The last four years have been a roller-coaster of events from online classes to shortages in basic items like bleach. The pros and cons of online school along with all sorts of restrictions on what we could do and where we could go made high school anything but normal. Despite all the trials and tribulations of the past couple of years, my high school experience was one of the best things to happen to me. I made tons of lifelong friends and had unforgettable experiences along the way. FHC shaped me into the person I am today and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

My freshman year was definitely the most interesting of my high school years. Every kid goes through that phase in their life where they are unsure of themselves and what they want to do; this time for me was freshman year. I had just moved houses for the seventh time and was thrown into high school with very few friends. Luckily, I knew a couple of people in advance and thanks to FHC’s welcoming environment, I was able to meet tons of people and establish long-lasting friendships. Another big change I made was a change in mindset. I decided to start doing things that were new to me and I made sure to take advantage of every moment high school had to offer. This included the little things such as going to a football game or trying out for a sport. This led to one of the most important decisions I made in my high school career: playing football.

At the beginning of my sophomore year standing at six feet tall and 130 pounds, I decided I was going to play football. Having never been a part of a school sport, playing football was an entirely new experience for me and gave me one of the adventures I am most grateful for today. While I was never necessarily good–a trend that continued through my senior year–I loved playing football because of the team and the culture. The team’s coaching staff, specifically coaches Tim Rogers and Ty Hallock, played a major role in my high school career and taught me not only how to play football, but how to thrive in life outside of school. The journey of being on FHC’s football team is a huge one in my life that I am more than grateful for. The end of sophomore year, though, was brought to a grinding halt when COVID hit and life was put on pause.

The transition into junior year made for an interesting experience but nonetheless proved to be just as memorable as before. The lack of contact with others drove me to try new things like lifting weights and mountain biking–again, two things I thought I would never try but ended up loving. The transition back to somewhat normal classes was difficult to say the least, but thanks to FHC’s teachers and staff, the transition was as smooth as it could possibly be. In time, life began to get back to normal and was back on track.

My senior year has by far been the most memorable of my high school career. This year was where I truly decided that I would do everything and anything I could. Any clubs or sports I had an interest in, I tried and learned a lot about what I do and don’t enjoy. Everything was smooth sailing until I decided to play ultimate frisbee and completely blew out my ankle. I was on crutches for months and right as I thought I was on the cusp of recovery, I had to get surgery to rebuild my foot. Despite the obvious downfalls, this made me realize how grateful I am for my friends and family who stuck with me through everything. My parents helped me in any way they could, friends came to visit and support me, and all of my teachers helped me through the couple of weeks I missed school post-operation.

This leads me to the next big thing that happened my senior year: joining the FHC Sports Report. At first, I was apprehensive to join because I don’t love writing essays or poetry or anything else you have to do in school. The Sports Report, however, proved to me that if you are writing about something you enjoy with people you love, it can be one of the best experiences of your life. The class never failed to make me laugh and make my day just a little bit better. The people are what makes this class so amazing and for that, I am so grateful.

To Thomas, thank you for convincing me to join this class and giving me the best possible way to end my high school career. The class wouldn’t be the same without “going to fill up my water bottle” and then walking around the school for a while without Noah. To Mac, thank you for always providing a laugh. Hopefully, FHC’s special alumni will message you back for the awards show. To Adam, thank you for always starting the best conversations about the NFL and why U of M is superior. To Tate, thank you for always editing my last-minute submissions and making the class as funny as possible. One of my favorite memories yet was trying to steal the couch from the TCT with Pierson, so thank you for the memories and next time, the couch is ours. To Joe, thank you for always making the class enjoyable with your sense of humor. To the underclassmen, Teague, Serena, Riley, and Lucas, thank you for keeping the class afloat and I know next year will be one of the best with all of you running the class. Finally, to Mr. Sultini and Mr. George, thank you for everything you have done for me this past semester. This class has been an unbelievable experience that I am more than grateful for.

Goodbyes and new beginnings can be scary. Sure, I’m nervous about going off to college but I can say with utmost confidence that I am ready thanks to the people I’ve met and the experiences I have had in high school. Branching out and trying new things has brought me so many memorable experiences and my one piece of advice to anyone reading this is that you do the same. Coming from the kid that has moved seven times, it just makes things easier. On that note, I’m on to the next chapter of life. Goodbye and thank you FHC.