Wow, I never thought I’d get sentimental about these fluorescent-lit hallways. I sat down to write this final article thinking I needed to craft some perfect, poetic goodbye to Greeley West. But the truth is, no words could fully capture what these halls have meant to me. So instead, I’ll just say thank you.
I’ll be carrying so many memories and things with me from this school. The way our newspaper staff felt more like family and therapy than classmates by the end. Teachers like Mr. Wagner and Ms. Upshaw actually looked us in the eye when we walked into class, like they genuinely cared whether we showed up, not just for attendance, but because they were interested to see who we were becoming, and not just interested in the grade we earned. The friends who turned a five minute passing period dodging the millions of students passing the halls into something I’ll remember my whole life.
But of course, not every lesson came wrapped in nostalgia. That annoying vending machine in the cafeteria that had all the snacks you could imagine, teaching me a valuable lesson about the importance of always carrying snacks in my backpack. Those brutal 8:00 AM classes that put my commitment to education to the test and my ability to jump straight into solving complex mathematical equations when I was literally just in bed less than an hour ago. And let’s not forget the group projects that proved human beings can really form deep bonds through last minute Google Slides panic.
Looking back, it wasn’t the big events or accomplishments that defined my time here, it was the people. The classmates who became family, the teachers who became therapists and mentors, and the small moments that somehow became the most important.
So while my fingers may be tired from typing and my brain even more tired from senioritis, my heart is surprisingly full. Not with some grand, sweeping sentiment, but with the quiet certainty that these ordinary days were instead extraordinary all along. Thank you, Greeley West, for the lessons, the laughter, and the people who made it all worthwhile.
But here’s the secret: we’re not really leaving. We’re just taking pieces of Greeley West with us — the inside jokes, the lunch table debates, the way we learned to survive standardized test days.
The bell’s about to ring one last time. But this? This isn’t an ending. It’s the beginning of everything.
So now, here’s the ugly yet beautiful truth: high school sucked sometimes. The 7:30 AM zombie marches to first period. The cafeteria’s mysterious sloppy joe sandwiches. That one chemistry test where I mislabeled half the periodic table (sorry, Mr. Cherry).
But damn, did I love it anyway.
I loved the way our corner of Mr. Wagner’s classroom (World’s best Psychology teacher) became our own little world. Where Zavin would routinely eat three protein bars every single class, where Aydan and I would get blasted by the scolding hot sun trying to figure out how to pull down the new modernized window blinds in order to see the notes on the board.
The Tiny Moments I’ll Never Forget
- That One Tuesday in October: When the power went out and we all sat cross-legged in the English hallway, telling ghost stories by phone flashlight.
- *The Newspaper Deadline Disaster:** When the printer jammed 10 minutes before distribution and we all became amateur tech support.
- The Parking Lot Sunset:** When a group of us sat on someone’s dented Honda hood watching the sky turn pink, realizing this wouldn’t last forever.
What I Wish I’d Known Freshman Year
- Nobody actually cares if you trip in the hallway (I tested this theory seven times).
- Joining random clubs — yes, even Chess Club — leads to the best stories.
- The teachers who give the most homework are usually the ones who’ll write your college rec letters.
- You’ll miss the smell of the gym. Seriously.
