1/24/2018 What's In Your Future?By: Deonah Garrett & Kaileigh CliffordThinking about the future is a scary thought, especially when you realize such a big change is happening so soon. When you were little did you know what you wanted to be, or did you think being a princess was an acceptable job? Have you thought about moving out? Big changes are coming, and we hope you’re ready.
Coltyn Abbott says his future plans didn’t match up to the ones he had when he was little. “I always thought I was going to be an astronaut when I was little. I even had a little outfit I wore all the time.” Now that Coltyn is older and about to go off to college, he says he is undecided about what he’s going to major in. “Being an adult is scary to a lot of students, including me. I don’t know what I’m going to do or where I’m going to end up, but I kind of enjoy the not knowing,” explains Coltyn. DeMarcus England says he’s “definitely not” doing what he thought he was going to do when he was younger. “I don’t know of anyone who sticks to one career choice from when they were younger. I went from a basketball player to the president,” DeMarcus says. DeMarcus confesses that like Coltyn, he is also undecided in what he wants to major in when he goes to college. However, DeMarcus says he already knows the steps he needs to take to get into college. DeMarcus claims he’s not afraid of “adulting” because he feels like he already is, “I go to school, work all the time, and pay bills.” When asked why Carley Massie took the steps she did in her career, she was quick to answer. “I know what I need to do to succeed. My whole life I’ve watched others struggle, and I never want to be like that. I have planned things to where I know exactly what I’m doing and where I’m going to be,” says Carley. She adds that she plans on going to Ivy Tech to major in Business Management in the fall. Carley also admits she is afraid of being an adult. “Although I have plans, I still worry about leaving my dad behind. I think the hardest part about going off to college or to the workforce is leaving behind your home and your family to start your own.” As high school ends, and we say our goodbyes, we will be starting our own paths. Whether we know exactly what we’re doing for the rest of our lives or have no idea, growing up is still a scary thing. As for ideas about our careers, a lot has probably changed. We’re not the same people we were in elementary/middle school, but it helped shape who we are today. 5/22/2017 Advice from Us to YouBy Dalani Young As the year comes to a close, we all typically look back and reflect on the year. We look back at the memories we have made and the life lessons we have learned. For seniors, they reflect on our last year and high school. They prepare for the next chapter of their life, but look back on their final days in the small town they have called home. They share advice and tips that they learned along the way. Here are some of the memories and advice from members of this year’s senior class.
Isaac McGarvey said his favorite part of high school was football season. He loved tearing it up on the gridiron underneath the stadium lights. When he leaves for college, he will miss being able to see his friends everyday. Isaac says that he will come back to watch football games and be a part of big community events. His advice for underclassmen is “Don’t give up during senior year. Have fun and make as many memories as you can. It goes by fast.” Morgan Prather’s favorite part of her time here at Wes-Del was being a part of moments that she will never get to be a part of again such as, prom, homecoming, playing volleyball, and pep rallies in the gym. If Morgan could go back and experience on thing again, it would be the state volleyball championship that she was a part of her sophomore year. Morgan says, “The most important lesson I learned my senior year was to make the most of each moment because it doesn't last forever. We all spent so much time counting down the days until high school was over and wished so much of it away. I will miss seeing the familiar faces of the teacher, students, and administrators in the hallway everyday. I will come back to whatever games I can, depending on when I am in town. I am going attending Florida Gulf Coast University and I am majoring in psychology. My advice for the underclassmen is to not wish away your high school experience because it truly goes by faster than you think.” Jacob Newsome says what he will miss the most about our community is the amount of unwavering support that is shown to student. Throughout his high school career, the most important lesson Jacob has learned is that the tasks of life are rarely easy or fun, but it is important to have a positive attitude in everything one does. Michelle Clark’s favorite part of senior year was getting to experience everything one last time. Homecoming was one of her favorite events because it gives the seniors a chance to leave a lasting impression on the school. The most important lesson she learned during her high school career was to not take people and experiences for granted. “Most of the people in my class, I will never see again after graduation. The time I have with them right now is precious and I don’t want to take that for granted.” Like Isaac, Michelle will miss seeing her friends everyday. Michelle is going to Ball State University to major in Magazine Journalism. Michelle’s advice to underclassmen is this, “Don’t wish away your last year. You may not like school or Wes-Del, but this is your last year to be around everyone you have grown up with. After graduation, you enter a scary world that doesn’t give you any help, so for your last year enjoy being a teen and enjoy the help that your teachers, friends, and parents give you.” Parker Harris’s favorite part of senior year was the unique feeling of the last year of high school. His least favorite part of senior year is that it is coming to an end. If he could go back, Parker would want to experience homecoming week again. Parker will be attending Ball State in the fall. Parker’s advice to underclassmen is, “Don’t shrug off the experiences of high school. Make the most of your high school career.” Chloe Reoch’s favorite part of senior year was experiencing everything for the last time with her friends. When she leaves for college, she will miss the small town atmosphere, the supportive community, and the friendly people. The most important lesson that she learned during high school was that no matter how hard the day seems, you can make it through. Don’t see difficulties as burdens, but as lessons. Her advice for next year’s seniors is this, “When people tell you how fast the year goes by, don’t blow it off. I thought this year would be excruciatingly long and drawn out, but it feel like it has gone by in the blink of an eye. It will fly by, so enjoy every moment. Don’t wish away the days of your senior year because they are more precious than you realize. I promise you will miss it, so don’t count the days; make the days count.” As we approach the end of the school year, it is easy to wish that it was over, but cherish every moment. Make the most of your time here at Wes-Del High School. We wish the seniors well in their next adventure in life and we wish all of you in warrior nation a happy and safe summer. 2/3/2017 2017By Dalani Young With every passing day, we grow closer to a new year. We take another step in the direction of tomorrow. We lose track of the hours that turn into days and the days that turn into months until we are standing in front of the television on December 31 waiting to welcome the arrival of the New Year with the symbolic dropping of a shiny glass ball. But what do we do between January 1st of one year and January 1st of another? What do we do in those 365 days? Go to school, do chores, make resolutions we don’t keep, fall back into the bad habits we said we would break, and continue on with our mundane lives? What if this year we tried to focus on ourselves instead of others? What if we used positivity to propel ourselves down a path of self improvement?
I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I think they are a lot like promises. We make them with really good intentions, but as the days go on it becomes more convenient to break them because it's the easy way out of an uncomfortable situation. Brian Tracy once said, “Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” This year I am taking this advice to heart. I did not make a New Year’s resolution, per say, but I did use the coming of the new year as a starting point for things I wanted to do and change in my life. With the coming of the New Year, I decided I wanted to become a better person, not only for myself, but for the other people in my life. I have started keeping a journal. This is where I write down all my thoughts and feelings. I have started drinking more water and exercising more. I have also tried to become more aware of the words that come out of my mouth and how what I say and do affects other people. I have tried to focus more on myself. Another thing I started in the new year, was writing letters. I am making an effort to let the people who are close to me know how much they mean to me. I think writing letters is a lost art form, but a beautiful way of expressing how you feel. Too often we, as a society, become engrossed in the technology available to us. Weather you made a New Year’s resolution or not, I urge you to use the beginning of the New Year as an opportunity to embrace the future. When you look back do you want the 365 days between the new year to be a blur that has no significance to you or others, or do you want to use those 365 days to do something new, grow, and change? 11/4/2016 The Last HurrahBy Dalani Young Parents and students alike packed the stands to watch our football program, with a winning record for the first time in decades, take on Adams Central, ranked in the top 10 in the state. Everything felt the same as it had every Friday night previous, except there was a slight chill in the air and a fire burning deep inside the hearts of the senior football players. This was their last hurrah. Not only would this be the last game of the season, it would be the last game they would play as a part of the Wes-Del football team. This was the seniors’ last game of their high school football career. For me, this was the last time I would spend a Friday night standing on the green, freshly-cut grass, cheering on a team I had not only managed but become a part of. The fire had been lit in these men, and they came out and burnt the Jets down for more than half the game. The final seconds ticked down at the end of the fourth quarter and although we were not victorious by point, we were victorious in many other aspects. Not only had we played with heart, but we played as a family. I gathered a case of water bottles and sauntered to the end zone where the team was kneeling in front of Coach Hess. I gazed down at the scene before me. The toughest guys I had ever seen were overcome with sorrow. It was not sadness because of the loss of a game. It was sadness that the family they had created in the previous months, and years for some, was to now be disbanded. As I stood, tears filled my eyes, and they still fill my eyes as I write this article now. Not only did I spent three and a half hours with these men, they spent it with each other. We go through school, play different sports and participate on teams and the whole time we are told to be grateful and cherish the memories that sports provide us with, but this didn’t hit me until I was standing in the end zone, balling my eyes out as I hugged my 45 brothers. The people we attend school with and play on teams with are the people who become our “second family” in high school. I didn’t realize how much being a part of that team meant to me until it was gone. I didn’t realize how much I loved spending time after school with them until it was no longer a part of my daily routine. So seniors, cherish all the “lasts” of this year because this is the last year you will be a part of not only the Wes-Del family but also your little “subfamilies” that are formed in activities. Underclassmen, be grateful for the families you create in activities because every year they change and grow. I cannot stress enough the need to cherish the “families” you create because when the clock ticks down on the last hurrah of your sports season, you will be heartbroken to see it come to an end.
10/4/2016 Homecoming to MeBy Dalani Young To me homecoming has always been the greatest week of the year. A week full of joy, excitement, school pride and a hint of exhaustion. This year was different. I knew it would be, but I didn’t realize how different and when these differences would occur. The week was like any other homecoming before. The two weeks before the official “homecoming week” were spent at countless student council meetings brainstorming, planning, and decorating in anticipation for the upcoming week. Dress days were decided upon and class themes picked. Everything was normal. I, knowing the dress days, scurried home to pick out my outfits for the coming week. Monday came and went. I was overjoyed to see two tractors parked in the parking lot for farmer day. I could tell school pride and spirit was back as I walked the halls with my peers dressed equally ridiculous as I. With each passing day, new costumes and goofy smiles filled the halls. The week continued with laughs and memories in the making, joy and excitement, school spirit and pride. Finally, Friday came. I sat in 6th period, waiting for the call to summon us to the gym for the traditional festivities. The band lined the front hall and marched as the familiar beats sounded. Up and down the halls they played, and as they passed classrooms more and more students joined the mob behind the band. I glanced behind me to see the entire student body following, singing the school song proudly. We finally arrived at the gym. Middle schoolers, freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors separated themselves into their respected places in the stands. Once again, everything felt normal. The crowd chants, the skits, the cheerleaders. Everything felt as it had the year's previous. The pep session came and went and so did the parade. The homecoming game came like any other. The football was tossed around, yards were gained, fans cheered. Everything felt the way it should. The shocking realization didn't hit me until I was alone, away from the people, the tradition, the fun; I had just participated in the last homecoming of my high school life. I sat on my bed, tears forming in my eyes. That was the last time I would decorate the school, dress in ridiculous costumes for a week, build a float with my classmates and participate in the pep session. That was the last time I would experience Wes-Del Homecoming as a student. To my fellow seniors, embrace the rest of the year, because this is the last time we will be a part of every tradition this school has to offer as a student and to the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen, participate in the homecoming festivities because you only get to do it four times, and the last time will come sooner than you think.
9/13/2016 Final First DayBy Dalani Young The first day of school has always excited me. Something about all new classes, teachers, and experiences makes me want to jump out of bed and put on a stylish outfit for the beginning of a new subchapter of high school in my book of life. This first day was ordinary, but extraordinary at the same time; It was the last first day of high school. The start of senior year was upon me. I arrived at school, thrilled to be in a familiar place with familiar faces, but I was greeted by less than enthusiastic classmates. I thought “On the last first day of high school, how can you not be overjoyed to be sharing this experience and these emotions will the people you have had by your side through every first day previous?” As the first day turned into the first weeks of school I could sense the change in my classmates. They were tired and ready to be done with school, but it was only just the beginning. Where had my happy, motivated classmates gone? What had taken their spirit of learning? Maybe it was the strenuous and stressful junior schedule that had burned some of them out or maybe it was the fact that for thirteen years we have woken up to the same routine, go to school, get assigned homework, go to practice, extracurriculars, jobs, etc., then work on hours of homework, and hopefully get just enough sleep to be awake for the same monotonous routine tomorrow. I couldn’t blame them for feeling so tired of the system, but deep down inside I know this year was different. It is our last hoorah, our last chance to impact the school, our last chance of everything being the way it was. The last year we would all be together. So to my fellow classmates: I don’t blame you for being fed up, tired, and downright done with the routine, but I ask that you find it somewhere in your heart to cherish this year. Do something you never thought you would. Talk to someone new. Make every day count. This is the last year we will see each other everyday, celebrate victories together, mourn losses together, and make memories- all of us together. Enjoy the year, because soon we will all be going our own ways to live our own lives.
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Dalani YoungHey, Warrior Nation! It's Dalani Young (aka Salami). I'm a senior at Wes-Del High School. This is my blog about senior year from a students perspective. Archives
January 2018
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