Senior Year Memoir

This was it; the magical day was finally here! I was about to pick out my senior schedule. When you’re in high school or grades even younger, you aspire to be a senior. I was finally the “big woman on campus”, technically speaking. Your senior schedule could make you or break you in a college’s eyes, so it was very important to pick classes that looked good, but still allowed you to slack off a little bit. I decided to do child care two-three which sounds like a piece of cake but, it ended up being my hardest class. I also decided to take college algebra, my first college level course. To round out the rest of my schedule I chose psychology, marine biology, fashion design two, and English honors four. My senior year of high school at Satellite High School was a bittersweet and one of the most memorable, fantastic
school year of my life.

I was thrilled my first day of school, I didn’t have to wake up until an hour after school started, which was a huge plus because I absolutely hate waking up early. Child care was my first class, and preschool hopefully would start on time in September. Unfortunately, we were stuck in a trailer while our preschool classroom was being “renovated”. I was overjoyed to know that we would sitting around unprepared for two months, and then be expected to teach preschool unknowing of what to work with and not knowing the children we were lucky enough to get to teach. The rest of my day was fairly boring, listening to lectures made about how challenging the class ahead was going to be. But I had my eye on the prize just like every other new senior, graduation.

Throughout the year the project graduation committee put together events for the graduating seniors, to help motivate them to keep up the good grades. The first event they had was about a month after school started which was called the senior sunrise breakfast. We had to be at Pelican Beach Park at about six in the morning to get ready for the festivities. Most of the senior class (that was able to wake up) showed up on the beach to watch the sunrise. Another event that was put on by my high school was the junior vs. senior powder-puff football game. I joined the senior team, and was prepared for almost every practice against the juniors. The game ended up being close, but the seniors pulled ahead and won!
The year was going by quickly, especially that now the preschool was up and running. We had a very strict schedule that included one week of planning and teaching and two weeks of volunteering at a local elementary school. I volunteered at my old elementary school, Surfside and I worked with my old kindergarten teacher Mrs. Lacy. The moment I stepped foot in Mrs. Lacy’s class the children there became instantly attached. I remember a little boy named Patrick would always come up to me before I left to go back to Satellite and hug me so tight I couldn’t breathe and tell me that I was his favorite. In preschool; however, it was hard to have such notoriety with the kids we taught. We only had a week of time with them, instead of two and most of the time we were trying to get all the kids to pay attention to what us teachers were trying to explain or chasing after one of the restless little boys. It was tough being a teacher; we had to get through at least two lessons each (most of them only half finished) in a four person group during our two hour time period.


The best part of the school year was all of the field trips I was lucky enough to attend. We were able to go on eight field trips just through child care 2-3 to ‘broaden’ the young children’s minds. Some of the trips I went on were trips to Play Plus, walking to Publix, the Brevard Community College Planetarium, the Brevard Zoo, and to two children’s concerts. I didn’t go on field trips in just child care though, I visited Sea World for the day with my marine biology class and Jo Ann’s, a textile convention, the University of Central Florida theatre, and behind the scenes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios through my Fashion Design Two course.
Even though my final year was going great, at home things were very different. One night I came home late from hanging out with some good friends. I was in my room and listening to music on my computer when my dad knocked on the door and asked, “Lex can I come in?” “Sure”, I replied back as my dad walked through the door. He stood around awkwardly for a minute and sat down on my bed. My dad started to speak in a somber tone, “Your mom and I are getting a divorce. You know things have been rough lately, and this is the only other option as I see it right now, and maybe someday things will get better, I’m not sure. Your mom is moving out in two weeks to live at her friend’s house and we’re going to make things as normal as possible for you, Erica, and T.j.” I was in complete shock, and I could only mutter an “Okay, can you please go now?” My dad gave me a sincere hug and left while I spent the rest of my night crying.

Those next few weeks of going to school and putting on a happy face while my family unit was crumbling were very hard. I only saw my mom once or twice a week, if I was lucky and our relationship was strained because she had hurt our family out of her careless actions. The saying ‘when it rains, it pours’ showed its true colors because as soon after my mom moved out, my dog Rusty died. My one hundred pound, yellow lab who had always been a comfort to me in the hard times, whether they were over a boy who made me cry or my little brother had ate all of the ice cream (again), was gone forever.

Eventually, everything slowly started to get better at home. My parents started talking again and in time, my mom moved back into our house after five months of being away. It was still tough at first, getting used to my mother being home again but our relationship has healed somewhat. In time my parents said that we were allowed to get another pet, but this time it would be a cat! Well after searching a local pet adoption site one kitty turned into two and after visiting the animal shelter two kitties turned into three! We were able to save one of our new pet’s lives (even though she’s the meanest one) and I’m glad we were able to walk into the animal shelter when we did. I picked the only boy cat that was about six months old and I fell in love with him instantly. I named him Edward after the book Twilight, and because well, frankly he just looks like an Edward.

As I look back on my senior year, I’ve had so many wonderful memories and sad ones as well. All of my hard work and effort throughout my whole career in school was built up for that year. I’m proud to say I graduated with honors, and didn’t trip when I walked across the stage. Even through all of the emotional ups and downs I went through, I wouldn’t miss a chance to repeat that year again.