Let’s be honest, most of us are just marking off the days on the calendar, counting down hours, minutes, seconds till we can go on with our lives and experience something new.

But, until that time comes, I’m on the newspaper and I want to reflect over the good things about high school, about Northtown.

Something that has really shaped my experience at Northtown is, of course, the newspaper. It’s given me a lot of good life lessons. It’s taught me how to meet deadlines, even though a lot of those didn’t get met on time, how to adjust and deal with changes, and how to endure.

I think we all have had those things that have made us learn tough life lessons, whether it was athletics, theatre, choir, band, orchestra, our classes, or our social lives. Perhaps it was a combination of those things, but high school has taught most of us some tough lessons to learn.

To underclassman my words of wisdom are challenge yourself. Challenge yourself in your classes, in your activities, and just in general. Because right now as I ready myself to enter my IB tests, I’m so stressed out, but at the end I’ll know that I’ve put forth so much time and effort that no score can diminish the changes I’ve seen in myself.

But IB is not the only way to challenge oneself. Everyone has their own thing that they have devoted time and effort too that’ll make them a better person more ready to face the challenges of whatever life they pursue.

When I look back the things I’ll remember most is the time I spent with friends. I’ve met many talented people who have helped me in many aspects of my life. In newspaper whenever I look back I’ll remember Christian Abke, last year’s editor, because without him I would have never been ready to step up to the job this year.

I could have never done this job without him, my advisers Mary Prichard and Susanne Malins, and of course my staff. All of these people have helped me learn lessons that’ll stick with me for a lifetime.

So as I say farewell to Northtown and my days as an editor, I look forward to what’s ahead but take with me the things of the past.

Congratulations class of 2011, we’re almost there.