4 years ago we entered our high school careers as wide-eyed freshmen being thrown into the wide ocean. At that moment, we had two decisions. Swim back to the shore we found so familiar, or swim out into the unknown expanses of the sea. We stand here today, having made the latter decision, to embrace the unknown and not just survive, but thrive. We have excelled as a class in everything we do. Our sports teams and activities have made it to State level competition, our scholars have received prestigious scholarships and endured the rigors of the IB program, our fine arts students have produced true art in all shapes and forms, and we bred a community of inclusiveness and individuality. That was us, Class of 2016. We achieved such lofty goals due to our unity and passion. Never in my life have I seen a group of people so closely bonded and so willing to include anyone and everyone. …show more content…
Cliques aren’t a thing in the Class of 2016. I consider myself a band geek, and yet I am close friends with students in choir, drama, art, football, track and field, lacrosse, speech and debate, and countless more. We did not let ourselves be boxed in by the societal constructs of “cliques” and allow them to determine who we are, and what we believe in. Rather, we embraced the challenge of coming together as one and had the bravery and commitment to accomplish it. I am proud to say, that in my 4 years of being a member of our class, that I have never so much as seen an instance of bullying or hatred within us. That is a rarity in our society and something that sets us apart from everyone else. We are better equipped to go out into the world because of the unity that we have