As the end of our high school experience approaches, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our favorite memories. While leaving Seven Hills can be a scary thought, we know there will be things we will miss and not miss about the school’s culture and customs. Here is a list we have compiled of the memories that stand out to us.
What We Will Miss
#1: Our Friends
For better or worse, seeing our friends every day was a defining part of high school. From the same faces we’ve seen since kindergarten to the friends we’ve made along the way, it’s hard to imagine life without our daily hangouts—even if it sometimes felt a bit claustrophobic.
#2: Sweet Treats
One of the perks of being a Leonard advisee was always getting first pick from her cookie jar before the rest of the school could swoop in. Our “bathroom breaks” often turned into candy scavenger hunts, and few things tasted better than the cinnamon rolls or pieces of banana bread we grabbed from the cafeteria during passing periods. Being part of the crowd of students fighting for items at the bake sale or one of Vivian Brown’s beignets is something we can all relate to.
#3: School Spirit
Who says you need a football team to have school spirit? Unfortunately, mostly everyone, but we’ll move past that. Although we were destroyed by the teachers a few too many times, Stinger Days were highlights of the Seven Hills experience. Watching Obadiah take down three conies, witnessing the Timmy Dewitt musical chairs incident, and cheering as Nicholas Stein got on all fours trying to take a bite from a hanging doughnut were just a few of the memories we’ll take into college. And despite Teacher of the Month’s fall from grace, watching Mr. Drew decipher the word “gyatt” in front of the whole school is unforgettable.
#4: Nicholas Stein
Whether through sports broadcasting or Weather Wednesdays, Nicholas Stein made his mark on our high school experience. We’ll miss his weekly forecasts, snow day livestream predictions, and, most importantly, unforgettable dance battles.
#5: The Library
We’ll miss walking the line between playful banter and outright violations with Mrs. Bloom,
knowing she could throw us out of the library at any moment. We always complained about moving to the other side of the library when the Middle Schoolers came, but secretly, we didn’t mind the study break. Now that we are leaving, we can say that the cubicles in the back corners are the best snacking spots.
#6: Mr. Drew
How much time did we actually spend learning in Physics? We don’t know, but we can’t complain about hearing Mr. Drew’s booger’s projectile landing on his future girlfriend. We’ll never know for sure whether he encountered pirates or saw a ghost, but the stories were welcome distractions.
#7: Catering
As a reward for reaching our senior year, we finally got catering back. We may wait in line for all forty minutes of lunch, but the tacos and queso are well worth it.
#8: Mrs. Minton
We’ll always remember Mrs. Minton’s cheerful “hi, sweetie” as we rushed in late to first block for the fourth time that week. Whether it was tracking down locker combinations or donating markers and posters for prom signs, she was always ready to help with a smile that made even the busiest mornings a little brighter.
#9: First Day of Spring
Walking out to the field to see sun-deprived students lying on the deck and playing spikeball is the perfect way to start off the warmer months. Our best argumentation skills come out when convincing teachers to let us have class outside to celebrate, and the clear skies and flowering trees brighten up even the most rigorous academic weeks.
What We Won’t Miss
#1: Waking Up Early
Though the structure was nice at times, waking up at 7 AM for a school day was a struggle. We definitely won’t miss the alarm clock blaring after a night of studying.
#2: Cafeteria Snacks
The fact that the seaweed was the cafeteria’s most talked-about snack for weeks is a little concerning. The pastries are always a highlight, but choosing between pickle chips and pretzels as a lunch side was less than thrilling. As a collective, we have wasted too much money trying and failing to get decent snacks out of the vending machines.
#3:
Sitting in an 87-degree classroom while the wifi is down and the ceiling tile above your head is bulging a bit too much for your liking is not a good way to start a Monday. The maintenance crew is doing God’s work, and we’ll leave it at that.
#5: Senior Year Workload
Don’t let anyone tell you junior year is the hardest. Balancing Seven Hills’ most challenging coursework with college applications permanently ruined our sleep schedules. Who has time for senioritis when we have AP exams, research papers, and scholarship applications to juggle?
#6: The Senior Lounge
This is more of a class issue. It only took a few days for the smell of BO and microwaved lunch to take over the senior lounge. Not even the flood could get rid of it. Though the occasional free food is a nice perk, the crumbs, wrappers, and grease marks are not. We try and fail to look past the suspicious stains on the couches, and the shrimp crackers? We’re concerned.
#7: Lanyards
We can’t count the number of times we’ve walked into the high school with crossed arms while being screamed at for not having a lanyard. We get that it’s for our safety, but for the number of times you’ve yelled at me from across the hallway, I promise you know my face.
#8: Art Studio
Spending what would be a relaxing free block scrubbing foul-smelling paintbrushes is less than appealing, especially knowing they’ll be just as dirty the next day. When did cleaning up after oneself become a lost art?
#9: The Size
With a school this small, it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing the same faces, hearing the same gossip, or running into the same people three times a day. Privacy isn’t exactly a strong suit when everyone knows which car you drive, what you did over the weekend, and the comically low grade you got on your math test. Sometimes, a little more room to breathe wouldn’t hurt.
Although we are sad to move on from our Seven Hills days, we are excited to begin our college experiences and continue on to the next chapter. We will miss Seven Hills dearly and appreciate all that we have learned while being here.
