Carli S

I started at this school 13 years ago, at the ripe old age of 4 . My parents sweet little girl was set off into the big world. I have spent what seems like my whole life on Morris grove. I went to the pre-school across the road, and work at plaza. Which makes leaving my small circle of life to go to university elsewhere terrifying.

At the start of year 12, I thought I wouldn’t care that I was leaving this place.  At first I thought it was over and I will never have to come back to the drama and uniform rules again. But sometimes as I laugh with my friends at lunch I feel a sense of dread knowing that despite everything I will miss it. I often think about what my last few days here will feel like. The more I look at my calendar the date to graduation is getting closer and an overwhelming sense of anxiousness to leave grows. In all honesty I will probably be upset for like one week and get over it when I release I wont have to sit in an English class ever again.

I don’t have a great story to leave you with or even something spectacularly interesting but I can give you a list of things that I have taken away from high school.

I bring you Carli’s rules to the high school experience:

1. Don’t waste your time being shy – I have been shy my entire life and there is nothing I wish for more than to be confident at school. In the past few years I have gotten better but in all honesty I wish I was less shy my whole life. If I had figured out that no one is judging you at all times because nobody really cares that much I probably would have been better off.
2. Like what you like and not what others like – Being yourself makes you more likeable, no one wants to be around someone who is a carbon copy of everyone else. Yes, it might be cringe or weird but the people who truly care about you will not care if you’re a little weird.
3. Grades matter but they don’t – Some would laugh at me saying this cause I spent the fortnight after trials stressing over every single mark I got, however my point still stands. If you have passion and a good work ethic that will stand out. While good grades will get you somewhere to many, what matters more is someone’s ability to work with others and dedication. Also school is not everything it is so incredibly important to have hobby’s, friends and interests outside of school.

Although I have spent the last 13 years trying to skip days of school or get out of wearing the school uniform properly in your last weeks of school you start to appreciate every second of it even the parts that you hate. My last day of school is creeping up on me faster than I could ever imagine so my final piece of advice is just to enjoy it.