Senior Perspectives: Dani Lazarus

Before classes even started, my experience at East began with pre-season practice with the cross-country team. I am not exactly one who jumps out of bed ready to go; yet, on day one of the July pre-season practice, I was told to meet at East at 6 a.m., ready to run. As an incoming freshman, unfamiliar with anyone on the team, I was nervous as to what to expect. I certainly did not expect that the running team and my coaches would soon become my support system and encouragement for the next four years.

The East running teams became a huge part of my daily life. Learning to juggle classwork and sports was always a challenge, but I always knew the importance of being involved. When the cross-country team embraced me on day one of practice, it was clear: the more I gave to the school, the more I would enjoy my high school experience. My participation in SGA and Blood Drive, Spirit Week dances and Powder Puff games provided me with some of my favorite memories. Often times being on the “sideline” was just as fun, like when my friends and I dressed up to cheer on the basketball and hockey teams during playoff games.

Every day for the past four years, I have entered East with a backpack filled with running clothes for practice after school and another backpack filled with books weighing probably twice as much as I do. Despite my years of training and hours of running, I am still completely out of breath after climbing three flights of stairs to get to class, needing at least ten minutes to recover. Still, I wouldn’t change these past four years for anything, and in terms of advice to incoming students, get involved. I guess it can be best summed up by a quote from a classic high school movie: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”