Senior goodbye: Haleigh West

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Haleigh West, Senior ads editor

March 13, 2020: the day Governor Kelley announced that she would be closing all schools in Kansas for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year due to COVID-19. At first, it made no sense. It was supposed to be our year, the year of lasts and the time of celebration for all the people I have grown up with. As I heard the news, I was completely devastated and couldn’t stop thinking about my senior prom and graduation and how it would all be affected.
I have spent the past six weeks doing online school and to say I am excited to be done is a complete understatement. I didn’t mind online schooling, but I really missed the social aspect and seeing everyone at school.
At one point I even found myself missing the high school parking lot… if you’ve ever found yourself in it, you know that says a lot. These six weeks were not like me, my teachers, or any of my classmates and our families planned it to be, but we made the best of it
These past few weeks have taught me a lot about myself. For starters, I have learned that doing everything online has not stopped my persistent procrastination. Yet, it has assured me that I don’t work too bad under pressure.
This week is my last week of high school and as it is nothing like I imagined. I am thankful for all the experiences and memories that have led up to this point. I was a student who enjoyed school and seeing my teachers and friends, and one who did not want high school to be over quite yet. I believe everything happens for a reason and I have accepted the fact that my senior year has looked like no other. I am thankful for this time with family before I go to college and all the opportunities and experiences that Paola High School has brought me.
To the classes following 2020: never take school and the people there for granted. Always try to see the good in every day because you honestly don’t know when a day will come that will change everything.
I hope you all get to experience the end of your senior year with prom, graduation, and time well spent with your class. Enjoy it while you can, because time truly doesn’t wait.