From the first steps into the classroom to the last steps on stage, is a moment most seniors have been waiting for.
Graduation.
But getting a diploma isn’t going to happen overnight, and it definitely will not be easy.
Part of being a high school student is juggling work, school, sports, and extracurricular activities every 24 hours.
“I think having so much going on is what helped me have a good high school experience and gave me tons of memories,” senior Sophia Pierce said. “I’ll definitely miss it, but I’m still excited to move on and do new things.”
Not everyone’s journey has been easy, as every student faces problems. Some had to work harder than others.
“I’ve always kind of struggled in school, so having the motivation or being able to do my work is difficult,” senior Jordan Kennedy said.
“[My advice would be] don’t put off what you can do now,” he said.
Natalia Kurek, a foreign exchange student, loved all nine months spent here in America. Schools back at home were different, and she was glad to be given the opportunity to graduate at Derby.
“When I came here and saw all the classes that were offered, I was astonished,” Kurek explained. “It was very different.
“I’m happy to have gone through the experience and a different high school, but also sad because I’m leaving my ‘new life,’ I mean the one I built here with new and wonderful people,” she said.
Although high school can be a draining 12-13 years, students took it upon themselves to create their own adventures and make memories along the way.
“I’m really happy to finish high school, but I get sentimental when I look back on all the
memories,” senior Pierre Mason said. “I would tell my younger self to spend more time enjoying the present and his youth.”