The Pride

The End of the School Year

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 By The Pride Staff

The end of the school year is here and so The Pride has decided to put together an issue to wrap up the school year. We asked each member to put together their thoughts about this year, and in the case of our senior staff members, their thoughts on their high school years. Here they are: Philip Bhakta, The Pride Looking back at my senior year at Kerman High, there are many things I can smile about and then there are those things that I wish had never happened. From the first day of school in August to these last few days in May, I have never felt so anxious and scared to leave the school that has tried to prepare me for the “real” world. Have they done what they have been trying to do for the last four years? Well I won’t know until I actually get to leave Kerman High for good. This year has taught me more life lessons than any other school year. So, this is my reflection on this year: I will always remember the great times we had at lunch and breaks, either off campus or in the quad. Everyone segregated into their own cliques, oblivious to the fact that the year would end sooner then we expected. Now as the year ends, every person seems to talk to more people and the cliques have started to become more united. Even if the spirit at our school has dropped over the last few years, the friendships that have been made will always make up for that. I can honestly say that this year has had the greatest impact on me when it came to friends. I have gained many and lost a couple, but the ones I lost are the ones that hit me the most. If I can give any advice to the underclassmen of KHS, it would be to never lose a friend over anything because without friends, life would be meaningless. Well, what else can I say about this year at KHS except it has been awesome? From staying out late because I’m a senior to not having a seventh period, this year was just an amazing year. To the class of 2006, after three repeated last place floats, we FINALLY WON! I mean, how can the year get better? Well it actually did, after that I was even nominated for homecoming royalty in the winter and made it to the top three along with Jason Padilla and Gabriel Guzman. Gabriel came up on top and that’s perfectly fine because I at least made it to the top three. Later, I came back to make it to the top three for Prom King, but this time I actually won so for everyone that voted for me, thank you so very much. This is my final goodbye to The Pride and to the school, so just remember, life is too short to not have fun, so laugh like you’ve never laughed, smile like you’ve never smiled, and live like there’s no tomorrow! Alonso Espinoza, The Pride I told myself this year that I would never succumb to the effects of the infamous senioritis, but yes, it finally got me. Writing this reflection of the year in itself was a daunting task considering how my work ethic has been slowly dwindling uncontrollably, sensing that the beginning of the summer is not far off. And to those who enjoy my cartoons I am afraid that my last stroke of sarcasm and satire has been drawn since senioritis has infected that part of my life which I enjoy so much. For many of you, this will be like any other summer, a respite from the rigors of school and daily life; for the certain few, it will be a transitory period from one life to another, but for me, well yeah, that’s a long story. It just seems so surreal. The end of my high school career and indeed my adolescence is over as quickly as it began. Hands down, I’ve experienced and learned more in these last two years of high school than the previous sixteen years combined. High school is just something unique in your life that will never be matched on any level. Treasure these moments and memories because once you leave KHS, that’s all high school will really be, a memory. Take pictures, write down funny quotes that you hear your friends say, take every opportunity to experience something new—just do it, you’ll be hitting yourself on the back your head for not doing it. I’ve taken my fair share of random trips like going to Berkeley on a whim knowing that I wouldn’t make back home in time to do my homework, saved some things that I didn’t consider important at the time but will probably be an object of nostalgia later, or written down some quotes that will perhaps be the basis of a memoir. Memories are something that can never be replaced, they can only be experienced. Always leave room for personal growth—never limit yourself to what you can do; look beyond the constraints to see what you want to do. Anything is achievable with the right mind set; relatively speaking, it just depends on the individual. Coming in as a freshman, I never would have imagined that I would have achieved even half of what I have today but I just worked hard, paid attention, and always sought an opportunity to further my character growth. I won’t lie, success isn’t easy but then again I can say what do you define as success? Personally speaking, I don’t believe success should have any static definition but remain a continuous work in progress that only has a beginning but not a conclusion. Personal success doesn’t come with how much money you make in a year, how many cars you have in your driveway; success comes with never being satisfied with yourself and always pursuing growth both as a KHS student and indeed, as a human being. Rosie Kaileh, The Pride As the year is ending, I look back on my sophomore year at Kerman High School. I can't believe how fast this year went. It seems like yesterday we were all returning from summer vacation. I started my year off playing tennis, which was difficult at first, but I loved every moment of it after I got the hang of it. Sports were a big part of this year. I never missed a football home game. Basketball games were also fun. One thing that kept me going this year were my friends. They were amazing. They all know who they are. One thing I didn't like about this year was how much people changed. I would've never thought that people could change that much. I learned some people walk in and out of your life; it's a part of growing up. In the middle of the year, I got tired and wanted to give up on everything. I was overwhelmed with school work, people, and everything in general. From that point on, I wanted this year to end and end quick. It's sad that at the end of the year things started to work out. Now that it's finally ending, I don't think I can handle it anymore. I hate saying goodbye. If only the good things didn't have to end so soon; if only we didn't have to say goodbye. To my seniors: Judith and Nora: I'm going to miss you girls like crazy. Phil: Thank you for everything I had a blast with you this year. Becca: You were amazing babe. Congratulations Class of 2006! Sincerely, Rosie H. Kaileh Elaine Madrigal, The Pride When I was younger I remember driving by the high school with my family and while looking at this seemingly distant location I thought “that’s where I’m going to be some day.” Some day seemed like such a long time in the future at the time, but now as I look back as a senior about to graduate, the little girl in the back seat of the car doesn’t seem so far away. These past four years of my high school career have passed by so quickly, but in their place remain the dozens of memories that I will never forget. Memories are the most beloved things that will remain of your high school experience, not your awards or your status. The key to the best high school experience is your attitude. Don’t let the little things get to you. Not having a date for the school dance may be the best thing that could’ve happened, grab your best friends and go in a group; it’s a lot more fun than most would think. Even some of the events that seem to be big aren’t so important in the long run. If you have hostility for someone, get past it. You don’t want to waste your time being angry at someone when you could be having a fun time with your friends or be out meeting new interesting people. Start every day like it’s going to be the best day of your life and if it isn’t and something bad comes your way, learn from it and keep moving forward; these four years are too short to waste on sad memories. The past two years turned my world upside down. Although at the time I wanted to throw in the towel and walk away from it all, I sucked it up and kept trudging on, sometimes that’s all you need to do. Eventually I got to the point where I learned more about myself and the world than I ever had. I can now look back thankful to these experiences because they all helped me in one way or another. I don’t want to sound cliché, but there are so many that are too true for me not to tell you. So I’ll just get them over with quickly in a list. (1) Pay attention to your schoolwork. It really will benefit you. I know that you’re sure that Shakespeare probably won’t help you in the future but the skills you will acquire while doing it are worthwhile, even if all you get out of it is a good work ethic. (2) This time really will slip by faster than you can imagine. (3) Don’t procrastinate, especially when it comes to college admissions and scholarships. You really will feel a lot better if you don’t. (4) Introduce yourself to new people. The person sitting next to you in Geometry may not be the kind of person you usually hang around with, but they just might give you a memory that will make you laugh years from now. As a final goodbye to Kerman High, I want to thank everyone who contributed to my high school experience from the silly boys who always made me laugh in Civics to my lifelong friends and to the KHS staff. Whether it was hanging out in the quad or teaching me to do derivatives, you all gave me something that I will always cherish. Thank you. Matthew Martin, The Pride It’s been a long year. When I was told that the staff of The Pride would be writing articles reviewing this year, I hadn’t the slightest clue as what to write. I’m still not sure how to sum up this past year’s happenings, but I think I figured something out. Ralph Waldo Emerson said “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” This year has had some good part and some not so good parts, but it’s really unimportant. What’s important is how we feel about each other and ourselves. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Pedro Quintana, The Pride This school year went by very fast. In August, I was excited because I was a junior. In September we planned homecoming, in October we planned our class dinner, and in April we planned prom. There were so many things we had to do this year. We went from being sophomores to upperclassmen. We were envied by many seniors and sophomores for having won the homecoming float for two years straight! This year brought new friends (Jagpal, Phillip, and Reno), new experiences in the leadership class, new teachers such as Mrs. Marshall, Miss White, and Mr. Bishop, and the new task of writing articles on school events such as girls’ tennis and homecoming. Going to Kerman High School games was exciting for me; I got to see the Kerman Lions beat Yosemite in the JV football game and the crowd going crazy when we slam dunked on Dos Palos during basketball season. I saw that our students do have Lion pride. The highlights of my 2005-2006 school year were many, the Texas Longhorns won the Rose Bowl, Boys’ Soccer were the Valley Champions, and Kerman High won three Valley titles in the same year. The highlights of this year will not be forgotten. I cannot forget working on the float, doing pranks on seniors, and our junior class dinner. I’m going to miss this year but I can’t wait to see what will happen next year. Mark D. Safreno, The Pride This year has been interesting. I have had to get used to a different schedule, along with different attitudes of diverse people. My friends and I have learned that at some events, it is best that freshmen don’t participate, especially if the event is a little “weird” in the first place. The one thing that made this year interesting was not seeing how I changed, but watching my friends change from eighth graders into freshmen, and now into sophomores. Hopefully, next year’s freshmen won’t have as hard of a time that we had (actually, I want them to have “fun”).