun as possible. We danced the night away at school dances, cheered at the school rallies and assemblies, and chanted our school anthems at mustang sports games. As these are our last years of adolescence, we can not take them for granted and therefore spend time making memories that last a lifetime.

As we end this school year, we look back on the unforgettable memories we have created as well as the personal development that has taken place. Reflecting on this past year is enlightening, as we have all experienced change, and hopefully have gained some wisdom from it. The challenges we have overcome and the growth that occurred gives us an idea of who we now are, and how to become the person we want to be in the future.