Graduation: Four years to produce that look

From the moment we became official seniors at West Valley High School, our teachers, friends, and family would ask, "What are you going to do next year?"

As this question would grow monotonous and redundant, our enthusiasm remained untouched because the idea of graduating high school gleamed in every senior's eye.

Next year, some of us will be going off to college, some will join the armed forces, some will have full-time jobs, and some will be on road trips, discovering the world. Whatever we end up doing will be influenced by what we have accomplished, the people we've met, and the experiences we've shared that have shaped our sense of individuality these past four uncensored and unforgettable years.

Feshman year was a year of firsts: First time to star in a play, first time to be a member of a varsity team, or first time to hold an office in student council.

While those are milestones based on skill, we also witnessed other special firsts like, first time given a swirly by a senior, first time at pushing pennies with your nose down the hallway, or first time at failing to earn a 4.0 grade-point average.

Yet, through it all, we celebrated the victories, learned from the minor failures, and relished in the humor of a little friendly freshman hazing.

That year, we cheered for our athletes at games, matches, and meets and heavily supported our Lady Eagles basketball team as they took first place at State.

The events that unfolded our first year of high school helped mature us for our second year as underclassmen.

Becoming sophomores - aka "wise fools" - privileged us with the idea that we now had a fraction of the ownership rights to West Valley High School.

That year we advanced our involvement in school activities like clubs, sports, and after school detention.

The production of "Up the Down Staircase," by the Eagle Players, was what critics would have considered "one of the year's 10 best!'

We finally turned the magic age of 16, earning our driver's licenses and a multitude of parking tickets.

(At least those of us who sneakingly slipped into the staff spaces after lunch.)

The adrenaline of our class splashed over into the following fall semester.

Junior year meant a year closer to being a senior, and there were multiple tasks to accomplish before leaving our books and lockers behind.

We definitely couldn't miss West Valley's renowned Loy School of Writing, a class unavoidable to regular English students, nor could we miss the final installment of the rival Golden Throne basketball game with East Valley.

Our final goal was to paint the school parking lot, but our plans were crushed when school officials announced their decision to ban this West Valley senior tradition.

Yet, the final year edged closer, and we embraced its arrival welcomingly.

Now, we had earned the honor of shouting at assemblies, "SENIOR POWER!" a phrase that became our mantra.

We were also offered classes that were exclusive to 12th grade students, like DECA, and our alltime favorite, world history.

Those of us who went to Orchard Center Elementary will never forget making the time capsule that stored our colorful artwork and childhood dreams, and looking forward to its opening in the year 2000.

Then, as the year began winding down, we studied and signed up for an alphabet of tests like SATs, ACTs, ASSETs, and ASVABs, hoping to do well on at least one.

We played our sports harder, hoping for a recruitment to a great college, and the entire time, dreading the grand finale of the season.

An epidemic of "Senioritis" began floating in the halls, and Senior Skip Day was much anticipated.

Finally, we ordered our graduation announcements and our caps and gowns.

We awaited that moment of walking across the stage and accepting our ticket to the "real world," while nervously wondering if we answered that monotonous and redundant question, "What are you going to do next year?" with the correct answer.

We can conclude with confidence that these last four life- shaping, time-demanding, uncensored and unforgettable years at West Valley were undoubtedly worth every minute of our high school experience.

Copyright 2000 Cowles Publishing Company
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