BGHS is 'Ultimately Where We Found Ourselves'

When I was little, my favorite book was surprisingly not “The Cat in the Hat” or “The Little Engine That Could” and not even the infamous “Junie B. Jones” series. In fact, it just happened to be “The Big Book of Where’s Waldo Search and Find — Collector’s Edition.” In hindsight, I think this had something to do with the fact that “Where’s Waldo” never had any actual words to read and was essentially a picture book on steroids. At the same time, I credit my fascination with Waldo simply to petty grade school jealousy. I believe part of me was always a little envious of him with his cute, little stripped t-shirt and hipster glasses. And just like Waldo, I wanted to be found. 

While there are many things that I am still uncertain about, I can confidently say that due to our nature, we are constantly looking for something and in that sense, constantly finding. It is what we are good at because we find lucky pennies and our car keys, and find the time for a second cup of coffee in the morning. We find our favorite t-shirts straight from the dryer and find obnoxious YouTube videos to watch over and over again. 

In high school alone, we’ve found crusty lone socks inhabiting the bottom of our lockers and found moldy half eaten sandwiches that if consumed, have the potential to earn a dollar on a double dog dare. We’ve found new clubs to join, additional sports to try and different activities to master. We’ve found new friends and favorite teachers, found the time for candid conversations and memories alike. Sometimes, we find the hidden, quicker route to school. Sometimes, that is enough. 

Tomorrow, we will search for our new future homes, look for new ambitions and hunt down that crumpled summer bucket list. This is a marker of a fresh start over a nostalgic ending and maybe a reminder of all the things we still have yet to find. Perhaps tomorrow, we will find our futures. 

Collectively, when I thread together the goals that we’ve accomplished, the ideas that we stood up for, the morals that we preached and the fears that we’ve overcome, I see a page in a book that is unlike any other. It is far more creative than any Cat in the Hat, more convincing than the Little Engine’s tale and succeeds Junie B. Jones in both positivity and humor. It is a story that would give Waldo a run for his money. 

In twenty years, when they ask “Where’s the class of 2013?,” we’ll laugh, we’ll brag and we’ll smile because we will be the future innovators, the catalysts for change; we will be the next finders.We will have created our own scattered collages of how far we’ve come and we’ll know it’s because Buffalo Grove High School is where we first found each other, and ultimately where we found ourselves. Class of 2013, Congratulations!