If you told me during the past three year, sometime in between coming to school sick for two weeks straight and pulling three consecutive all-nighters the day before SATs, that high school was going to be the best years of my life, I would have laughed. Of course, most adults will tell you that, but somehow as a student this hardly sounds true. Perhaps in the first three years of life here at Cherry Hill East, I would have thought differently, but right now, as a second semester senior, I can’t help but agree.

At the time, it seems silly. You could easily state that the workload, the pressure of trying to do well in school and keeping a social life are ridiculous- you can’t wait to go to college and begin your adult life. But reflecting deeply on my time here at East, I can’t think that my time here was for nothing because I would not be the person I am right now without each and every struggle I’ve faced.

Life here at East has changed us in so many ways.  The freshman who did not know the difference between C-wing and B-wing for a week is not the same as the senior who could walk the halls sleeping (but probably has no idea which class to go to. Thanks new schedule!). We have joined clubs and allowed them to become our passions. We have connected with teachers and allowed them to become our role-models, mentors and guides into the sometimes scary future. We have forged life-long friendships with unforgettable people. And we have faced seemingly insurmountable challenges, only to rise to the occasion.

We leave high school as a whole new person, as the sum of our experiences and interactions with the world around us. We seniors have lived only four short years more than the current freshman, but those four years have shaped our personalities and expectations far more than we can imagine.  East isn’t just a stepping stone to college, but a launch-pad to our futures. We walked in the doors as scared freshman, unsure of our future and our place here at East. We leave as confident seniors, secure in who we are, excited, and ready to take on the world.