When I walked into the front office on my first day of school, I was unsure what to think. Everything seemed so big and everyone looked so strange; different from the faces I had grown accustomed to growing up in East Grand Rapids. I scurried into the cafeteria and unknown to me, started myself on a crazy adventure.

While the first few weeks were rough, I adapted to the environment quickly, making fast friends and taking in my new surroundings. The lunch ladies were sweet as could be, always having time to stop and ask how I was doing. They weren’t the only staff who treated me well though. The teachers at Forest Hills are some of the finest around, surpassing all of my  expectations. They took interest in my well being and supported my learning style, always prompting me to do my best. It saddens me to know that I won’t be able to spend my senior year with the teachers I’ve come to love. I know there are still many things I could learn from them and I hope I have made at least a fraction of the impact on them that they made on me.

So due to their excellence in all things teacherly and for their incredible kindness I’m giving the staff of FHC a 5 out of 5 rating.

As I mentioned before, the first few weeks were rough for me. I didn’t know anyone and often ending up sitting at a table by myself during lunch, growing a tad bitter in my loneliness. However it didn’t take long for me to start making fantastic friends who put up with me for those weeks of grumpiness. I started feeling more like a part of my classes and not like an outsider. Once I had warmed up to people they warmed up to me. Some took time out of their busy schedule to stop and talk to me in the hallways, asking if I was getting around alright or if I needed help finding a certain class. For the student body of FHC, I give them a 5 out of 5 for their acceptance and friendliness towards the blue headed weirdo who landed at their door step.

Now I am willing to admit that back at my old school I used to skip out on pep rallies and avoid sports events, seeing school spirit as uncool and sort of snobby. None of the football players or swimmers had taken time out of their day to support my art classes so why should I feel the need to go out and support them? However my views took a u-turn when I started noticing how supportive everyone here was of each other. Sports people took an interest in my hobbies and I started taking an interest in theirs. The first pep rally I went to here made me bounce up and down with excitement, cheering out loudly “GO HOME FRESHMEN”. This school has made me proud of my sport teams and student body. I’ve often gotten scolded by my friends for bragging about our tennis team and our swimmers. As a person who grew up resenting school spirit it feels really good to finally get into it. The feeling of losing your voice from screaming your team on or clapping your hands till their numb isn’t one I’ll forget soon. So for their impeccable pep rallies and roaring support of their school, I give the FHC school spirit a 5 out of 5.

This is my last year at FHC and its hard to describe how I feel about it. I feel great sadness of course, leaving my friends and the teachers I’ve grown close too. I get emotional just thinking about how I won’t be writing for the magazine anymore or how I won’t get to chat with my bus lady about different hair dyes on the way home. But in a way I feel happy too, because I know with the things I’ve learned here and the friends I’ve made will last me a lifetime.

So for their overall rating, I award FHC a 5 out of 5 for their positive impact in my life and the treasured memories. Thank you FHC.Thank you so much. I will miss you more than you could know.