If you’ve been in or around the senior alcove at 3:45 p.m. over the past several weeks, you’ve watched as the senior class gathers together, as 80 chanting voices count down from ten, as one selected senior jumps from the trash-strewn couches, leaps up, grabs onto that day’s designated piece of paper and tears it down, much to the delight of their exhausted, excited classmates who surround them. Shouts, cheers and whoops mark the end of another day.

The exuberant nature of this tradition is thrilling. Only three more days of boring classes! Only two more nights of dreaded homework! Each afternoon, we rip down these pieces of paper, casting away another day at this place.

But I’d rather think of it slightly differently. To me, the tearing down of these papers represents the packing up of the special lessons, memories and experiences that we have harbored during our time here. Rather than seeing this ritual as a time when we cast away what has happened within the walls of our school, I hope we can take what we’ve gotten out of our years at CESJDS and hold onto it to use in each of our futures.

I hope that we can remember to continue asking the difficult questions, and to never shy away from challenge. From discussing whether Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is necessary to achieve peace in Arab-Israeli conflict class, to debating if the death penalty is an effective means of deterring future crimes in a history course on American law, JDS is a space where my classmates and I have been pushed by our teachers and each other to formulate opinions about topics that are at the heart of national and international affairs. The world beyond high school will continue to confront us with these intricate issues, and I hope that we will face them head-on as we have learned to do here at JDS.

Another value that I hope my classmates and I will continue to cherish is taking care of the members of our community. A few months ago, I walked into the alcove and saw a huge card on one of the couches. Students from every grade surrounded the large piece of white cardstock, writing condolences to a beloved teacher whose mother had passed away. I hope that this value of showing a deep love and concern for our fellow community members is something that we carry with us to the new communities that we find ourselves in in years to come.

Last week, JDS partnered with Adas Israel Congregation to sponsor a social justice event in honor of Martin Luther King Day. As the Jewish people, we have had our fair share of tragic events, and it would be easy for us to wallow in our own sorrows without hesitation or consideration for the plight of other groups — both religious and otherwise. But our community does not do that. We continuously reach outside of ourselves and engage with and struggle for the issues that we see plaguing our world. On a large scale, this is seen through events like the one held last week, but on a smaller scale, this is seen all the time, from student-run clubs like Hidden Gems to passionate editorials written by this very newspaper. I hope that my class never lets go of this value, and that we constantly push ourselves to work for communities besides our own.

So, to all my fellow seniors, I hope that we don’t get too caught up in the excitement of these last days that we let go of the incredible lessons we’ve learned here. This Friday, when we drive away from JDS, sleep-deprived from setting up our prank, covered in sweat from our senior run and hoarse from screaming throughout the day, we should be so thankful that we are ready. Not just ready to leave, but prepared for what’s next.