Senior Moments Column: The road that'll lead you home

Photo by Melissa Askew

Leopold has been my home for my entire life. While I have moved once, both of houses I’ve lived in have been in this little town.

And of course, that begs the question: What is your definition of small? My definition is a graduating class of 15 kids, which was once 13 tiny kindergartners. While my class has grown some, the core of it remains the same. Ten of us have stuck together over the years, adapting to a few classmates moving away, new ones coming in and even one leaving just to return for our senior year.

With that comes the feeling of a second family, a feeling I doubt most high school seniors can claim. We have been through it all together, from teeth lost in class, to an incident involving a bee in an ear, to discovering a classmate had a heart problem after she fainted in class. We have billions of pictures capturing small moments between us, from birthdays to average days in class snapped by the yearbook committee.

I personally can’t imagine going to a bigger school where I don’t know my classmates’ full names, favorite colors or parents. But that makes me wonder: How much harder will that make saying goodbye? The memories I have with them span so much of my life that I struggle to imagine sitting with other people at lunch or not knowing when a new relationship starts for someone. How am I supposed to keep in touch with these people who I’m so used to needing a break from each summer, just to get thrown back into another school year of lockers slamming, extremely off-topic discussions and tons of laughter? The best I can come up with is enjoying this year to its fullest and capturing every moment I can.

So much of our senior year is built upon Leopold tradition. We meet up on our last first day in order to drive in to school together, but each year, the class decides how they’re going to do so. Our class decided to roll up on our four-wheelers and ATVs, while proudly showing off the shirts a classmate designed and printed for each of us. Then we have a breakfast planned for us by our parents before we start the day. There are meetings bookmarked on the calendar almost monthly, fundraising for our week-long senior trip, and too many “lasts” to count: our last prom, our last Spirit Week, our last dreaded Picture Day. While much of this is standard for a senior, I know many bits and pieces are only true for Leopold.

One such example that has always stuck with me the most is the last day the seniors are at school. We have three separate buildings at our school, and the class gets to choose how they want to say their goodbyes and in what order. Last year’s seniors went to the elementary, then the middle school, and finally, the high school. All I know is we will make our last round as students together, a tradition I can’t help but love. Most of all, it seems too fitting for our class. Our class song is “Hey There, Delilah” by the Plain White T’s, but our class motto is a quote by the great Tim McGraw: “Chase your dreams, but always know the road that’ll lead you home again.”

I don’t know what our futures may hold or how much of them will incorporate each other. All I know is that being from Leopold has been etched upon my heart forever: the number 2025 will always have a spot there, along with our class’s lucky number 15. Most of all, I hope my classmates go far, explore the world, follow every dream they have, and remember the way back to Leopold is always ready to welcome them home.

Shandy Elfrink is a senior at Leopold High School. She has attended Leopold High School since kindergarten and loves reading, writing, listening to music, and hanging out with friends and family.