EDITORIAL: On the Risks and Rewards of High School and Life

By AMANDA ROSATONE In my opinion, every school year begins with the motivating advice of “work hard, play hard”, and as a senior counting down the minutes until I walk across that platform at graduation with my diploma, I can honestly say, this clichéd statement holds a lot of truth. The bottom line of any high school experience is that we all face challenges; sometimes they are a. academic, b. personal, c. social, or d. all of the above. However, regardless of the obstacles that we face each and every day as we walk into school (at that unjust hour of 7:45 in the morning), we have to remember that by taking risks and by challenging ourselves comes great, well-deserved rewards. High school, in my opinion, is the perfect combination of successes and failures. Whether it is pushing yourself academically by moving into a more challenging class, or even trying out for a new sport team to test your skills, taking chances is a vital part of having new and memorable experiences, which is an important aspect about our high school years. Now, don’t get me wrong: I am not saying to take a million and one AP classes and to try out for every sport out there every season. My message is much more simple: taking risks is often unnerving, but by investing one’s self into whatever the endeavor may be, we can be rewarded. Although taking risks is a scary part of high school, it is also a necessary aspect of living. Next year, when I am in college, I am going to feel like a 1st grader on her first day of school, the only difference is that I’m not going to be holding my mom’s hand and she won’t be saying “I’ll see you at 3:30.” The situation will be much different. However, regardless of the emotional part of transitioning into college, I feel confident in myself heading into this part of my life, mainly because of everything Malden High School has shown me about hard work, dedication, and putting myself out there. In the future, I may never be able to shake the feeling of that little 1st grader inside of me, and the reality is that anyone who can is pretty lucky. However, in the same way, I am glad that I may not be able to shake that feeling because it will remind me that although the future is unknown and often scary, it should not stop me from making the most out of life. For all of you who will be in my position next year, and all of who will be moving into a higher grade, my wish for you at Malden High School is simply this: that you remember high school as being the best part of your young adult life; that you realized the countless opportunities you have available at Malden High School; that you took advantage of them, and gave your best to every challenge you faced, because great things can happen.