Twelve years, or 4380 days, is a long time to wait, but for the class of 2016, the wait is almost over.

Everyone knows how grade school works — you finish one grade then you’re off to the next. Until senior year hits, at least. Following graduation, opportunities include either going off to college or beginning in the services or workfield. Although you know it’s coming, it really doesn’t hit you as soon as you would think.

As a senior here at HB, I have seen classes come and go and now my time is finally here. During the second half of the year, the weather gets warmer, days get longer, and seniors get the all too anticipated disease of senioritis. Every year, students graduate and the next class moves up to become the new seniors. The first half of senior year is extremely stressful. For most of the senior class, the year begins with writing your college essay and filling out applications. When all this is finished, it feels as though the weight of the world has just been lifted off your shoulders as you wait to receive your first acceptance letter.

Once the second half of the year is upon us, seniors don’t want to be in school anymore. They figure that they are practically done with school, that they have been accepted to at least one college of choice and have tried hard in their first semester classes and exams. The reality that they really are going to graduate finally starts to come into check.

“I’m very excited to graduate and go out into the world. I’m gonna miss roaming the halls with friends and marking my name during high school,” said Nicole Hall ‘16.  As Hall put it, seniors want out, but they will miss high school and all the opportunities it brings.  

Senior year feels very similar to the previous eleven years — minus the senior skip days, college applications and senior “priorities”, like options and taking mainly electives for courses. In the midst of it all, after applications have been submitted and the hard part is over,  it is easy to forget that you’re waiting to hear back to see what your future holds. Even after you receive acceptance, you may simply figure, hey, someone wants me!   

The next step seniors experience is the stage of commitment. Once one kid commits to a college, it’s like a set of dominos falling one kid does and many are to follow.That’s when it begins to feel like you are finally moving on from high school. You  understand that unlike the last eleven years, you are going to be starting something new in the fall.

Teachers can see the change too, as students feel their time in high school coming to an end, beginning to realize just how much they secretly like it and how much they are going to miss it. “As second half rolls around, seniors start to realize they are all bozos on the same bus going the same direction and their relationships get a little tighter,” said English teacher, Mr. Fox.

“It’s crazy how fast these past four years went. I’ll be enjoying my last semester by preparing for guitar night, playing lacrosse and working, but most importantly enjoying the people that have made high school great.” said Holly Eisenberg ‘16. Students are starting to realize how much they liked high school, and now that it’s coming to an end, they realize just how fast time goes and begin to cherish every moment they have left.