On an average day in the Core Center, music blasts from the stereo. Seniors dance along to the beat while underclassmen look on in awe, waiting for the day they, too, will reach this level of seniority in the Upper School. However, this newfound position in the Upper School engenders an unprecedented evolution of our character and intellect.
We both came to Convent of the Sacred Heart as new and bright-eyed fifth graders in 2009, anxious to discover what our experience would hold. Our adjacent lockers and awkward advisory meetings provided the gateway into our tenures at Sacred Heart. Eight years later, we have matured beyond middle school, attended freshman bonding trips, received our class rings, and are well on our way to choosing our graduation gowns.
We have now entered a new stage in our high school careers. As we prepare to enter the “real world” in just a few short months, we will soon utilize the skills we have acquired over the past three years in the Upper School.
Sacred Heart has instilled in us the values and qualities that are necessary for our lives after high school. Avid dedication from our teachers has taught us that hard work is crucial in self growth, but we also must be willing to take risks in order to cultivate this development.
Senior year will be a journey for us. We will continue to develop our passions with the aid of our teachers and we will use this knowledge as a stepping stone into our future. We will also progress in “knowing thyself,” as Socrates so succinctly expressed, through the trials and successes that come with balancing school work, college applications, athletics, and extracurricular responsibilities.
Recently, the Upper School student council established “Spread the Love” as the theme for the 2016-2017 school year. This extension of kindness, care, and respect echoes through these halls as a reminder of the values Sacred Heart has instilled in us from a young age. This theme is also an encouragement for each of us, especially as seniors, to bolster genuine qualities as a “Daughter of God,” as the popular liturgy song dictates, through community service and an active dedication to our education.
As a result, our responsibility as the eldest of the school has grown tremendously. We are forced to reconcile the ideas of focusing on our individual journeys and growth while whole-heartedly taking on the privilege of being an example to younger students. Through this, we will be able to give back to this community in exchange and gratitude for what we have received.
As 2017 rapidly approaches, we embrace our newfound roles as responsible citizens of Sacred Heart, but also our wider communities, allowing us to grow deeper in our intellect, faith, and character.
As the leaves change color in the coming weeks, so too will the direction of our futures. We will wait anxiously for admissions decisions, allowing the culmination of our time at Sacred Heart to become all too real. Our teachers have planted the seeds of knowledge and wisdom, our friends and family have watered our growth as individuals, and this imminent change will allow us to exercise the skills we have acquired during our eight years at Sacred Heart.
Over the next nine months, we hope to cherish our last year together. Please join us as we embark on not only our twelfth grade year, but also a new year for the King Street Chronicle.
-Morgan Johnson and Arielle Kirven, Co-Editors-in-Chief