To the school I love,

Transitioning from middle school to high school was one of the scariest things I ever had to do. I remember going off to high school with only three other girls that I knew and walking into the building on my first day so lost and confused. I walked through the halls and maneuvered my way around and couldn't help but realize that these halls and lockers would be my new home for the next five years. I was alone and scared to see what lied ahead, but little did I know then that all of that would change very soon.

For most people, high school is just a stop in the road on the way to your future career, but for me, you meant way more than that. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of the countless memories and moments that changed my life for the better.

Thank you for teaching me the importance of the four pillars: prayer, study, community and service.

As an eighth grader, I never really understood why our school based everything off of these four pillars, but now, as a college senior, I look back and I completely understand. Our high school was not just a place where we learned information that we would need to know for our future. It was also a place where we learned the importance of every day life and what it means to truly strive to be the best person you can be.

In class, you taught me how to study. When I say study, I don't mean just glancing at the pages before I walked in, I mean actually sitting down and applying the information to real life events. I hated studying when I was in high school, but now that I am in college, I realize how prepared you made me and how easy it is to succeed, all thanks to your help.

You taught me the importance of community and getting involved in the world. Without your support, I wouldn't have had the courage to take an internship in another state, I wouldn't have joined a sorority and I wouldn't have gotten involved in clubs around campus. You taught me that in order to make a difference, you need to get out there and be the change you want to see. Because of that, I have gone very far.

You showed me what true service looked like and you gave me the drive to go out and give back to the community. You taught me how to be selfless and true in my service, as well as how important it is to serve others. You showed me how wonderful it feels to give back to others, and in return, I got to see first hand how amazing it is to make a difference. I used to only think about myself and my own problems, but now I see everything in a new light. That is all because of you.

Lastly, you have continuously shown me the power of prayer. As a busy college student, sometimes I lose myself in all of my stress and assignments and I tend to forget to thank God for all that He has given me. Sometimes when everything has gone wrong, I am able to take a second to remember that God would never give me anything I couldn't handle and that with Him, all things are possible. I may not be the best Catholic out there, but you have shown me that it is okay to make mistakes and that I will never be lost as long as I have my faith and prayer.

Thank you for giving me a support system unlike any other.

I'm not just talking about my friends and family, I mean everyone. Thank you to my friends who made every single day an adventure and gave me a reason to get excited for school at 7:37 AM. Thank you to my teachers for always believing in me and doing everything in their power to help me succeed, even when it seemed impossible. On top of that, thank you to those teachers who worked in the Math Lab and Writing Center, because spoiler alert: all of your hard word paid off! Thank you to my coach for always putting up with me and pushing me to do my best, even when I was ready to give up. Thank you to the staff in Room 107 that took care of me, allowed me to lay on the cot when I was sick, and comforted me when I was stressed out. Thank you to the guidance counselors for putting up with all of my problems and helping me to choose the most amazing school and major that I could have ever asked for. Thank you to the Executive Administration staff for keeping me motivated every day, running such an incredible school, and reminding me that we were awesome almost every day on announcements. Thank you to the staff members around campus (our janitors, cafeteria workers and security) for doing such an amazing job and bringing happiness to everyone around them. Thank you to the alumni who continuously give back and continue to help our school grow even more beautiful and stronger than ever before. Thank you to my teammates for giving me the opportunity to be a leader, always giving 110 percent, and showing me what it means to be truly proud of something. Thank you to the E-boards every year that always made announcements fun, and gave us something to look forward to every day. Thank you to everyone else that I am forgetting, because no matter what you did, you mattered and you're one of the reasons that I am the person I am today. Lastly, thank you to my classmates for making my five years in high school an unforgettable journey filled with unforgettable people and countless memories.

Thank you for my education.

While in high school, I dreaded homework, projects and tests. Don't get me wrong, I still do, but I am so very thankful for everything I learned from you. As I sit in my college classes, I can't help but see the difference when it comes to educational background. You prepared me for the real world. While it may have seemed harsh at the time, I now realize how thankful I am because I am passing with flying colors, while some others are struggling to make it through. You drilled concepts into my head that I swore I would never need to know, but turns out you were right, because some of those things I still use til this very day. I may not know how to manage my bank account, or do my taxes for that matter, but I promise you, I know the Pythagorean Theorem like the back of my hand and I'm proud of that. You didn't take the easy way out by testing us based on memorization, instead, you helped us learn to apply concepts to everyday situations and while that is tough sometimes, it helped tremendously now that I am in college. You took the time out of your day to focus on your students and their education, and you even provided us with one-on-one help when it was needed, which showed that you never gave up on us. You pushed us hard to succeed and gave us a drive to exceed the expectation and because of that, I am excelling in school and have received numerous awards for my grades. For all of this, I am so thankful. You will always be the reason for my success.

Thank you for the many memories made.

From my first day to my last days walking down those hallways, every memory I made in high school has touched my heart unlike anything else. Beginning with my initiation as an eighth grader, I knew that I chose the right place to spend my next five years. There was something special about that ceremony that stuck with me forever and I cherish that moment every day. That was the beginning of my journey. Little did I know then how beautiful that journey would turn out to be. Pep rallies and assemblies were always a fun event that gave us time to stop working so hard and just have some fun. The ceremonies were special and reminded us that we were all unique in our own way, but all shared the same love for our school. The athletic events were crazy and they allowed us to show everyone else why our school was the best and why we love it so much. The masses brought us together and helped us all to stop and take a moment to pray and show God how thankful we were for all He has given us. All of these special moments gave me a heart full of everlasting memories, all thanks to you. My favorite memories took place my senior year. Everything from running through the halls on ring day, our final rally day assembly, and my final walk across the stage at graduation. All of these special moments are held close to my heart and they help remind me of where I came from. I'm thankful for the good times and the bad times as well, because they both equally made me into the woman I am today. College is fun and all, I love every minute of it, but my favorite memories are the ones I made in high school, with my classmates who turned into my family.

Lastly, thank you for the small things.

There are many things that I am thankful for you for and I could honestly write about it all day, but I think that while it is important to focus on the big things, the small things are the ones that take up the most room in my heart. So, here are a few of the little things that made my experience larger than life. Thank you for crispitos, taco salad, fresh baked cookies and "good" chicken. They seem to be silly things to be thankful for, but coming from a girl who likes her food, the days when those items were on the menu were the best days of my life. Thank you for the beautiful gift of rally day and all of the long practices leading up to it. Rally day was my favorite time of year, and all of those long, ridiculous practices always made for such an amazing show. They allowed us to show our creative side and give the other classes a run for their money. Thank you for ED (early dismissal) days and weird class times. Starting school at 7:37 AM and ending at 3:02 PM were quite interesting, but they made for funny stories and good announcement jingles. Thank you for making us sit in alphabetical order most of the time. While that may seem like a strange thing to be thankful for, that is how a stranger turned into my best friend. Thank you for not having a mascot. While it is super annoying as a cheerleader to come up with cheers without a mascot, it made us unique and different, which is awesome. Thank you to our male faculty who always dressed up in their cummerbunds and bow-ties on the Friday before our formal events. You guys took the extra time out of your day to spiff up just like us, and motivated us to look as great as you guys did for our own event. Thank you to the female faculty (and males too) for putting up with a bunch of teenage girls. Now that I am older, I see exactly how ridiculous and challenging that can be at times. You honestly deserve an award for all you do. Thank you to the security guards who wished me a good morning every single morning and made my day. I looked forward to our conversations in the morning and I was thankful to see you all so bright and early. Lastly, thank you for giving me a place to call home. No matter how long I've been away, every time I walk through those doors, I feel like a student once again. Every time I attend an event, I feel like I belong. Every time I walk those hallways, I remember why I chose this school in the first place and it makes me proud to call myself a graduate of such an amazing high school.

No matter how long it has been and no matter where I go from here, you will always hold a special place in my heart. You challenged me to always do my best and now that I am almost at the end of my college career, I realize that all of that hard work made every single second worth it. You pushed me to be the best person I can be and while I still struggle from time to time, I am always reminded of where I came from and the person I want to be. You molded me into a strong, independent woman and taught me that I can achieve anything that I put my mind to, and I am proud of that. So to you, I owe a lot, and I will never be able to fully thank you for all that you have done for me.

Continue to inspire each girl who walks through those doors. Continue to push them as hard as you can, because it will make them so successful one day. Continue to show everyone the importance of what we stand for and encourage them to go out and live those pillars every day of their lives. Continue to cherish the moments you have, because before you know it, they fly by, but they stay forever as memories in your heart. And lastly, continue to turn high school girls into strong women, because they are truly the most inspirational human beings I have ever seen and they'll do great things one day, thanks to you.

So here's a toast of praise to the school I love!

Thank you for everything,

A Proud Alumni