From ending our eighth grade year online to coming back to school in person our sophomore year, the class of 2024 has come a long way to build a community for ourselves to make the best of our high school experience.
Logging into Zoom on my first day of high school was underwhelming to say the least. I was sitting on my bed, in my pajamas, with no camera on when I joined my first class of the day: English 1. Immediately, my teacher made us go into breakout rooms, hoping that all the students would connect with each other. Little did she know, we just sat there on mute with our cameras off the entire time. Unfortunately, it stayed like that for the rest of the year: even when we managed to come back into the building part time, we continued to be disconnected. When the beginning of sophomore year came around, I was faced with the challenge of learning how to communicate face-to-face with others, but at least I was not alone in this endeavor. After almost two years of not having physical contact with anyone, I was terrified. I was hoping that one day, I would be able to experience high school the way my older cousins experienced it. They always would say, “it was the time of our lives.”
Here I am on my last full day of high school. As I reflect my time spent here at Naperville North, the question is: did it live up to my expectations?
The class of 2024 may not be the most spirited in terms of the Huskie Cup Competition, but together I think that we can say that our high school experience still lived up to our expectations. While my first year of high school was taken away from me, I sit here feeling content and extremely grateful for the overall experience I had. Despite all my worries, I made friends, I found activities I loved being involved in and now I feel prepared to go on to my future endeavors.
Some may say that the school has it out for the class of 2024, but we wouldn’t be the way we are without all the experiences we had to face. Whether it would be getting off-campus lunch privileges revoked during sophomore year, bomb threats against the school or missing events like Mr. NNHS or the Senior Variety Show, we still had an authentic NNHS experience through other events like Senior Celebration and the ice-skating event hosted by Senior Board. Events like this have brought us together as a class and have rekindled the community we lost during the pandemic. Even though we may have the least amount of points coming off this Huskie Cup Competition, I think our grit and spirit come in first place compared to the other classes.
I’m grateful for going to tailgates, football games and school dances; it’s something that I won’t be able to experience after high school. I am so lucky to have found a second family through activities such as show choir and speech team. I appreciate how much this school has offered me academically, socially and emotionally.
Before I put on my graduation gown and cap and move my tassel over alongside my fellow classmates, I am so fortunate to say that Naperville North did live up to my expectations. Now I can finally close the door to this part of my life and enter a new door that will open up a whole new beginning.
