You’re about to have the most sentimental month of your entire life so far. It’s your last month of classes. It’s your last month of high school homework, the student lot, and having to do assignments that at this point you know are just busy work. Take this time to live your high school life to the fullest. You’re going to miss it, whether you think you will or not.

You’re going to have prom at the end of this month. Let me tell you something about prom, no matter who you go with or what you wear or what you do after, you’re going to have a night that you will never forget. If you have a date who ditches you for most of the night like I did, you’re going to make memories with the people who are your closest friends. It’ll be that night that changes the way that you look at all the other memories you’ve made in high school.

Before senior prom, every other memory was just a memory, but once senior prom is over you start to realize how important everything else was too. Prom just signifies the memories truly becoming memories and maybe they’re better that way. Once you get to college you’re going to remember the day you asked someone to prom or the day you were asked to prom, you’ll remember getting ready for prom a year ago and finding a dress and getting more and more excited each day that passed by as we got closer to our senior prom.

And then one day it was here and it all happened so fast and you forgot to get pictures with half of the people that you wanted to, but its all okay because no matter how bad your night was its still perfect.

It’s your prom memory and no one is ever going to be able to take that from you. It’s something you’ll cherish forever and ever, take it from me. I remember seeing people on prom night who I hardly spoke to throughout all of high school that I talked to that night. It’s little things like that that you’re going to remember.

You’re going to start getting ready for your high school graduation. After seniors get to stop going to school, you start your summer vacation early. Until you have graduation practice, of course. I know what you’re thinking, ‘great I have to sit there in the morning and not want to be there’. Don’t look at graduation practice like that. Trust me. Take it for what it is and cherish your last few days together as an entire graduating class. It’s the last time that you’ll all be together and who knows when you’ll all be able to be together again.

I remember at our graduation practices it would always take us such a long time to listen to the principals because we were all goofing off. We were the first class ever to have to practice walking into the stadium more than once and despite our principal being unhappy with us, we owned it and we laughed it off and we got it down the second time.

For the class of 2017 at East, graduation and practices really were the last times that we were all together as a class and I don’t think that any of us were prepared for such a big loss so soon. Cherish your time together now, love each other, build each other up, and be there for one another.

May is a month of nostalgia for high school seniors. That’s one thing that I can tell you for sure. You’re going to see some people for the last time in your life, and that’s something that no one can prepare you for. I challenge all of you to take these last few weeks that you have left and have a smile on your face every day. Be happy and make more memories than you ever thought was possible. You won’t regret it.

To the class of 2018, I wish you luck in all of your future endeavors, whatever they may be. Reach out to the class of 2017 for advice, I’m sure we’re all happy to help you as best as we can. Cougars forever.