Lucas Tran (’20)

In 6th grade, I had this idea that high school would be parties every weekend and like making out with chicks on the daily. It was not like that for me.
Freshman year was weird; I was so lost (quite literally) every day. The breezeway connecting C-wing intersection to the library was blocked off too. That detour made it a lot harder to get around, especially with my poor navigation skills. It also made traffic in the halls like 3 times worse. I didn’t know how to navigate Cherry Hill High School East until sophomore year.

There was also this thing called “homeroom.” I don’t know whatever happened to that, but during my time there when it existed, I remember tending to stick to the people I knew from Rosa. As time went on, the wall that separated the Beck kids from the Rosa kids and the Carusi kids, slowly collapsed. It’s interesting to see the people that I know so well now I used to be timid around 4 years ago.

I also got a 17% on the dreaded fruit fly lab that year. That was my most fond memory because I remember my teacher mentioning to the entire class that she had to take a walk in the midst of grading the labs. I knew that I was the exact reason why she had to take a walk. Freshman year overall felt like a big goof.

When second-year came around, I still felt like a freshman. This year went by the fastest for some reason and I don’t really remember too much about it. This was also the year they started to lock up the bathrooms during lunch. I don’t understand why only the boy’s bathrooms got locked, like, girls definitely vape in their bathrooms too. I had an absolute emergency one time on the third floor and the boy’s bathroom was locked so I used the girl’s bathroom instinctively.

A lot of upperclassmen told me junior year is the hardest. I think otherwise because that was the best year. This was the meat and potatoes of my time at East. This was the year that I eased up and knew what I was doing for the most part. I also put a bunch of googly eyes all over the place.

I also took history online so I could have an extra space open for another class. History online was not really that effective; the only thing I remember from that course was that the bikini was invented during WWII due to rationing of supplies.

Senior year rolled in. I never thought that this year would come so soon. Seeing the days pass was nerve-wracking. Every day that went by was a day closer to the end of a free trial. It was scary to know that I would have to start paying for my own subscription soon. This year was the hardest but it was also the most balanced because so much fun came with it. I really pushed boundaries this year when it came to my shenanigans because I was the most comfortable I’ve ever been. During my final year, I went to the principal’s office for the first time, and that was because I was wearing a hazmat suit. I’m surprised that I wasn’t there more often for other reasons.

I enjoyed being at school. It took me some time, but I felt like I belonged there and I looked forward to going every day. I love my teachers, coaches, and friends; the insight I gained from all of them is priceless. This virus made me shed tears for the first time over anything school related. Cherish every minute you have in high school. The class of 2020’s high school experience was cut short. I would have had more to write about but I don’t.