• As graduation quickly approaches, I find myself looking back to the beginning. Seeing what all it took. All the tears and cheers. In just a matter of days it'll be our time. Our moment. To walk across that stage and smile. 12 years really isn't all that long. Especially with all the breaks, and summer vacation. We made this possible for ourselves. Our familie's stood by us and coaxed us through the troubles. Our friends made us forget the stress of finals. In a way, I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet. I'm not ready to leave the busy hallways, the cafeteria food, the books that sometimes seem to fall apart, the homework that took up hours, the familiar voices shouting, "No running in the hallway!!!" as you sprint to your next class so you aren't late, the clock tocking down the time till the end of school bell sounds. Teachers and parents have done all they could to prepare us for life. Now is our time to prove we're ready to stand on our own. To leave the sheltered nest and find our own way in the big open world. Some of us may be ready for it, some may not. But we all did our best and gave it our all. I'm a high school senior, set to graduate real soon, but, I'm not just any senior. I'm a senior in the class of 2011.

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