Dear students of LFHS,

If you’re a senior, junior, sophomore, or even a freshman, I bet this title was one that you looked at, nodded to, and probably agreed with. 

But if you’re a senior, this title probably meant just a little bit more. Because for us, time is flying by, but this ‘time’ is the last that we will ever have at Lake Forest High School. 

It’s not just another year of high school passing by, it’s our last year passing by. It’s crazy to think that every day that passes by is one that won’t be mirrored onto next year, as next year we will have completely different lives away at college.

Seniors- We’ve already been in school for 42 days. 42 days!! For me, it feels like it’s only been a week or two. Like, I still mess up the order of my classes some days or get lost going to them. 

Remember the first day of school when you and your friends all wore the danger zone shirts and felt like seniors for the first time? Or even the first time you went off campus and got lunch, and probably felt like a true senior for the first time?

As we settle more and more into our daily schedules and get more comfortable with being those big and bad seniors that we are, it’s like the clock of our lives keeps increasing its speed and we can’t reach into it and slow it down. 

Before we know it, we will be clicking submit on Common App for our last college application and will breathe a huge sigh of relief. And then we’ll be almost second semester seniors, anxiously waiting for colleges to tell us whether we were accepted to them or not. 

I don’t know about you guys, but I really don’t want to leave high school. When someone says they would ‘totally see me’ at a certain college, I don’t agree with them and really can’t see what they mean. This is because I just see myself as someone who belongs here at LFHS, not any college in the world.

It makes me so sad to think that everything I’m experiencing is a ‘last,’ but it’s also made me feel really blessed for the high school we all have gotten to grow up in. Because we got so lucky with our school, we need to take every opportunity we can to live up every moment we’re here.

Seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshman- I don’t think we realize this as often as we should, but LFHS is such a special place.

Not every high school has students littering the student section of every sports game, all cheering at the top of their lungs and even holding up posters cheering on their friends. Not every high school has their hallways lined with blue and gold posters every Friday cheering their peers on at that weekend’s tournament, meet, or competition. 

Not every high school has the support system link between students and teachers, where the teachers truly care about their students and the students can always have someone to turn to when needed. And, on a more lighthearted note, not every high school has a legitimate Starbucks-esque cafe with delicious foods and coffee ready for us to enjoy at every hour of the day!

And these are just the tip of the iceberg on the things LFHS has to offer for us. It’s truly a place that we’ve been blessed with. It’s a place where we are free to grow up, do our ‘own thing,’ and just create whatever unique high school experience we could possibly dream up.

Although the things LFHS has are exceptional, they are things that we’re used to, since most of us haven’t experienced life at another high school. But they’re things we need to cherish, because for some of us, they’re going to be gone when we go off to college in just about 10 months. 

Seniors- If this letter did anything for you, I hope it’s that it made you realize we all need to take in every moment in this last year; the stressful, anxiety-filled ones and of course, all the amazing, freedom-filled ones. 

These moments are going to go by quick, but if we take time to enjoy the times we’re having and not get too caught up in the drama of every day, we can make the days slow down just a little bit. I hope this letter made you feel thankful for the high school that we’re really lucky to have in our everyday lives, even if every day here might not be the best day ever. 

And juniors, sophomores, and freshman- live up the time you have! I’m extremely jealous that you have more than only the rest of this year left of high school. It’s hard not to take the days for granted because there are times where you wish you’ll be anywhere else, but just trust me on this one and at least try.

For you guys, in the next one, two, or maybe three years, this article will relate to you specifically, and you’ll probably be as sad as I am to leave. Don’t stress yourself out too much in whatever year you may be experiencing, and enjoy everything you can while you’re here! 

Until my next letter! 🙂

Sincerely,

Ava Manelis