As I say goodbye to high school, I've started to understand what everyone has been telling me about how fast time flies by. You don’t really notice it until you're sitting in your homeroom for the last time or you’re eating lunch at the table you sat for four years for the last time. That moment that final bell rings and you are done with school for good-- that is when you will notice it. It's then that you realize all that you will be losing.

All of your friends are going to go their separate ways and you won’t be able to walk into your favorite teacher’s classroom anymore and rant about life. All of the times that you complained about waking up at six am to catch the bus will no longer exist and you will miss all of the time spent with your best friend in your favorite seats. As much as you did not want to sit in class for an hour, you will miss the teachers who helped you throughout the years. You will be saying goodbye to walking the halls and seeing your friends faces. Everything that you have known for four years will soon disappear and you will have to start all over again. After graduation, everything will be new. You may even be confused and feel lost. Those feelings won’t last forever, though, and all of those goodbyes will soon turn into hellos. You will create new routines that don't include waking up at six in the morning. You will create new friends who you will make long lasting memories with. Although you will not see your old friends that often, you will never forget all the memories you had created with them.

I now have to say goodbye to the halls I've walked down, the stage I've performed on and the bleachers I've sat on during football games. I have to say goodbye all of the school activities like spirit week and all senior events. I am also saying goodbye to the class of 2017, and I'd like to thank all of you for a wonderful four years. Within in the class of 2017, I must also say goodbye to all of my friends who have helped me throughout the years. It is very difficult to have to leave all of these things and people behind, but life and time must go on. One of my closest friends always says, "everything happens for a reason" and I have seen that to be true after all of these years. Even though I'm "saying" goodbye, am I really? I have taken a little something from every friend, teacher, activity and class. I'll always have a little bit of my high school experience with me.

So instead of me saying good-bye maybe I'll just say "see you later."