On this day, June 4, 1999, the half way point to the beginning of our "adulthood lives" begins. We are half way through high school and only two short years remain. Next year, as Juniors, we have Powder Puff, Prom, licenses, off-campus privileges, Girls’ Treat/Winter Ball, athletic events, Homecoming, new friendships, and harder classes to look forward to, plus much more. We are no longer underclassmen. We have graduated to a higher level; Upperclassmen. These first two years have gone by so fast, and I can’t even begin to imagine how fast the last two will fly by right before our very eyes. A big task lies just ahead of us; A task I doubt we are ready to face. Many sit there and say, "Man, two years left! I can’t wait to get out of this hell hole! School sucks, and once I’m out, I’m free forever!" Well my friends, that is so incredibly far from the truth. When school ends, how many friends from our current cliques do you think we will actually keep in touch with? Will everyone move away? How far? Will they remember us at each of our reunions? Will they even bother to attend? And freedom? Sure. We’ll have more of that as far as how much control our parents have on us, and what they have a say in, (as long as we aren’t living under their roof), but will we make the right decisions without them always there providing us with their guidance? They aren’t going to be there everyday holding our hands to help us back onto our feet when we fall, when we are pushed down and walked on, or get us out of situations that we "accidentally" got into. We will be on our own, supporting ourselves.
Freedom? Is work freedom? Is paying rent, bills, insurance, college tuition, (for those who are not fortunate enough to have 100% help from their parents, and those that actually choose to go), etc. freedom? Sounds like a lot more responsibility and hard work to me. Responsibility that none of us are ready, or willing, to take on. Not yet any way. But who is to say that we will be ready at the end of these two years? What if we aren’t prepared? What then? Many of us, even through our Senior year, aren’t going to be responsible enough to get our homework assignments in on time, if at all, no matter how easy it may be. You would think that that’s an easy task. A lot of us don’t even make curfew. Maybe homework and curfews aren’t a responsibility that is life threatening, but it’s still something we need to be able to grasp a stable understanding of, whether it be worthless information or not. Many students just do whatever it takes to barely get by, and don’t let it phase them. If that’s the path they choose to take, that is their choice. Be the wise one, and make the right choices.
High school is also filled with a lot of decision making and drama of all sorts. We all make some really bad decisions, but as long as we know what we did wrong and try our best to change it, that’s what really counts. For example, drinking. Sometimes we go against our better judgment and make the wrong choice. It doesn’t mean we can’t change. Throughout high school, everyone changes, and unfortunately, it’s not always for the better. If you start heading down the wrong path, you hurt friends and others around you. It’s never too late to turn around and go back to the beginning. Start over with a clean slate, and prove that you are strong and willing to change for the better. I have had friends that have made bad decisions with drinking, but they leveled out and knew what had to be done. They didn’t just forget about what they had done and say, "Well, I have already been drunk. What’s done is done. I can’t go back and change that. I’m just going to keep doing my thing, and you’ll all get used to it." They realized they were hurting more than just their friends. They realized that they were also hurting themselves. They went back and headed in the right direction. Some of us know the mistakes we have made, but don’t have a solution. Sometimes, not every problem has a solution. Most do though, and we just need to look hard enough to find it.
We have all changed dramatically since the day we set foot on Merrill F. West’s campus. We have all grown academically, athletically, emotionally, or in some other special way, if not all of the above. We have also become closer to each other. I believe that if Merrill F. West was still alive today, he would be proud of the school that has been established from his name, despite the downfalls we have had this year. About two dozen of West High’s students were arrested this year for dealing drugs. Two were arrested for possession of an air powered weapon on campus. We can not let this handful of people hurt our reputation and how people may look at our school. Our accomplishments will overshadow these mishaps. The good will stand out over the bad.
Another thing we need to think about is what direction do we want to be headed in? What career would we like to get into? The decisions never stop, and they don’t get any easier. It’s all uphill from here. We have the will, the power, and the strength to pull through this. It’s just like the saying goes, "Where there’s a will, there’s a way". I have always been told that high school is supposed to be the best four years of our lives. So far, I strongly believe that, and I know that once it’s over, I’ll regret not doing everything I wanted to do. We still have two years left. Achieve your goals. Go out for the team you’ve always wanted to be on. It doesn’t matter if you make it or not. All that matters is that you truly tried. Bring up the grades in school, and make not only your parents proud, but search deep down into your heart and find out if you are honestly proud of yourself. If you don’t find this to be true, then the job isn’t being done correctly. You have to be happy with yourself before others can be happy with you. You know what to do. As the class of 2001, pride must glow within us and among our many classmates. Friends make it possible for goals to be achieved. They stick by your side every step of the way. They are there to provide guidance, advice, a helping hand, and love and affection. Teachers are there as well for guidance, but they are never appreciated. Students think of their "guidance" as torture. I know I do with some teachers! How many of you have done most of what you have wanted to always do in high school? Have you ever dreamed of becoming the Homecoming Queen for your class, or just wanted to make a lot of new friends? If you haven’t done it yet, each and everyone of us still has time. Anything, and I do mean anything, is possible. We don’t have an eternity, although some like to believe that. Life is short, so live it well. Let’s go out and accomplish our goals! Achievement is a powerful feeling.
Many of us don’t like when other people give us advice. We just sit there nodding our heads and thinking, "Yeah, like you know what you’re talking about!" But here are some words/quotes to live by:
"It takes a lot of understanding, time, and trust to gain a close friendship with someone. As we approach a time of our lives of complete uncertainty, our friends are our most precious asset."
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience by which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’"
"Losing one’s trust is much easier than gaining it."
"True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island. To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune. To keep them is a blessing."
"Hold a friend’s hand through times of trial, let them love through a hug and a smile, but also know when it is time to let go. For each and every one of us must learn to grow."
"You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back."
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
"Enjoy yourself. These are the good old days you’re going to miss in the years ahead."
"There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy, and its only reward is that it’s easy."
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle."
"What’s important in life is how we treat each other."
"You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live."
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
"You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing."
"Love is a language in which the blind can see and the deaf can hear."
"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
"The human spirit is stronger than anything that happens to it."
"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are those, ‘It might have been.’"
"What’s meant to be will always find a way."
"And love can come to everyone. The best things in life are free."
"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same."
"Love yourself, for if you don’t, how can you expect anybody else to love you?"
"Love is temporary, but friends are forever."
"Let your heart guide you, but listen closely because it whispers."
"Love is friendship, friendship is love. If love fails, friendship should remain. For friendship is the foundation of love."
These really are words worth living by, and I hope you all take them into consideration. Life is too short. Don’t throw a second of it away. Live it to its fullest. Be open minded and willing to listen to those who are willing to guide you along the right path. Don’t push them away. It can’t be done alone. With two years left, we need to make every minute count.
So much has happened in these two years alone!! Athletically, our Freshmen year, our Varsity football and boys basketball teams made us a proud school when they made it to the play-offs. Our Sophomore year, Varsity football, boys and girls basketball, and softball made it to the playoffs. These past two years we have yet to bring home a championship, but just the fact that we have made it this far is thrilling enough! West High is excelling to a higher level and stands out tremendously when it comes to our athletic programs. Soccer, now, we intend to go all the way next year, and I know that as Juniors, we have two more years to become the VOL champions. This is a goal a few of us have set for ourselves, and are very eager to achieve. We’ll see what happens! Events, Homecoming has been a success both years. Our clique especially: Tricia, Shelby, Stina, Jaime, Kayla, Stephanie, Christina, Rakhee, and I, have never failed to show our school spirit, let alone our wackiness. (Especially Tricia and I seeing as how we were the school mascots for our Sophomore year!) Shelby and I even got our pictures in the year book because we were "decorated" so spiritedly. Many in our group have a very special gift. We don’t care what people think of us. If they see us dancing, and think, "God! Look at those girls trying to dance!" We just say that if they don’t like what they see, turn around and walk back the other way. They don’t have to look at us. They do it by choice. No body forces them to turn their heads or take a quick glance. Why be afraid to show your true colors and act like yourself. No one should be afraid to do that, no matter the situation. Pitfalls: Well, two students were sited on campus with a "gun", causing the school to be locked down for two hours. The softball, track, and gymnastics teams were all on their buses ready to go to their games, when a security guard came out an told us to run to the library. Someone was on campus and had a firearm. We sat in the library with our parents down the road crying and worried because they didn’t know what was going on. We later found out that two Seniors from our school had a BB gun and were shooting at cans during lunch. That was all. We were on lock down for over two hours. The SWAT teams and police departments were all out searching the campus. This happened the day after the Columbine shootings, and that’s what scared everyone the most. Then, February 16th, we had an undercover cop at our school, posing as a 17 year old Senior, buying drugs from students. We didn’t find this out until May, and 19 of our students were arrested because of drug dealing. The ones under 18 were put on house arrest, and the others were sent to the county jail. I still don’t understand how some people can be so stupid. I guess it happens though, and there’s always a bad seed somewhere. These two unfortunate "events" hopefully never happen again! Much more will occur in these next two years. Things I hope we will all remember for a lifetime. Most importantly though, I hope we all remember our friends and all of the good times we had together. Make our next, and last two years count. One last thing, make sure your friends know how you feel about them. Don’t let it go unsaid. Before we depart, share our feelings straight from the heart. ;o) This first scrap book I have created, contents and all, (including my "last few words"), are dedicated to the Class of 2001, but most importantly, this is dedicated to my friends, and anyone who has ever been there for me. I never could have made this book with out the help from this class. You’re the ones that make it count! Thank you.
The moment of truth is now clearly knocking on the doors of the Class of 2001. In just eight short months, we will leave our childhood lives, and step into the world of reality and responsibility. Still considered a teenager, in our eyes, for perhaps a year or two more, we shall be viewed as adults by the outside world. We say goodbye to friends and family as we head off to college in what seems like a far off, foreign land. We will pay our own bills and support ourselves now. Two years ago, we reached a fork in the road. A road leading to success, and a road leading to nowhere. We've reached the end of this road, whichever one we have taken, and now we're faced with a new one. A paved, steady, promising road. The road we will follow until the day we die. The world sees us now. We are no longer invisible. Only a year ago, what we had to say didn't matter. We were just "teens without a cause". As of graduation, we shall be heard. Though the cries may be heard by the people now, they're the same points we made in the past. But now, to the "grown-ups", our words mean something, because we've supposedly reached their "level" in life. We've been looked down on for so many years because of those who couldn't make the right choice, how we looked, or even how we talked. On June 16, 2001, we will be handed our future. Handed our chance to give ourselves a name and a place in society. We will be initiated into the "real world".
Right before we began our Junior year, we experienced a painful, unexpected death in our lives. On July 29, 1999, Jason Bowen and Sam Salinas were taken from us. Many still feel the hole in their hearts that may never be filled. We've experienced loss. We've endured pain. Yet our lives have gone on, with them in mind. West High's Class of 2001 shall prosper. We've been to hell and back, yet we are not alone. We are a family. Brought together by tragedy, we feel the pain of one another, and reach out to heal. Rest in peace Jason and Sam.
These past four years at Merrill F. West have been those of sadness, joy, happiness, success, realizations, hope, and the foundation for life long friendships. High school has shaped each and everyone of us into the people we have come to be. We have learned to live each day as if it were our last.
We have worked so hard to make it where we are today. We've faced trial and error, but conquered defeat.
Homecoming, rallies, games, dances, and many other activities helped to make high school memorable.
On that note, enjoy these last eight months. Be involved, show spirit, and most of all, express your feelings to those who may not know you care. Eight months leading to a new life. Make it count. Congratulations Seniors, and good luck starting your new lives!
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