A Goodbye Letter from the Class of 2020
By Rampage Senior, Katie McEldowney
Dear Owasso High School,
As a Senior, I can say that the journey has been fun. Well, most of it.
Though this school year has come to a very odd end, this year has been my favorite. Through all the ups and downs, every failed test, every clumsy lunch accident, every awkward interaction with people I didn’t know. I found something sweet to enjoy, whether it be through friends or my teachers.
Enough about me, the class of 2020, we have a message for you, we want to tell you, that this year, this is where we got to make our mark. This was the year where we made our legacy, when we said goodbye to the classrooms we knew so well, the hallways we walked down daily for four years of our lives. We left our mark, as “The Class of 2020, the ones who were quarantined” Now, none of us wanted to leave that legacy, that mark. We wanted things to end normally, to have prom on time, and graduate to when we were supposed to, and to have Senior Skip day! But in all honesty, The Class of 2020 is a unique one, born in a time where diversity is still struggling to be accepted, and this class, this generation, will be the leaders into this new age.
And what better way to prove that, than to conquer the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020?
Now to share with you some photos and memories from not only myself, but other seniors as well a quote from another.
My final goodbye to all of those who will continue their journey at Owasso, or any other school for that matter, would be this:
“Remember that first day? That you walked into high school, and you were nervous, excited, and thinking that these four years were just going to drag by? I remember thinking that, and can I just say, that’s not true. These four years will fly by in an instant, and in May of your Senior year you’re going to say ‘wait, how did I get here?’. My time at Owasso was filled with ups and downs; I dealt with a lot, to say the least, it took me a long time to figure out who I was, and who my friends were...but in the end I learned a very valuable lesson that I want to share. High school is not perfect. At times it sucks and it’s difficult. But in the end, what matters is who you are, and what you took away from it. I know who I am, and I know what I want, and I learned that I am a beautiful individual who doesn’t need to try to fit in or be “cool.” I don’t have to try to be anything but myself. And so to those of you who don’t know who you are yet and find yourself getting lost in the sea of high school, remember that in the end, all that matters is if you are happy with who you are. Not if anyone else is - that’s my final goodbye to you all.”
~Katie McEldowney.
Another senior who wanted to say something is Gabby Bradford. I’m sure many of you know her, and you know that Gabby is a very warm and friendly individual. Here’s what Gabby had to say when I asked her:
“What is your favorite memory from Owasso?”
“My favorite memory would have to be winning State!!” Gabby replied, “we went undefeated my senior year, it’s crazy!”
Gabby also told me what her most valuable and unforgettable lesson she learned while at Owasso:
“It’s okay, to not be okay, it’s pretty vague,” Bradford admits, “but it took me a while to get there. And throughout my time at Owasso, I believe that is my biggest accomplishment” Gabby stated.
And her final farewell is as follows:
“Life is beautiful, don't take it too seriously, make crazy hair decisions, change what you wanna do with your life. Whether you go to college or work full time - cry with your best friends. Meet new people and fall in and out of love. ‘Normal’ is overrated. Just go for it!! And everyone that knows me knows how much I love hugs, and boy am I going to miss them!!!”
-Gabby Bradford
Another senior, Iyana Jones, who’s not only beautiful and smart, but also easy to become friends with once said this in Senior English:
“Guys we need to seriously think about this; this is our last year of high school. Our lives are going to change forever. We’re gonna be on our own, living our life. That’s insane.”
“If I would have known my senior year would be cut short with no picnic, no prom, and possibly no graduation, I would’ve held some people tighter when I hugged them goodbye that last Friday before SpringBreak. They say high school will either be the best four years of life or the worst. In my case it was the best. Despite my many groans about wanting to ‘be a senior’ through freshman year, and my complaints of ‘wanting the year to end faster,’ I can say with confidence that if I could go back and restart walking through the Mid-High doors, I would. There are no words to describe the warmth that fills me when I think of the people I’ve encountered or the memories I made. Owasso High School, in these four years, you’ve changed me for the better and helped me grow into who I am now. This is my final goodbye to the wonderful teachers and people I’ve encountered that impacted my life for the short time they were in it. Life now starts for my peers and myself, all a part of the class of 2020. I wish us all the best in whatever path were taken down. Thank you for the memories. Goodbye, OHS.”
-Iyana Jones
High school is never easy. You’re going to struggle with stress, making friends, classes, and stuff from home, but from the class of 2020, we say that once you’re out of high school, it’s gonna be the same in the real world. Life itself is never easy, but there would be no point to it if it was. So even if it’s not always fun, think about it like it’s preparing you to be stressed as an adult! Life is going to be crazy and hard, but you have to take risks and enjoy the small things before it slips away.
This is the class of 2020, saying farewell, stay strong guys!
Go Rams!