Beginnings

Monday was my last first day of high school. I don’t think that has really set in until I sat down to write this, but this year is my last year of daily 6:15 alarms, my last year being around my friends, and my last year in the town where I have spent my entire life. Being surrounded by ‘lasts’ is overwhelming. It’s weird to think that my life as I know it is ending.

That is why this year I am focusing on beginnings. This is my senior year of high school, which is exciting in itself, and the start of a new series of activities, friendships, and experiences.

For freshmen, this is the start of a high school career that I can promise will be extraordinary.

For new staff, this a new chance to impact the lives of a student body that is just as enthusiastic to learn as you are to teach.

For sophomores, a chance to make your mark now that you know the ropes.

For juniors, your first steps in determining your place in the world once you leave West.

For the Glen Bard, our first year online.

High school can be tough. There is always a paper to write, a test to take, a textbook to read. But what if we were grateful for the late nights and the coffee runs and the early morning wakeup calls? All of these things are making us into who we are going to be.

This year, we are all given a blank slate. Be grateful, and use it wisely. Because, as I am quickly learning, all things come to an end.

But with every end is a new beginning.

~Erin Delany

I am a firm believer in beginnings. Every month, every week, every day can be a new beginning if you make it one.

Each school year comes with its challenges. Some days, you will feel completely overwhelmed and defeated. You will wake up the next morning exhausted, still recovering from the game and hours of homework you had the night before.

However, we need to remember that even the days when it is hard to get out of bed are a new beginning. Try wake up with an improved attitude, one that is excited for the day ahead and prepared to rise to the challenges it may present.

Approach each day as a chance to start over. As humans, we frequently make mistakes. However, dwelling on the mishaps of the past will only inhibit you from moving forward with your life. Learn from the slip-ups and utilize your new-found knowledge to conquer the next twenty four hours.

Overall, a beginning can mean something different depending on each individual’s needs. What kind of beginning do you need this week?  It could be the forgiveness of a friend, the chance to revise an assignment, or even a good night’s sleep.

Don’t be afraid to approach these chances to start over. Know yourself. Know your abilities. Know that you are capable of embracing the setbacks, the challenges, the fatigue, and do your best to find each new beginning. You only get one life, but you can have endless beginnings.

~Maddie Howard

Personally, I believe that beginnings should be cherished more than endings. Though endings, such as graduating high school, are much more memorable, it is the beginning and what you do with it that is responsible for the outcome of the ending.

While endings seem to always be bittersweet, beginnings are fresh and exciting; they hold hope, promise, and elements of unknown that endings lack.

As a senior, I am coming very close to many endings but also so many new beginnings. But I choose to not think about how I am moving onto college soon or graduating,  rather that I am beginning what will hopefully be the best year of my life.

As for everyone else, we must recognize that this time of year is not just a hot sticky period that drags us away from our summers; it is gift to begin all over again, a gift everyone should make an effort to seize.

And beginnings can be whatever you make of it. A time to start a new project, a time to wipe the slate clean, or a time to make changes in your life. They are a chance to try something different or meet new friends and people. That it why it is so important that beginnings be taken advantage of. Most times, you do not know when you will have the chance to start a new beginning and almost always, endings are present in your mind and sneaking up quicker than you think.

Though many people view a new year as being one year closer to the end, I encourage you to see each year as what it truly is, a new beginning that opens doors to whole new realm of opportunities. High school is not a race or count down to the end, it is about embracing new beginnings and making experiences for yourself.

~Kelsey Lentz