here's to goodbye, tomorrow's gonna come too soon.

Remember when you woke up on the first day, excited and nervous about finally going to high school. You rode the bus to and from school every day, and you thought you were cool because you knew sophomore boys and would talk to them after school. Remember when Honors English I was the hardest class you had ever taken in your life, you looked at the Seniors and thought they looked so much older than you, you took gym and cheated by bringing your own straws to school on days you had to run laps, you made new friends from all different middle schools and slowly watched yours fade away, and you took driver's ed and thought it was the most exciting thing in the world.



Remember when you thought that being a sophomore would be so much cooler than being a freshman, you learned that not all friendships from freshmen year would be significant, you took your first AP class, and you thought that you were going to fail Chemistry for sure. Remember when you truly learned that "only the good die young," and couldn't walk through the hallways without seeing "RIP JR" everywhere--on windows, backpacks, and t-shirts. Remember when partying was a rare occasion and truly "awesome" and having drunk pictures of yourself on xanga was really cool. Remember sweet sixteens and brand new cars. Remember when you learned that the bike cops don't check lunch passes, you knew exactly what time the attendance office called your house at night so you could pretend that it was a telemarketer, you smoked your first cigarette on Clarendon, and you learned what and where Longview is.

Remember when you pulled all-nighters at least once a week, you learned what 6 hours of homework a night felt like, and you pushed the limits of exactly how long you could procrastinate before writing that AP English paper. Remember when your attendance at parties wasn't rare, but expected. Remember when you drove to Carboro for concerts on weeknights and weekends alike, you spent all of your free time in coffee shops downtown doing nothing of great importance, and you had so many extracurricular activities that you felt like you would explode. Remember when you wanted a "serious" relationship, you realized that this year everyone really was "doing it," and you truly got your heart broken for the first time. Remember when you actually went to prom and expected it to be incredible, you made even more new friends and lost even more old ones, and you spent time at Longview every single day--rain or shine.

Remember when you thought senior year was going to be a breeze, and when you realized that it wasn't. Remember applying for college, comparing GPA's and SAT scores, and making decisions that you knew you weren't ready to make on your own. Remember jobs and more responsibility. Remember when you tried to stay in school so you could be exempt, but you got pissed off and skipped class anyway. Remember getting accepted to college, and filling out financial aid forms, housing forms, and orientation forms. Remember when the parties weren't really that exciting anymore, prom was not a big thing, and Longview was lame.

Remember when you started to learn who you really are, you started to take on the responsibility of an adult, and realized that you were about to enter the real world. Remember the fear and anxiety over leaving your last bit of childhood behind, realizing that everything is about to change, and knowing that you have no control over it. Remember the insecurity and uncertainty of which of the people that have stood by you for the past four years are still going to be a part of your life next year, and which ones aren't. Remember when you realized that you are growing up too fast and despite the countless number of times that you say you are ready to graduate and leave, there is that small piece of you that isn't ready and is truly going to miss it.

Cheers, Enloe High School Class of 2007.
It's been one hell of a ride.