With the jitters and excitement that the first day of school brings, unexpected feelings arose for the soon-to-be graduating class of 2025. From wistfulness to happiness, to sheer relief to anxiety, sentiments felt about the last-first day of high school were seen to be incredibly diverse, with each senior sharing a uniquely personal perspective of the special day.

When surveyed, feelings of sentimentality were seen to be the most common, with several seniors citing disbelief over their upcoming graduation:

“I feel bittersweet, and nostalgic looking back on the four years spent here,” explained senior Saavni Shah. “It really felt like time went by so fast. Everything seemed so slow, but it actually went by so quick.”

However, others reported feelings of nonchalance, treating the day as a usual school event.
“Honestly, I didn’t really feel anything,” senior Austin Lee said. “It just felt like a regular day.”

While expressing excitement over finally transitioning into an independent environment, a significant percentage of seniors mentioned that they would miss their friends and favorite teachers the most, with many reluctant to part with such familiarity.

“I’m probably going to miss my classmates the most. I grew up with them, so I’m very comfortable being around them,” senior Danielle Stark said. “I think it’s gonna be a major culture shock going to college, where I won’t know anyone.”

College will certainly be a time of great change and adversity for our seniors; the oldest students will suddenly revert to being the youngest, and many will not have the same social groups to fall back on for stability and support. Classes will be different and varied, and many will have to make great efforts to stabilize under the college system.

It will be a bittersweet goodbye for the class of 2025 as they eventually graduate from these familiar halls. What is for certain, however, is that NVD will remain in the hearts of the seniors regardless of where their future paths will lead.