Farewell To High School

It was a pleasant Sunday morning on the 26th of June 2016, and in all honesty, I could not agree more. The sun was just rising, gracefully illuminating the lush green landscape as it peeped over the top of the large blue mountains. The atmosphere was covered with thin white fog, and the birds chirped effortlessly as the wind wafted quite smoothly through the tall fruitful trees. I woke up with a cheery spirit, gently rubbing my cheek which had fallen victim to the warm yet dangerous ultra-violet rays that had seeped through the authentic Japanese designs on my new bedroom curtain.

It was a beautiful day indeed, one that I had been anticipating for a very long time and for which I had very high expectations. It was the last day of high school, which was also graduation day, and as joyful as that may sound, I had some amount of mixed feelings. On one hand, I was happy because all my CXC exams were completed and this meant that all five years of hard work from grade 7 to grade 11 had finally paid off despite the demotivating comments from teachers and peers alike. On the other hand, there was the feeling of sadness or loss, because although I was leaving behind all the stress and hard work of high school, I was also leaving behind some great friends accompanied by some really unforgettable memories.

I got out of bed, trying hard to maintain a positive and optimistic mindset despite knowing that this would be the very last time getting ready for school. This process somehow did not take much time that morning because I didn't have to do certain things such as packing my school bag and checking my timetable. In addition to this, the graduation gowns were already kept at school so that was added reason for me not to carry my school bag. With all the negative thoughts behind me and my optimism increased, I took a shower, got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.

As I made my way down the staircase, the undoubtedly sweet and captivating scent of freshly boiled oatmeal porridge drifted under my nostrils as my eyes made a quick transition from the living room to the kitchen. Sure enough, I saw my mother pouring out the traditional breakfast into a large bowl on the countertop. I greeted her and took a seat as she placed the bowl on the dining table in front of me. As we had breakfast together, we quickly discussed the day's proceedings and with that, we left the house and drove off to school.

Upon arrival, my mom dropped me off at the front gate and I headed to my form class on the 5th form block to prepare for the graduation ceremony. While there, the girls were busy applying their makeup of various shades and the boys were playing games on their phones, but everyone including me was having a very open and interesting conversation. We then drifted into our respective 'friend' groups and collectively reflected on the good times that we had in previous grades in addition to sharing thoughts that we had about the final few hours of high school. This continued for quite some time and before long, the entire classroom was filled with a sentimental buzz of students' voices. Subsequently, the school bell rang, marking the initial 5 minutes before the commencement of the graduation service, and as the form teacher entered, everyone rushed into their gowns and lined up in alphabetical order facing the door.

Then, the graduation song began, and with it, the moment of truth that we have been practicing for during the past two weeks. We all marched out confidently, holding our partner's hand and stepping side to side as the beat of the song pounded through the powerful speakers. We made our way onto the front lawn, where the service was scheduled to take place. A picture of satisfaction and proudness was printed on the faces of many parents who had lined up to take pictures of their children as we marched out to the front lawn, neatly dressed in our traditional dark-green and bright-yellow gowns that swept our ankles with every step. We then took our seats, as we keenly listened to the principal's opening remarks in addition to the valedictorian and salutatorian's speeches respectively. Not long after, we arrived at the awards section of the program which was pretty much the part that the parents were awaiting. Loud screams and shouts could be heard from the surrounding neighborhood as the family members and we graduands expressed our satisfaction and joy for every student that walked up to the platform to collect their awards.

Afterwards, we all lined up for the final time as a graduating class to deliver our graduation song. As we began singing, a feeling of nostalgia covered my body and I started reflecting on the entire high school experience. The gathering of family members and well-wishers were totally awed by our enchanting delivery. As we concluded our song, there was a deafening uproar of supportive cheers and a lawn filled with pleased, smiling faces. However, despite the increasing decibel of the cheering, I could hear my mother's elated voice and see her proud, beaming face through the hundreds of supporters that were present. Immediately following the conclusion of our song, we were instructed to march back to our classrooms along with our form teachers.

As we set foot on the 5th form block, everyone just ran off into and around their respective classrooms, hugging each other and even letting out tears that have been held back for so long. We were releasing all the stress and hardships that we had encountered for the past 5 years, because now they were all over; all the sleepless nights endured to complete assignments, all the stress and pressure of CXC and SBA's was all over and the full 5 years of our high school life had paid off. In addition to this, we all knew that this was also the time when we depart and take our rightful places in society. We were well aware of the fact that we may never see each other again, and this, unfortunately, was the bitter part of the journey. As we all embraced and congratulated each other, we went inside our classrooms to return the gowns that we were clothed in.

Consequently, I went to find my mother out on the front lawn, because it was now time to leave the school compound. I saw her as I walked out to the car park, and she ran up and hugged me with all the love and proudness that a mother could possibly contain inside. She heartily congratulated me as we walked to the car and as pleased as I was, I couldn't help but smile. As we drove off, I threw a stare back at the entrance of my high school and saw the huge clock that was put up at the front. At that moment, I realized that my time there had elapsed, and that was the last time I would set foot back into that high school. Consequently, with a nostalgic feeling in my gut and an optimistic feeling in my head, I turned around and focused on the long drive home, but more importantly, the future.