"Reflections On Graduating High School"
By Applicants For The Crane Chronicle Scholarship
May 2, 2019
Each year, The Crane Chronicle/Stone County Republican awards one graduating Crane senior a $250 scholarship to help pay for books and other expenses. For the last several years, we have only had the space to publish the essay of the winner. This year, we are including all of the essays for the scholarship we received. Please enjoy these students’ brief essays as they look back on their high school careers a few short weeks before graduating.
The winner of the scholarship will be announced in next week’s paper, after the Crane High School Academic Awards Night on Friday, May 3.
Each year, The Crane Chronicle/Stone County Republican awards one graduating Crane senior a $250 scholarship to help pay for books and other expenses. For the last several years, we have only had the space to publish the essay of the winner. This year, we are including all of the essays for the scholarship we received. Please enjoy these students’ brief essays as they look back on their high school careers a few short weeks before graduating.
The winner of the scholarship will be announced in next week’s paper, after the Crane High School Academic Awards Night on Friday, May 3.
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Everyone looks forward to their senior year. Everyone is ready to graduate and step out into the world. They don’t realize what they will leave behind when they do. Friendships, competition, relationships, and so much more. Most high school students don’t take into consideration how hard life is going to be once they go out into the real world. Other students don’t enjoy the time they have now and focus more on how they need to be prepared for the future. Work is important for the future, but you also need to enjoy your senior year. For some students sports is what they enjoy, but they may not be able to continue in those sports after graduation.
High school seems boring and a waste now, but once you get out into the real world, you are going to want it back. You can’t take for granted the things, people, or time you have. Enjoy life to the fullest and even more so before it gets even harder. Kids have to realize that life is going to get harder and more stressful. Enjoying the time now in high school is going to help relieve that stress that may start to appear now. Trust me I wish I would’ve just enjoyed my time. -Rani Bain Graduating high school is going to be a very bittersweet feeling. High school was honestly a very stressful time, but I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it. I learned so much, and everything I learned wasn’t just from the classroom, either. I will be keeping all of the happy memories I gained in high school close to my heart as I go into my first year of college. I can definitely say that I am ready to see how it goes. Everyone has told me that college will be different from high school, and it has me a little worried, honestly. It’s going to feel weird going somewhere else. I won’t be going to all of my classes. I won’t see my friends every day. I won’t see the teachers who have helped me since day one. I’m excited to start a new chapter of my life, but I am also sad to leave a place I’ve spent so much time in. I’ve made a lot of unexpected friendships in my time here, but I’ve also found more than that. I found a family in my Track team. I’ve found friendships that will last for years to come. All of the homework and tests have led to my graduation, but they’ve also prepared me for the rest of my college career.
-Brianna Deans I though senior year went by super fast, too fast. It seems like it was just yesterday I was starting this school year, but now I’m graduating in two short months. But senior year has definitely helped me to grow and mature, making me ready for life after high school.
Senior year hasn’t been the easiest, but it has definitely been the best. It has shown me who my real friends are and who I know is gonna stick around after high school to help push me to achieve my goals. I know my worth and what I need to do to achieve my goals and to never sell myself short. -Macy Hayes |
The best part of high school that I am going to miss is probably going to be seeing my friends and playing sports since I won’t be playing sports in high school. I’m looking forward to graduating because I can now get a job and further my education. I also will get to experience life as an adult, even though I know it will be a huge adjustment to high school life. My senior year has flown by, everybody says that graduation comes sooner than you know, and I have to agree with that. High school flew by like everybody said it would. I have learned a lot, in my senior year I didn’t make my schedule any easier because I wanted to get everything I could out of high school so I would be more prepared for life after high school. I am excited to start my journey after high school and am going to miss it, but I am thankful for all of the memories and everything I have learned.
-Bryston Branstetter Senior year has been a roller coaster. There were ups and there were downs. The thought of leaving the place I have spent my last four years gives me butterflies. The last time I will play some sports gives me tears. The last time I will go to the same school with my friends breaks my heart. Like a roller coaster, the highs make your heart race. The amazing memories that were made I will never forget. Remembering the cheers at sports events makes me smile. All the inside jokes I have made with my friends makes me laugh. Senior year should be a year that nobody should forget, because I definitely won’t.
-Mackinzie Funcannon At this moment in time, the idea of graduating has not completely sunk in just yet. I understand that I will be graduating, but the change I will be experiencing is still far from my mind. In all honesty, it is a little scary to think about what I am going to do after high school. Besides college, I have nothing planned for the end of the year. This may not seem so surprising to hear that a high school graduate does not have plans for the future, but when I am talking about plans, I am not talking about long term plans but short term plans.
In high school, a person’s plans are generally made for them. The average day consists of going from class to class, doing your work and at the end of the day going to a club or sport to do that day’s events. Even at home, a person’s parents usually set a curfew for them. This is what makes college so different and a little intimidating. A person’s schedule is now up to them. There are still class schedules and sporting events, but more of that is the person’s hands to decide. As intimidating as it is, I look forward to whatever happens in my short term and the long term future. I also appreciate how Crane Schools have prepared me to handle whatever challenges I face. -Andrew Johnson |
When I think about graduating high school, I have a mixture of feelings. Graduation makes me feel excited, nervous, and sad. While I am excited to begin this new adventure in life, I am also nervous thinking about how different life will be. I will be faced with many challenges that extend far beyond my comfort zone of high school. At the same time, however, I also feel very sad to led high school go. These past four years have been filled with many amazing memories. Everywhere you look in this school, memories are built into its foundation. Memories fill the hallways, classrooms, lunch room and gyms. These memories were made with some of my favorite people that I have been able to know over the past four years. High school has brought me many of my best friends and lifelong friends. High school has brought me many happy memories, hard times, and difficult lessons; however, I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. I am so thankful to have had the privilege of attending Crane High School and to be a part of the 2019 graduating class.
-Wyatt Cloyd When you’re leaving 8th grade, you have so many different emotions about high school. You’re nervous, excited, maybe even a little scared. Once I got into high school, I realized that it’s not even close to the movies.
Seniors don’t care about freshman. People aren’t shoved into trashcans. It’s just about trying to have a good time. The best way I would say to have a good time is join stuff. Participating in things is fun. By being around people with the same interests, you can gain some amazing friends. It also looks good for college by the way! As my senior year is coming to its end, I’m actually sad to leave. I’ve had a great and yes it has stressed me out to the max, but it’s become a part of my life. All I can hope is that college will be somewhat the same. -Megan Funcannon I have always wanted to become a teacher. I love helping with kids and leaving an impact on their lives. I have been an A+ tutor and teachers aide in Mrs. Cope’s first grade classroom this year. This is what has had the greatest impact of me choosing my career. Mrs. Cope has given me so much information to help me. I have always been around kids. I help with Wednesday night services at the Galena Community Church. I have babysat for over 5 years. This summer I plan on getting a job that has something to do with children. On Wednesday nights at the church, I help with the lesson that is being taught I help with the discipline of the children if needed. I am normally there with open arms to give these children someone to talk to or just to have a friend. Some of the kids that come through the door do not have a good home life. They are always needing love and attention. When I leave on Wednesday night, I feel so blessed to be able to be there for those who are in need.
With being a teacher’s aide and an A+ tutor, I have found things that are so rewarding. One thing that is so rewarding is the ability to teach kids things. I have a student who struggles with sitting still and in general just focusing. I get to spend a lot of time with him when I am in the classroom. The student really struggles with handwriting. Everyday that I am in there, we sit down and work on worksheets. I would write with highlighter what the student wanted to be written, this was helping him to stay in the line and write correctly. We have done this for about five weeks, now the student is writing correctly on their own. These things have had a great impact on me and that is why I have chosen to become a teacher. -Landri Johnson |