The school year is almost over, and summer is almost here. The Class of 2029 is very excited to begin their high school journey next year, the Class of 2028 is happy because they will no longer be freshman, the Class of 2027 is preparing for a year of endless work with a lot of colleges watching, and the Class of 2026 must begin their long goodbye. However, for one group of Wolverines, the Class of 2025, their goodbye is over. Richard Nixon once said to young kids graduating, “It’s true you are inheriting a world you never made. But this was also true of every generation. The great, exciting difference is that you live in a world you can change.” This is one of the many things seniors are thinking before they enter the real world, but many are looking back at their childhood past on how they got to this moment. Three seniors, Ariya Shah, Jurgis Petraitis, and Rory Fricano, have many stories to remember from the past twelve years.
Kindergarten is the beginning of public school, where the hardest homework assignment is to take a nap after school. For Fricano, her earliest memories were very simple. She stated, “My earliest memory is probably learning about colors in kindergarten and picking out pink to be my favorite color.” Another early experience that kids must get used to is eating with other kids their age in a cafeteria. Petraitis recalls his first cafeteria moment, saying, “My first time buying lunch alone and not having a pack, I got chicken nuggets. Usually school food is not the greatest, but I liked the chocolate milk, the little Tribu cartons.” Fricano added, “Once on Friday, my dad would give me enough quarters to buy myself an ice cream as a special treat.”
Their kindergarten experience was followed by first grade, where they started to really learn and no more naptime, which was rough for Petraitis, who said, “I remember coming back from recess and not having nap time, being really upset about it. That was a rough transition. I wasn’t ready for it.” However, school waits for nobody, and kids have to learn to adapt and overcome. Eventually, students did develop favorite teachers and routines. Petraitis’ favorite moment came in third grade. He stated, “We did a monarch song for the monarch butterflies from a remix of ‘Uptown Funk.’” But alas, fifth grade came, where their elementary school experience came to an end.
Ariya Shah found a way to close out fifth grade with a bang. “[My favorite moments were] fifth grade recess. We played kickball. We had a water balloon fight. Every day was fun.”
They began their second chapter in middle school. However, it was not for everyone. As Fricano put it, “I did not thrive in middle school… I had too much freedom for my age, but not enough to do what I wanted to do.” Petraitis, on the other hand, had a different opinion, saying, “I liked getting the lockers. It made me feel like I was in a movie” However, the Class of 2025’s middle school experience was cut short due to COVID-19 while they were in seventh grade. After life returned to normal, they found themselves as freshmen in their last chapter of grade school—Woodgrove.
The pandemic made people very optimistic about high school. Petraitis stated, “It was just nice to get back outside and see everyone again. High school was kind of like a fresh start.” Many kids also began to start doing sports and activities. Petraitis chose to get into sports, 5stating, “I didn’t like just going to school, learning, and then coming back home. I wanted to do more.” He added what sports he did, saying, “I chose wrestling. I wasn’t very good, but then I tried lacrosse, and now I’ve been doing rugby instead.”
Shah began competing in cross country which also allowed her to spend time with friends. She stated, “We used to vlog a lot freshman year too. We would just take random videos, but I look back at them now and I’m like, we were so obnoxious and annoying.” While some kids did sports, others got into acting and theater. Fricano explained, “People make fun of people who do theater, but if you’re proud of what you do, then you’ll never be ashamed of it.” Many kids would usually try to mix it up but Fricano, when offering advice to freshmen, said, “Find your niche and stick to it…it becomes what you look forward to every day.”
After freshman year, they were onto the next step—sophomore year. “Sophomore year was the first year that I knew seniors who were graduating.” Fricano said. “That was kind of a bittersweet experience.”
Once junior year rolled around, many began to work harder, but also began new traditions. During the winter track season, they began the tradition of the gilk mile, where Shah explained, “[It] was very fun. We mixed Gatorade and milk and then ran a mile.”
Reflecting on her journey through high school, Shah shared, “I have become very attached to these people. It does go by really fast.” These students are now moving on to the next stages of their lives. One can only imagine where life is going to take them, the accomplishments they will achieve, and the memories they will make, and they will always know where it all began.