When West High School’s Class of 2015 students received the Senior Activities Calendar last week, gold tassels and graduation gowns began to occupy everyone’s minds.

The Senior Goodbye Rally on May 29, Prom on May 30, as well as graduation and Grad Night on June 17th are just some of the activities in which seniors will participate. Additionally, they will have to attend graduation rehearsals, attend the field trip to Knott’s Berry Farm, and of course, take their last high school finals.

Melissa Lee (12) said, “I’m especially looking forward to graduation because it’s on my birthday.” Kristen Ho (12), yearbook staff writer and fellow senior, eagerly awaits the Yearbook Sneak Peek Party as well as Senior Grad Night. But the whirlwind of the events coming up in May and June is causing some seniors to look back and reflect on their past.

“Realizing that prom and graduation are getting closer is making me think about everything leading up to this year,” said senior Haseeb Khan (12).

The purpose of many of the upcoming activities is to encourage seniors to say their final goodbyes and celebrate their academic accomplishments. With that in mind, seniors are already beginning to miss their friends and think about their achievements, both in the context of what they have achieved and what more they could have done.

“The highlight from my years in high school were the people and sense of community I experienced through playing basketball during my freshmen/sophomore year and creating the yearbook during my junior and senior year,” said Ho. “I will definitely miss my friends since I have known most of them since kindergarten or middle school. I will also miss Ms. Lau my counselor, for helping me, especially during Senior year.”

Like Ho, Lee also reflected upon her experience in various organizations here at school, such as Tutorial Club and Robotics. “I will miss how simple high school is, but West stands out by offering a wider variety of extracurricular activities than other schools.”

The West High’s wide array of available activities is one factor contributing to the post-secondary academic success of the Class of 2015. This year’s seniors will be attending a variety of universities after graduation, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Michigan, and Purdue University. Though each senior will have to adjust to a new community, they have a couple months left to ruminate about their four years in high school and enjoy the time with the friends that persevered with them.