Peace Out

To the Class of 2019, I think we can all agree high school has been an interesting part of our lives. By gathering all of us in one place with bells ringing, terrible lunch food, and a social pyramid, at times our lives felt controlled in some prison. Although this feeling is common, my experience with public education has formed who I am today. It has taught me lessons through acknowledging what I regret, and don’t regret, leaving me a foundation to build off in the future.

My first regret is procrastinating. Although it’s something I’m sure we all do, it seemed as if it was my biggest hobby in high school. At times I would do anything; just to get out of being bored enough to do homework. I regret procrastinating as it has put me through many difficult times, when I could’ve bypassed the stress and struggles by taking action sooner. This regret has taught me the importance of taking initiative, knowing I will appreciate the relief of stress later on, rather than being upset with myself for putting something off.

Another regret of mine, was realizing how much I, Adam Lapointe, can really do. Humans are fascinating in a way where we have the power to do so much. I under appreciated the power I have to make somebody’s day by simply saying “hey! nice shoes!” Looking back at certain scenarios where I may have done wrong, I wish I was a better person in the past. Now that I understand the impact we can have, I guess you could say I regret not knowing how much positivity I could’ve spread.

On the flip side of things, I am proud of what I don’t regret. I don’t regret my decision to stay true to myself and the morals I grew up on. Meaning I haven’t changed for anyone or adapted in anyway just to fit someone else’s idea of right or wrong. I don’t care if they think I am normal or weird, I know who I am. I’ve gotten to a point where I am trying to become a better human everyday, putting our dramatic and ridiculous society to the side and focusing on myself. I believe too many people let social media and societal norms get in the way of them really seeing what their life is or what all of ours have turned into as a whole.   

Something else I leave high school without regretting is my decision to have a life outside of and unrelated to school. I am proud of myself for living my final days as a kid by making memories and friends that will last a lifetime. I did not want my experiences with school to be the only memories I had to tell my children. On the daily I notice people tear their hair out over their silly little meaningless mess ups in school like the world is ending. Students have cried after receiving a 94 on a test they believe they deserve a 98 on. I never quite got to understanding how such a petit piece of someone’s life can immediately put them into a mournful state. That being said, I don’t regret putting high school second, to achieving happiness.

In conclusion, knowing what I regret and don’t regret from high school taught me valuable lessons for success as I enter the next chapter of my life. Lesson one, stop procrastinating. Entering college soon, I understand that procrastinating is never worth it and will only oppose a risk. Lesson two, make a difference. It doesn’t matter if it’s small or large, always try to make a positive impact. Lesson three, stay true to you. Staying real and true to yourself is important for finding the right group of people you want to be surrounded with. Once you have the right support, success is inevitable. The fourth and final main lesson I have learned from high school is to have a balance. For example, work hard, play hard. Without a balance I find myself confused on the meaning of what I am doing day by day. As high school comes to an end, I leave you my lessons as not a rubric you must follow, but as thoughts you may derive. Farewell Oak Hill High School, and farewell Class of 2019, I wish you all the best of luck. Thank you.  

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