by Anjali Verma ’20

I remember hearing about the infamous Warrior Newspaper from my brother growing up, knowing that one day I too would want to be a part. It is strange to look back now, as a “big kid,” wondering where all the time went. The lunches in the back room every day, distribution days, and endless laughs were always so special to me. Now, with the time cut short, all that is left to do is cherish the time that I did get to spend in C266 and in high school in general and share these memories. 

I think the year that changed everything was junior year. For the first time, I felt like I had all the friends I needed, incredible people surrounding me. What a privilege it is to me now to think back to a time where I got to spend hours each day with my favorite people. From sneakily rearranging my schedule to be with my best friends to spending each and every half day doing something fun after, the routine of being content became a reality and I am so thankful. What I would give now to go back to that simplicity, even back to freshman year, texting my mom during 8th period begging her to let me go to my friend’s house or the amount of nervousness that engulfed my body when I had a homecoming date for the first time. The little things are what made such a difference. 

I am happy to say that no matter how many times schoolwork swamped me or a test made me cry, I made it through. I wish, however, that I lived a little more. At a time where all that I’ve looked forward to now seems so far away again, I wish I took the time to skip that class, to be late, and overall, not stress so much because in the end things will work themselves out. High school is one of the simplest times and I wish more than ever that I could have enjoyed it more. For me, senior year was that time for me to relax and enjoy, and though I am forever grateful for half of the year, the sadness of missing the last half stays with me. With such a shaky end, the reality is I am scared for the future. It still doesn’t seem real. A part of me keeps thinking that come one Monday morning, I will still walk groggily into Sherwood greeted by the faces of all of The Gals, like any other “normal” day.

But like anything, life goes on. For now, I will gain the strength to finish my senior year scrapbook, I will gain the strength to accept that this is my last Warrior newspaper article, and I will gain the strength to appreciate the time I did have at Sherwood. Finally, I have a confession. I threw a marshmallow at the back of Ms. Gelfand’s head one football game, by accident, and everyone covered for me (oopsie). I can’t believe I said that, I was going to take that secret with me to the grave. Thank you to everyone who made my high school experience more than memorable, unforgettable. What can I say? I am just one lucky gal. 🙂