Our time in high school is coming to a close. Senior year has gone by in a flash, and soon enough, we will all be off to college or simply beginning a new chapter in our lives. Most of us began our time at San Marcos in the fall of 2021 as freshmen, which feels like a lifetime ago. In these past four years, we have learned so much about ourselves and who we want to become in the future. We have formed some of our most meaningful and important friendships. We have gained so many valuable experiences, and most of all, we have made memories that we will never forget.
Personally, my favorite memories from SM are all of the trips I went on with choir. In the spring semester, the vocal department always travels to compete at or attend a festival, and I have gone on a trip every year in the spring since I was a freshman. In freshman year, we travelled to Oahu, Hawaii. We performed in a beautiful church for the competition and did a variety of activities such as a Luau, going to the beach, and visiting the Polynesian Cultural center. The next year, we went to Chicago, Illinois to participate in the Festival of Gold, where we performed in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Hall and saw sights such as the Bean, Navy Pier, and the Water Tower Place Mall. We also attended a musical. In junior year, we travelled to San Francisco. We spent the first day of the trip in the city; walking on the pier, visiting the Exploratorium museum and the Aquarium of the Bay, and having dinner at an authentic chinese restaurant in Chinatown. We competed the next day at a nearby city college, and went to the Six Flags Great America theme park where we rode roller coasters for hours and ended the night with the final awards for the competition, which took place in the theme park. Finally, this year, we travelled to Nashville, Tennessee, and it was the perfect trip to end my four years of choir. This trip was for another Festival of Gold, and we had the amazing opportunity to perform in the Schermerhorn Symphony center, as well as taking part in different sightseeing excursions in the city including: the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Museum of African American Music, line dancing, and exploring downtown Nashville. Overall, I am so grateful that I got to go on all of these trips and my high school experience would not have been complete without them.
“My favorite experience at SM was becoming Mr. Royal. The whole show was so much fun and I really enjoyed performing and watching what everyone else prepared,” said senior Aaron White.
Mr. Royal is a San Marcos tradition that was finally brought back this year after not taking place since before the COVID19 pandemic. It is essentially a pageant type competition, where ten senior boys compete to win the title of Mr. Royal. The show began with the contestants performing a group number, which this year was a choreographed dance to the song “24k Magic” by Bruno Mars, followed by each contestant lip syncing a song of their choice, with some acts having backup dancers as well, and each contestant’s individual act. It was highly entertaining and a night to remember, both for performers and audience members. This tradition will definitely be brought back each year based on how pleased the audience was with the entire show. Additionally, it was a perfect opportunity for many seniors to do one last performance with SM before graduating.
“I would say my favorite memories are probably of all the outside school hours SM events. I loved all the football games, performances, and dances, I think it was just a really lovely experience to see everyone outside of the classroom having fun,” said senior Chelsea Miao.
“One of my favorite memories in high school was the AAPLE east coast trip in the summer of junior year. It was so fun seeing colleges, exploring the city, and watching Hadestown!”said senior Olivia Barrios.
The AAPLE academy goes on many trips, where students are able to bond with their peers and explore new places. The AAPLE east coast trip takes place the summer before senior year, and students get the opportunity to visit a variety of different colleges on the east coast and get an idea of what type of college they want to go to, whether it be on the east coast or somewhere else.
“My favorite part of high school was the friendships I made these past four years. From late-night talks to laughing through the stress of school, I met people who stood by me through every milestone and made my experience more enjoyable.” said senior Evelyn Tano.
Many of us seniors are still close with people who we met freshman year, and we have had these friendships all throughout high school, which is what makes graduating a bittersweet experience. We will essentially be saying goodbye to what we have known and the people we have been in school with since seventh grade or even elementary school, and our lives will be changing as we move on to college. Our time at SM has been nothing short of memorable, and we will leave high school with all of these memories in the back of our minds.
