High school. It’s more than just a building in which we dread to tiredly stumble into every morning for four years. It is a period and a stage of one’s life, and a short, yet important one at that.

The senior class of 2019 have spent a long – but also short – time here at Lakeland Regional High School. We’ve achieved some incredible things, with many more surely to come.

The main goal of high school is supposed to prepare us for college, but something that is often overlooked is the importance of enjoying your time here. Well, many seniors have made the most of their time at Lakeland.

We surveyed several seniors to see what some of the best highlights of our high school careers were. Several people predict that graduation or prom will be their favorite memories, while many told us that theirs was representing Lakeland on their respective sports team. We also got many people who fondly remember attending football games or even cheering at them.

Other students also told us about school or club trips, and pep rallies. We even got David Vargas playing piano as a response, among many others.

We also asked seniors what advice they have for underclassmen. We were told that you must manage your time well, and work hard, but also enjoy high school while it lasts.

This one may sound pretty obvious, but do not fail classes (I speak from experience on this one). To make sure of this you should take the time to get to know your teachers, as they are your main asset for learning. It is also necessary that you complete homework on the same day it was assigned. Finally, monitor your GPA regularly; you may feel that it isn’t important, but it serves as a tool for colleges to monitor your high school career.

Seniors have also said to be patient, and don’t stress over unnecessary things, which can lend to having a good work ethic. It is also recommended that you try to include yourself in everything. Join clubs and play sports. These give you lots of experience in their respective areas, and they also connect you to new groups of people, which expands your social atmosphere.

We also got some social advice from seniors. The most important thing socially, is that you be yourself. Do not pretend to have certain interests just to be friends with someone or to fit in. It will lead to you being unhappy. That being said, make some good friends that you know will be by your side even after high school. Not much is more important than loyal friends who’ll stand by you through anything.

The last bit of advice we got from seniors is something often overlooked and might raise a few eyebrows from incoming freshmen. Do not destroy the bathrooms. I want to extend this to the entire school. Do not intentionally damage or vandalize any part of the school. Our custodial team is full of tremendous men and women who deserve a whole lot more respect than they currently get.

The last area of reflection from our seniors, is how they’ve changed since freshman year. The most common one is that they’ve matured and are now more prepared for college, later life and adulthood. Some other things are that their confidence has improved and they’re much more independent now.

Overall, much has changed in the past four years for us seniors. We have gone through some great times and some tough times. We have labored over school work and crammed for many tests, but in the end, it was all worth it. We have made new friends and lost some to, but gained important experiences along the way. Some will miss this place, and some can’t wait to just get away. But in the end, we’ll all be able to say – hopefully with some pride – that we went to Lakeland Regional High School.