Class of 2019,

Ready or not, graduation is near. May will be here before you know it. You have one semester of high school left. Let that sink in for a minute. Life as you know it is about to change forever. Will it change for the good or the bad? That choice is yours!

You are beginning to face many decisions that will affect your life forever, and that can be scary. Don't let the stress of choosing a college and career ruin your last semester of high school. Go have fun, and make those memories. The simple things you took for granted for the past three years of high school will be gone before you know it. Go to that last sporting event, go to that last choir/band concert, go to that last high school dance, go to any and every event possible! Go support your friends at their high school events because pretty soon, those friends may be gone far away from you.

While you're making those memories, strive to be the best possible person you can be. Don't go through your last semester of high school just doing enough to get by; instead, work your hardest. Show your teachers that you truly care. Thank your teachers for instilling their lives into yours. While it may seem those teachers were trying to make your life more difficult, it was simply the start of a bigger life lesson you need to know.

While this chapter of your life is ending, a new chapter is about to begin. You will learn that those people who you thought were your friends in high school are really not. Things change, people change, and most of all, LIFE CHANGES. Don't let anything ruin this season of your life. Live in the moment because one day, you will look back, and all you will have is memories.