For most at West, school could not be going by any slower. But, for the class of 2024, it seems to be the beginning of the end. On Oct. 11,  seniors gathered for their yearbook panoramic photo.  While this task may seem dismal and uninteresting to some seniors, for others, this photo is a reminder of how far they have come and how far they still have to go (while also getting the chance to make group shirts with their friends). So, here’s what a few seniors had to say about the day in general and about what this photo meant to them.

   Abigail Park (12) was present during the panoramic photo. She wore a shirt with the letter “A” written on it so that when she stood next to her friends, they spelled the word “RAN”. She said she did this because “ran is all [of her friends] initials together, [they] met in cross country, and like to joke that high school had [them] ‘ran’ through.” For Park, “it’s just another year” and this photo doesn’t mean a lot yet. But, it is an excuse to dress up with her friends and reminisce. 

   Our next senior is Mia Zavala (12), who stated that the event overall was “pretty fun”, though admittedly “kind of chaotic at the beginning.” She believes that “our school should have more pictures and more events” to celebrate West’s community. She —

 similarly to Park — also wore a letter with her friends: but in this case, to spell out the word “Yippee.” She told us that “yippee” is representative of the fact that “senior year is coming to an end and it’s one of the last pictures [they will] see as a whole group . . . so [they] thought it was a good way to close [the year] and continue [their] friendship with a ‘Yippee’.”

   Morgan Lee (12) was next in line to share her story about the senior panoramic. Lee and her friends spelled out the word “h20”,  with Lee stating they did this because “like every person requires water to live, [her friend group]kind of [requires] each other to live.” This sentiment on its own is sweet but Lee also shared that “[she] can see a lot of growth and change in [herself] through these photos,” making them so much more meaningful.

   Bella Levinson (12) explained that “it was super loud and not everyone was listening [to instructions]. But in the end, ASB did get it together.” Levinson said that she participated in creating the word “grimaces” with her group’s shirts, which reminds her of a fond memory she shares with her classmates. On the subject of the photo itself, Levinson articulated that “It makes [her] feel nostalgic because [her group has] all been to school with each other” since elementary school. She further stated that “even if [she’s] not friends with the other seniors that [she] used to be friends with, it’s still kind of sad . . . it’s like the last everything.”

   Finally, Philip Lam (12) was the last senior to share his perspective on the day. Lam expressed that “when [he] was an underclassman, [he] wasn’t really aware nor [had] any particular interest in spirit weeks or things like that around campus. But [he’s] realizing [it’s] senior year, [and he] might as well just participate.” And participate he did. Lam and a group of seven others worked to spell out “Illiter8.” They did this to be ironic because most of the group  “are either in AP Lit or a college-level course, Lam states. “We enjoy reading . . . so you could say we were walking contradictions.”

   Five seniors with five different perspectives and experiences.  Whether they like it or not, their time here at West High will soon come to an end. As they reminisce, reflect, and have fun with those they call friends, seniors can take a breath, realizing that they’re almost at the finish line. After hearing the stories of these five seniors, underclassmen can maybe take a second and truly cherish the moments we have together because soon, it will be them standing in crazy shirts to take that dreadful, wonderful, panic-inducing senior panoramic.