It’s that time of the year again — the end of the school year and with it graduations and goodbyes. Usually I’m really excited about school ending because it means summer vacation is nearby. But today as the bell for my last class rang I didn’t jump up and down with joy. It was a much more mellow and somber moment.

The last day of school has traditionally been reserved for fun and yearbook signing. It’s the last day we’re stuck in a classroom for three months! But as we get older, more and more things are added on, finals for instance. Although I’m done with all of my classes, I still have six more finals to look forward to next week, and in turn a weekend full of studying. Yet the part of this time of the year that has become hardest is saying goodbye.

When we were younger it was usually just one or two students who moved away or went on a sabbatical each year. But if you’re one of those few people or if you’re best friend is one of them that can be a really hard thing to deal with.

Each year we say goodbye to our teachers as we prepare to take on new classes with different instructors. There are those teachers you can’t imagine school without, and leaving their class is like leaving behind a part of your schooling. Yet we know we’ll see most of those teachers again, around the school or maybe in another class in future years. There’s just something about leaving them that signifies moving on and getting older that is equally hard to deal with.

I used to love completing grades. When I was younger I couldn’t grow up any faster. I always wanted to be one of the older kids, but now I wish I would grow up slower.

As much as I dislike school sometimes I really enjoy the whole experience. I don’t want to think about leaving behind my classmates and going off to college, about leaving behind everything I know and starting over somewhere else. Yet with each passing year I get closer and closer to that.

Yesterday and today I saw many tears and heard many cheers. Most of them came from the seniors, but a number of younger classmen were also pretty emotional. We build friendships with people we can’t imagine moving away. Then graduation comes and a rush of mixed feelings arrives: excitement for the end of school, but disappointment and sorrow for having to say goodbye to our classmates for several months and the seniors for who knows how long.

Today may have been the last day of school, but it’s not just easy sailing here on out. There’s a whole number of things I don’t want to pass too fast, and another number of things I don’t want to end at all.