by Felipe Espericueta
Over the years, the current senior class has traversed our expansive halls, rallied in the locker rooms before big games, rehearsed under the lights of our eight hundred seat auditorium, worked out in the Olympic size pool and track, and dined in the spacious air conditioned cafeteria… oh wait! That’s McClintock!
The actual campus of Tempe Preparatory Academy is a rather humble place, but while it may be small, it houses one of the best schools in the state of Arizona. A real-life stroll in the life of a TPA senior goes more like this: “May I go to the bathroom?” followed by wandering the campus, getting a drink of water, chatting with friends, teachers, and coaches, rummaging through underclassmen’s belongings and the lost and found, and probably covering the length of the school 3-4 times.
While we do not have the facilities of our neighboring public high schools, the mission and school spirit of Tempe Prep have uniquely prepared us as seniors to develop into life-long learners and we are now ready (hopefully) to pursue post-secondary education.
The TPA experience is unparalleled. Whether we arrived here one-third of our current size in seventh grade or joined the ranks of the Knights just a few years ago, we have all endured senior year and now anticipate with bittersweet expectation the culmination of our education experience: graduation. With no more theses to defend, senior trip a fond but distant memory, and college decisions all wrapped up, a part of each of us will remain a Knight throughout graduation evening while the other part looks to the future with great expectations.
For me, the challenge of senior year has been a truly valuable experience. Even though this dreaded year can feel like a hair-pulling-scrape-a-cheese-grater-against-my-forehead experience at times, I promise you juniors and all other incoming seniors in the future, that, although you may not see it while you are in the midst of the seemingly endless hours of avoiding homework, essay procrastinating, confused lab reports, and genuine thesis work, all of your efforts will come to fruition. The hour defense before the faculty and guests can seem intimidating, but it will become one more unique TPA contribution to your academic preparation for life-long scholarship. The trials of senior year are quite difficult to value as they are experienced. Yet, in time their worth becomes clear as each student prepares for new academic and personal journeys.
What is on the minds of the TPA seniors as they plow on toward graduation? It’s been said that some (most?) of the seniors are counting down the days with delight! What memories are some of the seniors holding close regarding their senior year? Out of all of our memories, our senior trip ranks among the most fun and memorable experiences. Some of our more academic recollections include: “Philosophical discussions around the lunch table with varying religious points of view,” as Dheeraj Haritheesan put it.
A few seniors even gave some advice to juniors for the upcoming year, after of course being woken from another midday nap. “Get everything done soon because January comes too early and you’ll be dead by then,” Caroline Kinsley said. Lisa Dischinger adds, “Don’t procrastinate and learn how to drink coffee, but do get some sleep.” Finally, and possibly most importantly, “Avoid Senioritis – it is The Plague!” said Josh Ekstrom.
Some seniors have also considered important items that they would like to pass along to future years. Some of these include: Play-Doh to release anxiety, a pillow pet, and dark sunglasses for the numerous days when sleep becomes not a nightly occurrence but rather a series of early morning naps.
In reflecting on the upcoming graduation ceremony, seniors have some thoughts about entertainment and speakers. I’d like to make it clear that there is no doubt in our minds that our class will be able to manage the cost of these desired speakers and artists. Some of the names being tossed around for artist that should perform at graduation include: Mumford and Sons, AWOLNATION, Lil B, and David Gilmour. Speaker recommendations include: Sandra Day O’Connor, Morgan Freeman, Hillary Clinton, and Steven Colbert.
By the sound of this lineup, it looks like we’d better pull in all of our common bank accounts to make it happen. No matter how spectacular graduation turns out to be, we know that the Class of 2013 has earned the glory of walking across the stage, shifting the tassels across our caps, and moving on in life.