Through changes, CV class of 2002 has stood together

In three years, much can change. High school is a notorious time of toil and trauma, infamous for the changes and the triumphs.

Yet, these years are idealized and memorialized; later they will be remembered by some as our "golden years."

These three years have truly been a trial, laced with many unexpected events. At Central Valley, the senior class has grown through these changes.

In our high school career, skylines have changed, friendships have changed and goals have changed.

Through all this, a pervading sense of community helped us retain our sanity and refocus our vision.

As wide-eyed sophomores, we walked CV's overcrowded blue halls with trepidation and curiosity. Separated from our junior-high friends, sophomores were faced with the first of many challenges: find a niche.

By the end of the year, we sophomores were ready to get on with our lives.

This opportunity came in our junior year. No longer were we the scurrying underclassmen. We shuffled through the halls with self- respect, smiling to our favorite teachers, laughing with our friends. At last, we belonged!

Junior year also brought the troubling question: what to do after high school? Whether taking the ASVAB and SAT, or trying to finagle those last credits into next year's schedule, planning became very important.

The realization that things were coming to an end finally hit us.

At last came the year we had waited for since kindergarten.

In September, dreams of a happily superfluous year came shattering down with the attack on the World Trade Center. Out of this tragedy came a surge of community. On that terrible morning, students arriving at school were met by silent classmates and teachers, gathering grimly around the television.

Grieving, disgusted or simply shocked, the need for interdependence was more obvious than ever. A candlelight ceremony, burned forever in our memory, gave outlet to our emotions.

With these dark beginnings to our senior year, a new sense of life emerged. Scholarships and admissions applications were filled out, mailed in and agonized over. The grueling balance of work, school and the occasional opportunity to sleep was the ongoing theme of senior life. Every day was one day closer to graduation.

As the spring approached, construction began on CV. Perhaps the correct term would be deconstruction. First the SCOPE center, then the MPR, were torn down, dislocating classes, meals and gatherings. The senior and teacher parking lots were gobbled up by the tractors and the already crowded student lot was flooded with cars. Later, it was flooded with water when construction workers burst a water main.

With our laborious senior projects completed, we seniors were free to miss TAP, arriving just in time to park approximately 500 miles away from the building, while sophomores and juniors claimed closer spaces.

Our days are numbered, both figuratively and on our calendars. Seniors prepare to leave their friends, traveling far and wide next fall, moving on to all new communities.

These three years have passed in the blink of an eye. However, they contain a lifetime of memories for Central Valley's Class of 2002.

From the first time we stepped inside the building, to the final moment when we grasp our diploma, the senior class has stood together.

In a world so full of the duality of life's joys and tragedies, our senior class has supported each other.

To my classmates, I say: Congratulations. We earned it. We made it together.

This sidebar appeared with the story:

CV CLOSING

Save the dates

Friday: University High School closing ceremony at 7 p.m.

Saturday: Tours of the old U-Hi as a working school from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

August 24: Dedication of new U-Hi at 10 a.m., dedication of new CV at 2 p.m.

Copyright 2002 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.