Newspapers / Grimsley High School Student … / May 23, 1996, edition 1 / Page 2
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^Acmadcup, Tftcuf23, Senior Reflections Student Body Pj^esident Alec Ferrell I remember monkey bars. Not necessarily monkey bars, per se, but swingsets as well. And sand boxes, jungle-gyms, 4-Square, naptime, kickball: these are the memo ries 1 cherish when 1 think back on my schooling. To this day, 1 embrace those lost days of learning how to have fun, how to be young, and how to be hu man more than any other aspect of my education. In fact, 1 not only embrace those fleeting memories, 1 feebly struggle to regain them. You see, 1 don’t want to grow up. As of the moment 1 write these words I’ve got a little more than two weeks of my childhood left. And 1 am really scared. Once high school is over, and that diploma is in hand, 'the real world” is no longer a facet of guidance counse lor folkloric threats or MTV induced brain garbage. Many of us try not to live in the real world, through which ever means of escape one may choose to use. and some can actually pull it off. But for me. as well as most of us. the real world will do its best to sweep me up in its unforgiving hand and drown me in the sea of reality. No more single-file lines, no more "have your parents sign this quiz.” no more atten dance policy larder, no more swish-n'- spit - the real world is a monster as elu sive as time itself, and once you con vince yourself that it's just a myth and can be avoided, it consumes you right then and there. It's gonna get you. and I'll get mine too. baby. But lo! There is hope! Take a sec ond for yourself right now, and think. Think hard. Think of that one memory in the most remote comer of your mind; find that day. the one day that stands out more than anv other. Maybe not your best dav’. but that one golden, grand day of your childhood, when you were probabh' in 2nd or .3rd grade, most likely about this time of May. and the weather was better than it has e\ er been since. Perhaps you w ere jumping rope, or scraping your knee, or obsen - ing some bugs, or just lit ing and rel ishing in not knowing that there was anything beyond the enjoyment you '.verc feeling. If you can remember a day like that, and can keep it living in your dreams, no "real world''can ev er drown ^ on, no tvrann\ can ever befall you, no injustice can ever win. There will always be hard, often cruel times. But because you remember what it was to be truly happy and free, and exist ing in itself seemed like a beautiful game that could never be lost and would never end, there is nothing that you cannot do. I sincerely apologize for the lugu brious mood and dumb nostalgia, and you are probably wishing that this idiot guy would stop dragging you down, but it isn’t everyday that someone asks you to publicly announce the farewell to your youth. I’m not sure how else to feel. I imagine that once that tassel has turned I will feel much differently. But here 1 am. John Alec Ferrell, the 1995- 1996 Student Body President of Grimsley High School in Greensboro. NC. USA. Earth, who is going to gradu ate in about 18 days - and all I want is to go back to the playground. These past 18 years have held manv' surprises for me, and seeing all of v ou grow up with me has always helped me realize that 1 was never alone. And to those in the senior class I am graduat ing along side of. 1 hope you know' that as well. I fulfilled my four-year sen tence and. as George Costanza says. "I’m out baby, I'M OUT!!!” And you all did it as well. So scream it out loud and be proud of what you ha\'c done, because you are a graduate of Grimsley High School. To the remainder of the Student Body. 1 have a bunch of advice, take what \'ou need and throw back the rest: you are the onh' person who you w ill ever have to be with for the rest of your life. Make your decisions wisely. Get to know yourself and those around you. Use your brain, individu ally and collectively. Create )'Our own paths, be > our own person, and help to not make the same mistakes that other genera tions have made (but know that mistakes are always going to happen, take them in stride). And finally, in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel in ferior unless you let them.” Work together, all of you, to help bring peace in our time. ' 'Createyour own paths, be your own person, and try to not make the same mistakes as other genera tions. " for all time. Good luck with your futures, and make the absolute most of them that you possibly can. 'Cause it all goes by so fast... Lastly, I address Grimsley High School. I came into these halls a wild-eyed, bushy tailed fourteen-year-old. feeling like the universe was mine to conquer, like a rebel without a clue. 1 leave knowing that the universe is mine to conquer, and 1 have most definiteh’ found some clues. To cmplo> one last cliche. Grimsley has helped me lo help myself I know now that I, and all others who think and feel and live, can do anything that I put my mind and heart and life into. 1 bid fare well to my high school and let go of m\ babyhood, and fly towards the future w ith open arms. And I hope to see all of you there, w ith happy memories in your mind, love in v our heart, juid a smile on vour face. .four years as a Whiriie Seiaior (Z\c\ss President Michael Shuman As my 13th year as a student in the Greensboro City or Guilford County School System dwindles down, I have noticed myself becoming extremely reflective. I've been pondering all the things that I've done the past 13 years and especially thinking about all the things that I didn’t do. It seems like I remember the stuff that I didn't do more vividly than the stuff I did. Why is this? I have learned a whole lot while spending numerous hours in uncom fortable, wobbly desks in my four years at Grimsley. I’ve learned the chemical elements, how to conjugate French verbs, the fundamental theo rem of calculus, but most of the im portant lessons that 1 learned at school have taken place outside of the class room. These lessons weren’t taught to me by text books, but instead they were taught to me by the people here at Grimsley. Our diverse student body has taught me more than I could ever learn while melting in a classroom on a blistering August afternoon. One main lesson that I have learned during my tenure as a Whiriie is how important it is to get invoh ed. Whether you're on the football team or one of the guys in the band who holds a cymbal for the drummers, it is important to do something for school. It’s not Important because you owe it to Grimsley to help better the school, but you owe it to > ourself to simply better yourself. By getting invoh ed, you not onh' enjoy high school more, but you can also help prepare for things down the road. The only problem with getting in\'olved is where to start and what to choose. High school is a time of new expe riences and a time of choices where many decisions must be made. Whether you have to decide between Biscuitville or Burger King for lunch, or whether or not to wear your green spandex pants with plaid halter-top. lots of important choices must be made daily. But with these choices come se rious consequences. These conse quences, whether good or bad. lead to the question why or espe cially why we didn’t do something. Such as why did I eat that caf eteria food for all tliose years, or why did I never attend a swim meet or a speech and debate tournament. Instead of regretting missed opportunities, make sure >'0u learn from > our mistakes. When we walk down the aisle on June third at eight o'clock, our heads will be filled with joy and sadness as well as relief and regret. We'll regret all the opportunities that we ne\ cr took advantage of during our brief stay at Grimsley. We’ll ponder all the things that we missed. Instead of regretting missed opportunities, remember to take advantage of everything to come. Make sure that you learn from your mistakes in high school and take ad vantage of all the opportunities that will face you for the rest of your life. Good luck! James D. Kaley, DDS, PA • ORTHODONTICS • 282-2150
Grimsley High School Student Newspaper
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May 23, 1996, edition 1
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