Graduation and afterward

Through all the highs and lows of high school, it's all worth it.

And also

Posted via email from Montgomery's posterous

Last Real Day of High School

The last bell of my life rings.  The picture above is an Airbus A321.

In the newspaper that just came out, my "senior commentary" was published.  Here it is reprinted:

Looking back as a senior I am really not sure about the effectiveness of high school in preparing me for college.  All I learned is that people cannot be trusted all the time, and it is up to yourself to provide the motivation to get anything done.

Perhaps that actually is a good lesson I learned while I’m still a teenager.

Over the course of my four years as a high school student, I have lost a few friends, been deceived by people I trusted, and learned that hard work is not always rewarded. 

With regards to hard work, grades and extracurricular activities do not matter that much.  In the eyes of the government, every student is turned into a set of numbers. That is why the STAR test is administered each year, and why students take the SAT and the ACT.  GPAs exist so that one student can be easily compared to another.  These numbers do not define who you are.

I have seen many of my peers act as phonies in an attempt to get a higher set of numbers.  There people have an exemplary skill of filling in bubbles and regurgitating material that is expected of them.  Look at everyone in this school who has a 4.0 GPA or above.  Some of these students have not contributed a single thing to their society or are not particularly talented.

After high school students will be completely responsible for their own actions as adults.  They will have to take care of things like taxes, health care, and food.

Aside from all these negative feelings I had for my experience in high school, I had great experiences as well.  I managed to write a symphony (albeit a short one), which the music department is going to perform for the final concert.  I also had an opportunity to travel to Italy with my freshman English teacher, Janet Headington. 

In the end, high school is what you make of it.  My advice for underclassmen is to not let others say what cannot be done and to not succumb to peer pressure.

And also a few days ago I had a pretty good achievement:

I really am almost ready to say good bye to:

All I am missing now is signing some more yearbooks.  I will have more organized blog posts later.  For now, I must enjoy sleeping while I can.

Posted via email from Montgomery's posterous