Being the oldest students at MCHS, seniors have a lot of memories and experience under their belt, stories to tell and advice to give. They’ve learned a lot as they’ve grown, and they have plenty of knowledge to share with others before they go off into the world.

Senior Haille Lindstrom has learned not just about herself, but about others around her, too. “The most important thing I’ve learned this year is that you attract the company [that matches] the energy you put out,” Lindstrom reflects. “You hear all the time, ‘I wish I had friends that did this,’ or ‘I wish my friends did that.’ You need to act like what you want to attract.”

Lindstrom tells others that you have to put in what you want to get out; this goes for everything in life. Though these are lessons students have been told since they were young, it takes years for them to truly learn the meaning of “getting what you give.”

Another senior, Zoie Morack, has learned an important lesson of self worth that most students don’t realize during their underclassmen years.

“Mrs. (Michelle) Erickson taught me that a single test doesn’t show who I am as a person,” Morack states. “[She] always made sure that her class knew that they were worth more than a grade.”

Most high school students get into the bad habit of defining their self worth by the grades they receive in classes, and inevitably tear down their own confidence. It is a refreshing moment to realize that grades are finite, and self worth is not defined by letters or numbers. 

On a similar note, senior Kylie Macikas advocates the importance of taking care of mental health in high school.

“The most important thing I learned was probably putting your mental health before school,” Macikas says. “[Don’t push] yourself until you break.”

It may seem like a given, but most students get wrapped up in the mindset of solely working and pushing to get good grades. However, taking care of mental health is always more important than school work; if you aren’t in a clear or healthy mindset, you won’t be able to do well in other aspects of your life. Seeking out healthy outlets/coping mechanisms and someone to talk to is the key to help take care of your mental health.

Senior Caroline Moodie shares the importance of not worrying about what others think — a problem many high school students struggle with.

“People are too worried about themselves and their insecurities to focus [on] yours,” Moodie responds.

For many students, a lot of anxiety stems from what they believe others think of them. They become self-conscious about their looks, their clothing styles, their hobbies, and more. However, it’s important to know that everyone feels the same thing and is too absorbed in worrying about themselves that they don’t have the time or energy to judge you for the choices you make. 

Others have learned lessons that are more practical. Senior Mackenzie McQuire has been greatly impacted by learning how to manage her time.

“It forces you to make a schedule for yourself, especially if you also have a job,” McQuire claims. “If you don’t manage your time well, then you don’t turn assignments in on time, or they aren’t quality work.”

This remains especially important for juniors and seniors that work, but still important for others. It’s not easy to juggle school, work, extracurriculars, a social life, time for homework, and still try to get a healthy amount of sleep. So, it’s important to prioritize and set yourself a manageable schedule to reduce stress on yourself while still accomplishing what needs to be done.

Being in school for 13 years will teach a person many things over the years — how to read, how to write, various algebra equations, how to rhetorically analyze a piece of literature — but the most important things are the lessons we learn about ourselves and others through time and growth. So, while there may be some lingering melancholy as seniors watch their high school years come to an end, they have plenty of great memories and important knowledge to take with them as they enter the next stage in their lives.

“High school is what you make of it,” Lindstrom says. “If you want it to be the best years of your life, put in the best you’ve got. Give what you want to get, and the time will fly.”