The Last First Day

Sarah Lee

There was a sense of dread and excitement in kicking back the comfortable covers of the blanket to get ready for school on Wednesday, 16 January 2019. It signified the end of the winter break, which meant no more staying up to watch TV shows or sleeping in late.

There was a buzz in the air, as the high school students of Dalat started filing in to find their new lockers. As the Harbor started filling up with kids, you could hear excited squeals of friends reuniting and catching up with how their break was and whether they were dead or alive. Students got busy catching up with each other before gathering to the Vintage Chapel for the assembly.

For some students, coming back to school from winter break signifies the near end of the school year. For the seniors, however, it signifies the end of their high school career and the quickly approaching reality of graduation. When asked about how she felt about it being the last semester, Elisabeth Kilgo (12) said, "On one hand, I'm so ready to leave, but on the other hand, I'm going to miss this place a lot. And the aspect of not being able to see anyone in our class again after this year is surreal."

We [the seniors, myself included] have officially entered into our last semester as high schoolers. The light at the end of the tunnel finally seems to be approaching. But as Pastor Kirk put it, in a strange crawling towards the ocean metaphor, "It seems like we're all crawling towards something. The important question to ask is 'What are you crawling towards?'"

I think that this is a good point that he brought up. We might not know where we're going to be this time next year, but it's good to ask ourselves if we know which direction we are going and if it's towards the right path.

So, as we go on with our last semester, I hope that this will be a time of lots of fun and discovering who you are as a person. Who knows where we're headed? I'm just glad I get to finish this year with you guys, Class of 2019.