Medical Lake: Life changes await Medical Lake grads

Somehow the impossible, the unattainable, and yet the all too well awaited has happened.

We’ve spent years waiting for these final moments with eyes of envy hopelessly watching the seniors before us. We’ve all paid our dues.

We have muddled through those dull Friday afternoons where even the most exciting and awaited of classes can be clouded by the anticipation of two and half days of freedom and relaxation.

We hopelessly studied the clock on the wall more than the papers on our desks listening carefully for that small ding to send us hurling into our much deserved weekend.

And sadly those two and a half free days wind down to only a very short day and a half when, at about noon on Sunday, reality sets in and we realize that not only is there a calculus test Monday and an English paper due, but that chemistry lab that so conveniently slipped out of our minds will be the cause of our sleep deprivation tonight.

But being young and strong-headed we will fight time and dismiss the need for sleep until 2 a.m., when that lab is finished to perfection, but yet surrender to the snooze button four and a half hours later as our alarms and moms, both with an exhaustible amount of energy, send us into another week of school.

We stumble down the crowded halls to first period hurrying along as fast as we can with bulging backpacks, duffel bags filled with more sports gear than will fit in our lockers all while eating our breakfast, and yet somehow we manage to make it to class with 30 seconds to spare.

And for those poor chemistry students who woke up on top of a half-finished lab book this morning, there is hope for them, too, as our first-period teachers sees the look of panic and desperation in their eyes and kindly rearranges her lesson plan, sacrificing 50 minutes of European history to science.

And the weeks passed, each marked by dances, sporting events, and drama productions.

The year disappeared, and as we approach the climax of our high school career, we become reminiscent.

Perhaps all the forced attention towards scholarship and college applications, and decisions of our future caused us to revert back to memories of the good ole days of elementary school crushes and most embarrassing moments that stand out so vividly in our minds.

Or maybe for us students at small Medical Lake High School, the thought of us all venturing off our separate ways is hard to comprehend.

They call us 12-year seniors, those of us who have been here since first grade.

And I suppose we are the most reminiscent of all the seniors. We aren’t hard to recognize: 12-year seniors are the ones pulling out priceless pictures from second grade for baccalaureate and telling stories from Camp Reed.

We seldom remember when the students of our senior family moved here and are the only ones who can recall how weird it was before they came to our school to fill the void none of us knew was there until it wasn’t.

And as each new student found a place in our hearts, we soon, like the rest of the student body, found it hard to imagine our school without them.

Now we are on the verge of what truly is tomorrow and not just another day.

We must face the fact that change is in store, especially for us 12-year seniors who aren’t exactly sure of what change will feel like.

We mustn’t dwell on the past nor rush on to the future too fast but must find the balance between both.

Recognizing both the good memories we have shared and the good memories that are in out future, we must embrace the opportunities before us with vigor and determination.

And yet as we set out to accomplish our goals one small victory at a time, we soon will find ourselves years down the road living out our dreams.