High school has is its fair share of stereotypes. There’s your athletes, your mathletes, your hipsters, your prepsters and the list goes on. Well, at least that’s what high school is supposed to be like.

JDS definitely has all of that. But for some reason that I just can’t quite figure out, none of those categories are mutually exclusive at our school. No one in our cafeteria sings “Stick to the Status Quo” from High School Musical, or only talks to three people who wear pink specifically on Wednesdays. Instead you’ll find athletes singing Nachamu and mathletes in your ceramics class.

I didn’t even realize how unique this was until I heard Jared Bauman say it to a bunch of prospective parents. In all honesty, I just assumed that every school was like this. In fact, I’d never really taken the time to think about all of the things that are so special about this school.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of ‘I-need-to-graduate’ moments, but lately, as the clock is winding down, it’s dawned on me how much I’ve disregarded and looked down upon the place that single-handedly shaped who I am today.

The reality is that we are all extremely fortunate. No matter your background, financial situation, homelife, etc., you are outrageously lucky to go to a school that encourages diversity of thought. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world throughout time have been murdered or beaten for thinking things about religion that we discuss openly in our classrooms. We’re encouraged to question God and religion and we’re given opportunities that other high school students wish they had. But most of the time it feels like we’re all waiting to be done.

And that is my biggest regret. I wish I had spent less time thinking about the end and more time thinking about the now. The end of high school always seemed like such an abstract idea full of promise and anticipation, but now that it’s in front of me, I wish I could go back and tell myself to stop thinking so much about the future.

High school is by no means a race. You shouldn’t be competing with everyone around you, and you definitely shouldn’t be rushing towards the finish line. The ending is great, but trust me, all the best parts are in the middle.