Memoirs not on paper but ingrained in our minds

The state now requires incoming freshmen to compile a portfolio they will add to throughout their high school career and eventually present to board members. Many graduating seniors breathe a sigh of relief that they are not obligated to participate in this project. What we fail to realize though is that we actually already have, though unknowingly.

Granted, our scrapbooks may not be transcribed on paper, but rather ingrained in our minds. Through the course of our four years, we have experienced both mournful and celebratory events which have both shaped us, and proven our resilience. More specifically, our pages demonstrate the frailty of life, beginning our freshmen year with 9/11 and again by witnessing a tragedy closer to home the summer of our junior year. While unfortunate, these events also brought a class and a community together. This connectedness enabled us to bask in the glory of our football team’s near-domination of the GSL league in 2004. Also included are remnants of our spirit packs from the Golden Throne basketball game, which serve as reminders of full stands ringing and stomping to the sounds of celebration as the throne was brought back to its rightful owner.

We enter as a class, but leave as individuals defined by these shared memories. Unlike the polished, self-conscious scrapbooks of future graduates, ours are raw and truthful, with the ending not yet assembled. Even if we were obligated to create a tangible memoir (portfolio) of these years, it could exhibit only the surface of our experiences for ours are far too vivid and emotional to ever be captured in a traditional three-ring binder.

Although in a matter of months, or maybe even years, our busy lives will inevitably distance us from one another, we’ll always have the memories we’ve created. Years from now, a mention of “Napoleon Dynamite,” or “The O.C.” will send us back through the pages of our mental scrapbooks with a smile. Protected from the wear and tear of time, our memories will be just as fresh and crisp as the day they were created.