To the PV Class of 2023:
While serving as an executive member of Spartan Assembly and writer for the Spartan Shield, I was privileged to have the opportunity to work with and befriend many of my fellow Class of 2023 peers. Whether it be planning a Homecoming dance or Hunger Drive event, rallying seniors to participate in an assembly, playing photographer at a sports event or conducting a Spartan Shield article interview, I was able to build many valuable relationships this final year of high school. However, this deeper connection was accompanied by a personal dilemma: it is hard to find a word that encapsulates everything the Class of 2023 stands for.
We are persistent, overcoming the adversities of losing nearly two years of “normal” high school due to the COVID pandemic. We are successful in everything ranging from athletics to academics to music to the arts. We are spirited, coming together to support our school at Friday night football games, theater performances and sports’ state appearances. But at the same time, we are adrift, stuck in the constant turmoil of extremities ranging from opinions on politics and global warming to the stark reality of school shootings and gun violence.
And this is where my stuck point began. Does a word exist to holistically describe our class? After much thinking and deliberation over the perfect word for the Class of 2023, I finally landed on one: progressing.
Starting from the first small steps we took entering our kindergarten classrooms and following us throughout elementary, middle and high school, the Class of 2023 has been in a constant state of change and development. Beyond the physical progression of aging was the mental progression in our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. Even in moments of stagnancy, seemingly lost in infinite circles of stillness, the Class of 2023 found a way to grow and progress. Now we are here, entering the final days of our high school progression.
No longer can we progress in the safety and comfort of PV’s locker-lined hallways, surrounded by our closest friends and dedicated teachers. Instead, we enter a future of the unknown, the uncertain, and the unpredictable. However, just as I have witnessed our collective progress since we were naive freshmen scurrying quietly through the hallways, I have confidence that our futures will be a continuation of our progression.
I want to end this farewell with the wise words of BTS’ RM in his 2018 speech at the United Nations. “Maybe I made a mistake yesterday, but yesterday’s me is still me. Today, I am who I am with all my faults and my mistakes. Tomorrow, I might be a tiny bit wiser, and that’ll be me too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life.”
I wish PV’s Class of 2023 the best of luck in continuing their individual progression. Whether that be through college, traveling the world, entering the workforce or anything in between. I applaud our class for all the progress we have made, for overcoming our mistakes and challenges to face the inevitable changes of tomorrow.
To my fellow seniors and Spartans, goodbye and best wishes. I truly hope that your progression leads you to the brightest future you envision.
Sincerely,
Leila Assadi
