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Juniors faced with challenge of creating legacy

May 22, 2008

By: Amy Flis

In a world of planned obsolescence, where a new cell phone purchased today will be old news in a matter of months, it’s tough to answer that question—why? Why are we here? What’s the purpose to this life? What can I do that will actually make a difference, change someone else’s life, leave a legacy?

It is just the natural order of progression for one group to move on to make room for the next group. Every year, students that has risen through the ranks to become the prominent leaders of the school leaves the place where they have built their legacies, and the next generation moves up. The members of the departing class take with them what they leave behind, but just how much do they leave behind? And how large are the shoes they leave behind for the next class to fill?

Even as a junior, I notice more and more the lack of recognition when I remark about someone who was here just a few years ago. When I go back to my old middle school, I don’t know or remember a single person.

Not even the teachers are the same after the redistricting and new school developments that have gone on in the past years. If I don’t remember, how can I expect anyone else to remember me or any of my accomplishments after I am gone?

Each class faces that same dilemma of how to top the last group and of how to leave behind something memorable. Though that may be a daunting task, the Class of ’09 has earned that right.

The three years of tough work, which translates to 540 days, 3780 hours or 226,800 minutes spent during school alone without including extracurricular involvement, has earned us the right to determine how to build our legacies.

This year we both symbolically and physically take the places of the departing Senior Class.

As they march out of this school and leave it behind for good, we must consider what we will do to create our legacy as the new generation of school leaders.

As the next editor in chief of the HiLite, I have large shoes to fill, but the entire staff is responsible for the high caliber of paper that is put out every few weeks, and this fluid group of hard-working students is ready to continue the tradition of excellence.

Next year, readers can look forward to many new features on the Web site, as well as changes to the newspaper itself.

All of these efforts are just a small part of what makes a great product, and this newspaper is just a small part of what makes a great school.

I must admit it; in a school that continually raises the bar, the Class of ’08 has done an outstanding job. The bar is high.

The next class must face the challenge of living up to and surpassing that mark, and at the same time, making those decisions that shape the future of individual students and of this entire school. Now it’s about determining what the effort of the past three years has built up to.

As we step forward, the internal battle of what our lives are supposed to be continues. The sad part is that in four years, few people will remember who we are.

However, we can still hold on to the hope that what we do will make a difference, even if it is just a small part of the larger picture. Then, beyond these corridors and outside these walls, we can hope that our lives will help to change the world.

We will miss our seniors, but we are ready for them to vacate those seats.

Amy Flis is the 15 Minutes of Fame editor for the HiLite. Contact her at aflis@hilite.org.

Updated by dayin · Filed Under Perspectives 

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