I'm a Senior!!!
After these last two loooooonnng years of walking down the same old halls, sitting in the same old seats, listening to the same old teachers drone on and on about the difference between Mitosis and Meiosis, the reason WWII started, what the two meanings of the word 'Apostrophe' means, after playing the same 4 measures over and over, dissecting a polynomial by the Quadratic Formula and getting the wrong answer every time, after singing the same songs for months.....
I'm a Senior.
After skipping down the halls with my friends, being chased by my boyfriend for one last kiss before the bell rings, after sharing a snack during World History with a few kids who are as hungry as me, sitting beside a really shy kid as awkward as me and finding that we're both ok with being awkward together, after every day of getting to play my problems away through some of the most awesome music I have ever played in my entire life, after meeting a teacher who was willing to sit with me in the early mornings and explain to me *why* Trigonometry worked until I got it and was the class star at Trig and Stats, after finding my place and helping create music that will live on for future classes............

I'm a Senior.

It's my last year at Northern.
My last Marching Band Season.
And by God, we'd better go to another State Championship.
I used to watch the Senior's faces as we stood in the stands- watched them as they wondered if this would be their last game, their last Fight Song, their last crazy cheer, their last field show, their last crazy marching style back to the band room where we celebrated like family.

Now, that's going to be me. While I hold my flute or sax up high, I'm going to be wondering, in the back of my mind, Is this the last time I will celebrate for another touchdown? Is this the last time I will wear my uniform? is this the last time I will march through my drill, stand at attention and hear the applause of the crowd? Is this my last stand? That's going to be me!
I'm going to be the kid that looks at all the Juniors aching to get out and I'm going to tell them, don't wish your high school years away.

Yeah, it has sucked, and it has sucked hard.
And yes, I hate school.
But there are some things that I would stay in high school forever for.
Marching Band, and every single moment that comes with it- the good, the bad, the ugly, the bitchy, the amazing, the fantastic.
Some of my teachers. Mr Simpson, Ms Barrentine, Mr Kimbrough. Life changing teachers- all personally interested in where you're headed and what they can do to help you get there.
Lunch ladies that dance with you in the cafeteria after school while you're celebrating the last day of school.
Random bus drivers that let you get in their bus so you can ride home with your friend.
Guidance counselors that surround you to help you graduate early, Principles and administrators that tease you and say hello every time they see you.

When I graduate, I'm going to walk out of those doors crying, but smiling through my tears.
Because I did it. I worked and fought through online classes, bullies, and fake friends just so I could have the honor of being one of Northern's first few students to graduate early. Just so I didn't have to stay in school til I was 20.
I'm going to walk up on that stage, get my diploma, and throw my cap in the air because I made it. Against all odds, I made it.
But I'm going to cry.
Because- no more marching band. No more late night parties where we celebrate another football game won. No more running up to Kimbrough after the game to get a celebratory hug and no more band camp.
No more watching Kimbrough dunk a basketball on his birthday. No more tugging and pulling and readjusting stinky uniforms that make us feel so tall and proud. No more gloves that don't fit, no more freezing nights where we huddle together to keep warm as we watch the football team score.

How bittersweet is this?