“I can’t wait to be in college”, “I hate Westminster”, “I can’t wait to leave”, “Imagine how much better life will be when we’re no longer here”. These are phases, sadly, as a high school student, we hear at least once a day. This is the superpower of a high schooler: they want to be anywhere else but where they are. Because complaining and dreaming is a whole lot easier than standing still and facing the present. Everyone has this idea that leaving is going to fix everything, but sadly no. Leaving is only going to create more problems! Westminster is a small, very well equipped school that is here to give you all the tools to do things yourself. It is okay to ask for help, process information, or get through something. But in college, the ask for help mentality changes, so seniors are prepared for that? Are prepared to walk into a classroom of 300 students where you are just a statistic? When you walk across that stage some schools won’t even call your name, so are you ready for that? As a senior myself, I hear these phrases above all the time from people in my classes and underclassmen. This makes me sad because at some point you will have to answer this question: are you really ready to leave? Sophomores, freshmen, and juniors, that question is for you. Do you all really know what leaving means? Some of you just got here, some of you are finally finding friends, so don’t start looking for the future yet. Stay in the moment, enjoy the time you have left here, and don’t complain that you’re here. Embrace the community and enjoy your time here. Westminster has so many fun opportunities and it is just a shame to not see them being taken advantage of. So now to the seniors, are you ready? Going into the second semester no matter if you are or not, you will have to leave. So how can you begin to prepare? Take some time to talk to some old teachers, take some time to write a reflection about your time here, pray even. You’ll probably never truly know that you’re ready to leave, but you might as well think about what it is going to mean to not see any of these people you have been with for these last 6 years. Also, what is it going to mean for you to be away from your families when that independence you are asking for is here, so what happens next? So seniors, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, we here at 800 news challenge you to enjoy and love this time before it is taken away.