I survived the hardest year of high school, but I created some of the best memories yet. Although I am not done yet, I would like to reflect on the best memories I have of the year.

I began junior year the way most teens do—with my new backpack and an excited attitude. But, I had a rough start. I remember completing my summer reading only to realize that I read the wrong book. So, I read and finished the book the night before school started.  I got my wisdom teeth taken out two days before the first day of school and spent most days hungry and in pain.

Despite the terrible start, I was able to turn it around. I became excited in my classes and did very well in most of them. I loved being in journalism class and found a new love for writing. After school, I usually went to work or to tennis practice. Both were so much fun.

Eventually homecoming came around, and I was able to experience my first dance since COVID. I remember having such an amazing time talking and dancing with my classmates. After the dance, I knew junior year was not going to be as hard as everyone says it is.

I was definitely wrong. Classes got harder, and I got lazier. I learned that my procrastination would be the death of me, so I had to change things around. I started doing better in my classes and learned that if I tried, I would get good grades.

October rolled around, and I started anticipating Halloween. It came faster than I expected, and so many people dressed in costumes Rosary. A group of my friends dressed up as characters from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and that really made me laugh. After school, I went to Knotts Scary farm and had so much fun (if you want to hear more about that read my other article). Not so scary farm? – The Royal Reporter

Also in October, I was able to participate in Rosary Day. It was so awesome because my mom was able to present me with my Rosary ring, and I finally felt like a true Rosary student. I started the year feeling like an underclasswoman but after that day, I became a true upperclasswoman. In October, I was also able to get my driver’s license. Looking back, I was such a dork for driving in my neighborhood with the windows down blasting “Driver’s License” by Oliva Rodrigo. Overall, October was a very important month.

In November, Clash of the Classes rolled around. I’ll admit, I was annoyed that I had to spend a few lunches learning the dance but in the end, it payed off. I felt so proud of the many dances that we preformed, and I loved watching the other classes preform too. I felt so much school spirit winning that spirit stick.

December was a fun and stressful month. In order to survive finals, I drank around three cups of coffee a day. Yes, it was unhealthy, but I would definitely do it again. After finals, I worked almost everyday. I had two jobs: one at Islands, my regular job, and one at a Christmas tree farm. It was one of my favorite jobs ever because the environment was great, and it was Christmas almost everyday.

I also spent December driving around to look at Christmas lights while screaming Justin Bieber’s song “Mistletoe” and drinking hot chocolate. I am surprised that I have a working DVD player because I played the movie “Elf” so much that it started to glitch. If you can’t tell already, Christmas is my favorite holiday.

In January, I didn’t really do much. I made some New Year’s resolutions that I forgot and probably wouldn’t keep anyway. But we had Red and Gold Kick off,which made me so happy.

February was fun because of winter formal. I had so much fun getting dressed up and eating some good food. In my opinion, school is so much more fun because of dances. Anyways, on Valentines Day my boyfriend came and brought me flowers and balloons. I was so happy because he was my first ever valentine.

March came around, and I spent my days anticipating Red and Gold. I dreaded practicing for my drill, but the end result was worth it. Although my team didn’t win, I made some great memories. After Red and Gold, I lost my voice for multiple days but it was definitely worth it.

Everything after March was just a blur of tests, quizzes, and hanging out with friends, so I am going to skip to May. In May, I went to prom with a group of my friends. We got a party bus, took so bomb photos, and danced the night away. I think I partied a little too hard because I ended up fracturing my thumb. Nevertheless, I highly recommend going to prom—with or without a date.

Now I am a little sad because a lot of my senior friends, including my sister, are leaving for college. It is also surreal hearing people say that next year I will be a senior in high school. I hope that next year is as great as this year was, and I can’t wait to see the challenges it brings.