High School Memories: A life’s chapter has ended

By Joshua Corcuera

 

High school is, beyond doubt, a memorable point of one’s life. However, high school life does not go on forever as well and must come to an end. This, I have already told my classmates in the past when we were about to depart our school. Despite this, however, it is essential to remind recent graduates of high school that they must keep moving forward with what they’ve learned from where they came from.

With this in mind, let me share an excerpt from my speech which I addressed at one point in our batch’s thanksgiving mass prior to graduation day. Afterward, let me reiterate important points that I would like to emphasize.

Everything that has a beginning must have an end. This is true in the case of graduating students who are about to depart from a place they considered as their second home. All the tears, laughter, heartbreaks, and happiness shared together for years will become memories crafted in our hearts. We thought that there is no end to these precious moments, but we were wrong. It may be painful that these moments will fade away, however, we should be grateful for the values we have learned from these experiences. Our camaraderie as a class paved the way for us to learn to respect one another, to strive for excellence in the things we aspire to do, and to help others especially those in need….. 

….It is true that everything that has a beginning must have an end, but an end will lead to the start of something new. We will witness a new chapter and a new challenge in our lives as we leave the dear school that nourished us. And as we part our ways, we should not be timid or afraid of the challenges we will face because our school, through values and morals, taught us how to be stronger. 

Whether we like it or not, some memorable or remarkable events in our lifetime must come to an end. Be it college or work, a person would eventually need to go for a reason or two. High school is not an exception to this, students would need to part ways as they enter higher education. After all, one cannot stay at one point forever — it’s simply boring or unproductive. The same applies to those who are in power, they cannot be at the top forever as well — it’s simply abusive.

However, as they move on to a new chapter in life, it is important to bring with them what they’ve learned in the past. These lessons are not merely academic-related, but also the kind of lessons that transcend the four corners of the classroom. We are talking of life-changing encounters — friendships, romances, heartbreaks, awareness of harsh social realities, and the like.

One cannot avoid being sad, however, given that shared experiences would become mere memories. Besides being melancholic of graduation, though, it is also important to be grateful that there were lessons learned from high school. As the maxim goes, hindi makararating sa paroroonan, ang siyang ‘di marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan.

Now, as a new chapter is added among high school graduates, there is nothing to be fearful of when they bring with them what they’ve learned. Rather, it must encourage them to keep moving forward with strength and courage. More importantly, whether graduating from high school or not, it is essential to progress in the present with the lessons learned from the past to attain a brighter future.