Rachel’s Ravings – This Is It

They were intimidating. They were so tall I had to stand on my tiptoes to see over them, dodge and turn sideways so I wouldn’t be squashed. They were prettier, laughed more, talked more. I wanted to be one of them so badly. These were my thoughts about GACS seniors in sixth grade, when my sister was one. Every afternoon after school I would have to walk the entirety of the senior hall to meet her at her locker to ride home, and it was a traumatic experience every time; I was frightened yet intrigued, intimidated but jealous. I couldn’t wait until my locker would be in that hallway, until I would be tall enough to see over the crowd. And now that I have a senior locker (the dreaded bottom locker, of course) and I’m tall enough to not be trampled (for the most part), I know that I had a false perception of what being a senior was really like. So I’m here to fill you in, after two weeks, of what it’s like to be a senior.

First of all, I don’t feel any different. The first day of school, my last at GAC, was the same as always, just plus a laptop. My friends are awesome per usual but the same, some of them since sixth grade. Our “new” kids to our class this year are students who are returning after only a few years or even a few months absent. There’s nothing big and scary and new, not counting college applications, but even those are basically just another assignment. They just matter a little more.

The only actual difference I’ve noticed so far, besides sitting in the gallery at lunch, is noticing whose missing. Seeing Sandy Jiang get her yearbook at Spartan 2gether day, getting Rachel Huppertz’s old AP lit book watching former Spartan Spear-it blogger Chelsea Mitchell drive through the GAC carpool, not in uniform, to pick up her sister, and Facebook stalking Dorothy Wallis’ dorm room pictures all remind me that they’re gone; even when we were technically the oldest class in 8^th grade, the class of 2010 was just across the quad. It’s difficult to think about that they’re spread out now, all over the country, friends who’ve been together for up to 15 years now separated. Every time one of my friends mentions how we’re going to all be apart next year I rapidly change the subject, not really because it’s hard to handle, but because it honestly doesn’t feel real to me yet, at all.

Which is probably a good thing, because I’m not sure how well I’m going to cope when it finally hits me.

But now isn’t the time to think about that. Fellow GACS seniors and high school students, now is the time to do what Ms. Terry told us to do on the retreat: Live It Up. Yes, we have homework. And sports practices. And college applications. And newspaper deadlines. But, in my opinion, while school should definitely be our top priority, it should never be our only priority. We should stop waiting to feel different, for our lives to start, and set a good example for those sixth graders who are looking up to the high school, like I was. We have to make the most of the time we have with our friends and the people we care about, serving God and loving each other while we’re still here at GACS.

Because it won’t last forever.

Chelsea’s Blog: It All Happened So Fast

Almost November already? Where has the time gone? As much as I’m enjoying myself here, it doesn’t seem like I’ve been here long enough for teachers to start talking about term papers and semester averages. I feel as if it were “just yesterday” when I was trying on my GACS uniform for the first time.

Although it somewhat seems that I’ll forever be branded that “new kid” around campus, I’ve been having some success in getting involved and meeting people. The musical, Snoopy, proved to be an awesome way for me to make new friends, and performing with the cast was just spectacular. Oh, and in case you didn’t hear, we won GTC!

Another thing that has happened is that I’ve started to discover my favorite and least favorite classes. Right now, my least favorite is AP Calculus. Boy, it’s a killer! Mr. Beasley is hilariously brilliant and my classmates are really cool, but I am dying in there. I’ll be studying for a test, feeling oh-so-confident, and then on test day, as soon as that sheet of paper with math problems is handed to me, I have a sudden urge to… RUN!

I think my favorite class is currently Honors Latin III. I’m the only senior in the class, and I honestly think that may be why I enjoy it so much. We seniors are so caught up in our own things – college coming at us fast and senioritis spreading like swine flu – that I’ve generally noticed less enthusiasm among my classes with only seniors. My Latin class, with mostly sophomores, maintains a pretty nice balance of goofing off and focusing on the task at hand. Also, we get to use the Mac Labs every Tuesday! What more could you ask for?

Here’s something: Lately I have been trying to eat lunch with as many different people as possible. I encourage you to “mix it up” wherever you are, as well. You’d be surprised at how much you can learn from a person just by sharing a quick meal and casual conversation. There are many blessings in disguise.

That’s all for now. Check back soon.

Chelsea’s Blog: First Day of School

MONDAY morning, six a.m., and there’s a ringing in my ears. I’m pretty sure I must have moaned pretty loudly and unpleasantly at that point. After reluctantly crawling out of the bed, I groomed myself and put on my uniform. Ready to go, I hit the road and spent the next thirty minutes fighting morning rush hour.

My homeroom class is the farthest building from the parking lot, so that was a nice, little walk. Once arriving at the building, I was greeted by a few “good mornings” and countless confused stares.

“Are you new here,” asked several uniformed girls.

“Yes, I’m Chelsea, what are y’alls’ names?”

That’s pretty much how my day went. There are seven classes in my schedule, not including the tri-weekly chapel services and midday lunch period. I never know what time it is that I’m supposed to be somewhere. It’s not “what’s your 9:30 class?” … it’s “who do you have for second period?”  My life has ceased to be ruled by the clock and the lovely bell has taken over my every move.

The bell rings all the time. It signals everything and anything, and teachers kind of flinch when it rings mid-sentence. I always get a chuckle out of that. Seriously though, this thing RINGS and you can’t miss it. All I need to do is figure out what note it sounds, and by the end of the year, I’ll have perfect pitch.

My blog will continue on a regular basis. Please follow me in my journey as a new student at GACS!