By CARA SPEEGLE/Guest Columnist

A wise person once said, “What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment.” Now, as we stand on the verge of the rest of our lives, its important for high school seniors to remember this: every homework assignment, every friend, every spirit stick, every victory, every loss, every thrill, every heartbreak, every page read, every rule enforced, every No. 2 pencil has brought us here, has made us who we are as seniors: wiser, older and better equipped to write our futures.

This type of journey can only begin in one place: freshman year. If asked to describe high school in one word or phrase, freshman year I would have said “a slap in the face.” I was new to Pelham High School, and middle school academics proved to be no match for the much more rigorous high school curriculum.

I’d figured it out: high school was a whole new ballgame. With each new year, I got a few more things figured out, learned more about academics and about life, and somehow managed to procrastinate even worse than ever before. I continue to ask myself, is that even possible? But I digress…this year, along with new textbooks and teachers; I have also gained new perspective.

Senior year is about coming full circle. It’s about giving advice to freshman at Camp Pelham, not receiving it, or being clad in the cap and gown, not being the little sister in the crowd at graduation.

It’s our time, Class of 2011, to have fun, to stress, to plan, to go crazy, to think to have faith, to be reluctant about leaving, while at the same time religiously counting the days until we’ll walk across the stage!

For now, we’re truly embracing everything senior year embodies, remembering the past, yet savoring the present.

Cara Speegle is a senior at Pelham High School.