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These are the final few days of school for soon-to-be graduates across Chambers County. Students will be finishing up their last assignments, cleaning out their lockers and preparing their summer vacation plans. 

The next steps of their lives are important and exciting ones. 

Many students will be shopping for dorm necessities before heading off to college in the fall. Others will be studying for professional certifications, or preparing to join the workforce. Some may even be stuffing backpacks full to bursting to get ready for a gap year. 

Those reading this may be parents and family members of students, who remember this unique transitional period as fondly as we do. The excitement of graduation, the worry of forgetting to turn in that last assignment, the relief that one day soon, you’ll walk out of those doors for good.

For those of you reading who are graduating, you’re probably thrilled — after 12 years of sitting in classrooms, listening to lecture after lecture, writing essay after essay — to know that you will be free to make your own decisions and start down your future path. Of course, every one of you has earned it. 

But as graduation speeds toward you, try to remember that these days will be some of the best of your lives. For many, high school is one of the most formative times. You’ll make decisions that will impact your future for years to come.

The memories you made in high school will be the foundations for the rest of your life. 

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the relationships you made will last forever.  

Graduation day will be the last time you see some of your classmates.  

So enjoy the freedom of knowing these are your final few days in high school. Be excited for what’s to come, but also be prepared. As you walk through those familiar halls during your final week, try to soak up those fleeting moments with friends. Take your time unraveling four years’ worth of memories from your locker or desk. Thank your teachers and counselors for all they’ve done for the past four years. 

As you get ready to dress in your cap and gown, don’t forget to make some fond memories of your last week to take with you.