by Alyssa Roberts
CORRESPONDENT
I graduate in 16 days. But who's counting?
College will open so many doors. A new, exciting chapter in my life is about to be written. But it won't come without a tearful departure from the chapter I have been writing for four years: high school.
The experiences that take place during those four years of adolescence shape us. Identities have been found, friendships formed, and locker combos forgotten. This chapter will not be forgotten.
From the beginning, high school has become a second home. The hours spent in classrooms just scrape the surface of the time spent in that building. And though I look forward with great anticipation, there will be things that of course I will miss.
I will miss the taste of the lunchroom's raspberry parfait dessert, my favorite of all their post-meal treats. The bargaining with teachers for due dates, and pushing them back to allow myself more time to procrastinate.
The smell of weeds near the track underneath the hot sun, mixed with the scent of freshly cut grass - a combination that will forever remind me of speed work and all the hard work put into the track.
The curtain in the auditorium that was torn in the production of "Beauty and the Beast." The memorable trips to Williams Family Video for face paint before significant football games will also be missed.
I will miss flocking around a poorly lit mirror with seven other girls in the bathroom between classes. The cheering in the student sections at basketball games and listening to my mom across the gym yell at the referees.
I will not miss all of the "he said, she said," drama.
The popular runs to Soelberg's for donuts, a tasty tradition that lightens any class period. I will also miss the four bongs of the bell, beckoning me to class, whose power and meaning have begun to dwindle over time as senior-itis sets in. The fights with my stubborn locker every time I wanted it opened.
I will miss the new hall's drinking fountain: cool, refreshing water without fail. Also coach Allen's room being a safe haven, and coach's talks and advice that come from his uncanny ability to know everything.
The closeness and family feel from attending a smaller school will definitely be missed, where everyone knows my name and I never walk down the hall without receiving a hello.
I will miss the friends I'll be leaving behind or who will be attending different colleges, as well as the faculty and staff that I've grown to know and love. Grantsville's hospitality extends from the principal to the janitors, all of which I will miss chatting with in the hall.
Though it is sad to put an end to it all, the memories will never leave me.