Every year the school year comes and goes in the blink of an eye. The tests are taken, the dances are over and the games are played. Everyone comes away from the school year with something new. Whether it is actual knowledge or just a new experience, the year changes everyone somehow.

For many, including myself, this year has been a year of growth. It has been a year of self-realization and knowledge. I have dealt with many overwhelming problems this year, just as many of the students attending JGHS have. Like all of you, I have persisted and made it through this year. Congratulations, to the student body for another year successfully endured.

Many different people will come away from this year with many different memories. The end of the year is a good time to look back and truly reflect.

“Respecting and learning from my peers has been a big part of this year. I have grown close to a lot of people who have turned me into the student I want to be,” says junior Chelsea Adams. “I won’t forget the moment Mr. Frank had an impromptu demonstration and smashed a spit-filled coffee cup to illuminate Puritan values in early American literature,” adds Adams.

“I appreciate the time I got to spend with my closest friends and how much closer we have become approaching our last year of high school. I learned to be a better person and not to take things for granted,” says junior Kylie Roberts.

The year brings different knowledge to every student, and in the end everyone learns something.

"I think this year I learned who my real friends are, and I learned that I have more friends than I ever thought; you don't know who they are until you hit the drama of sophomore year,” claims sophomore Dakota Thorn.

No matter how “pointless” or “boring” the school year is believed to be, the truth is that it does have a significant impact on every student’s life. No matter what people may think, every teacher, every test, every argument and every assignment has a purpose and gives people something from which to grow. Everyone just needs to take the time to reflect and benefit from his or her experiences.