It’s far too easy to view the past negatively. To recoil in embarrassment over something cringey you once said, to beat yourself up over a bad grade or to wish that you never wore that one outfit.

In retrospect, I’ve easily slumped into negativity throughout high school. I’ve complained and moaned and wished things were different while crying in the H300 bathroom. But now, as I’m faced with my inevitable exit, I ironically wish I spent more time loving and appreciating. 

Maybe you’re reading this now as a burnt-out junior (been there), or maybe you’re a freshman just finding your footing. Wherever you are in high school, I want to remind you that there are so many valuable moments that you have yet to experience. 

So, my parting gift to you, is my incomplete list of things that I consider to be perfect at Algonquin— that remind me why the past four years haven’t actually been so bad. 

• The feeling of having an inside joke with one of your classes that never ceases to make you all laugh hysterically (Sorry about the scissors Dr. Smith, and the wine glass Joey)
• Driving into school for a morning meeting and watching the sunrise over the field as you pull in 
• When you are graced with a cookie from the cafeteria gods that’s still warm and is the perfect amount of chocolatey  
• Witnessing Mr. Uttaro perform yet another smashing iteration of one of his AP World song covers
• Forgetting how FREEZING it is at the football games because you and all your friends are huddled together for warmth 
• Enjoying the faculty’s dedication to dressing up for Halloween (especially G Hallway)
• The adrenaline rush when you’re on the top of a project adventure course and you can see the whole school from way high up 
• Visiting one of your favorite teachers to chat and catch up with them and inexplicably talking for what feels like hours
• Waking up after a dance hunched over with muscle pain and a scratchy voice knowing it was all worth it 

If I can leave you with one small piece of advice, it would be to relish and really live in the now. Laugh at your teacher’s jokes (“something told me to check the noodles” never gets old) and talk to people you’ve never spoken to before. I promise you won’t regret it. Algonquin isn’t just one thing to me, it’s a puzzle made up of small pieces, tiny moments that I will carry with me for years to come.